Happy Halloween!

The History Channel has got some wonderful and fun interactive content surrounding the history of Halloween.

I often find that their online programming proves excellent for use in extension activities. The 'Hidden Spirits' haunted house game, for instance, is both brilliantly fun and a great way to extend reading and critical thinking skills.

Try it out (if you dare!)

Learn How Apple Innovates - The #1 Innovative Company

Innovation eBook used by 600+ innovative companies worldwide - eBook Best Seller (deployed at Nokia, EDS, Pepsi, HP, many more...)

Innovation eBook and Definitive Guide is a 212-page collection of over 55 best practices, case studies, and insights on the current state of Innovation in Business at Top Innovators including Apple, Google, Netflix, 3M, Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, Toyota, GE, BMW, Deloitte, Frito Lay, IBM, Nike, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft, Dell, Tata, Intel and more. In particular, learn how Apple innovates, and what made Apple the #1 innovative company in the world. Can Apple one day overtake Microsoft - both in market cap and revenue? It's not impossible, actually quite feasible with Apple's current growth rate in the next three to four years. With pertinent articles from this award-winning Creativity And Innovation Driving Business Blog, this Faculty eBook provides real-world examples on how the Top Innovators innovate and grow their business successfully time and again, especially during economic cycles. Creativity And Innovation in Business is a definitive guide and resource that will help you unblock creativity, uncover and create game-changing innovations, and make exponential business growth a reality.

Growing Quarterly Apple Revenue vis-a-vis Microsoft Revenue

"I teach Applied Creativity and Innovation for a College near Toronto, Canada. I gave my business students an assignment to work with one of the top 10 innovative companies and to research/report on what makes them innovative, type of innovative challenges, benefits, etc. Your report from the eBook and definitive guide was the primary document that they used for their work." - Business School Professor

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"1) Innovation and growth is not (just) a fuzzy process of screwing around vigorously (SAV) but can be a systematic process,

2) Innovation and growth is not (just) something that happens in a department like R & D or product development,

3) Innovation and growth is not just about products or solutions - it is about creating a transformational change in the way people live, work and play." - Chapter 26, Erich Joachimsthaler, author of "Hidden in Plain Sight"

Who should buy?

The Innovation eBook and Definitive Guide has been downloaded and used by over 1,000 professionals, faculty and innovators at educational institutions and businesses all around the world including EDS, Ericsson, Center for Sales Strategy, IdeaChampions, Acara Global, Byrne Dairy, Cleveland Clinic, Magpie, DOJ/FBI, HP, Hewlett Packard, Intervista Institute, Fryett Consulting Group, Satellite Shelters, ProductVentures, Speakeasy - a Best Buy company, Jarden Consumer Solutions, Hallmark, Infinium, DeakinPrime - Deakin University, Lucas-TVS, McCann Worldgroup, S.P.Jain Center of Management, Suffolk University, RiCoMan, AmpControl, Craig Rispin, Momentive, Champion Laboratories, University of Phoenix, University of Washington, SFR - Neufbox, Attwood as Edison, Academy of Sport, Ideogenesis, Principled Innovation, Meridian Partners, Ananzi, Tangibility, Syngenta Global, Speedy, The Business Lab, Deloitte, Lane Management, University of California at Irvine, Wharton Business School, Babson University, Larsen & Toubro, Nokia, Credera, Pfizer, Bilkent University, Indian Institute of Science, Bacardi, Chick-fil-A, LG Electronics, Pepsi and many more.

If you are a marketing executive, information executive, IT executive, product manager, marketer, product marketer, sales operations manager, sales director, sales consultant, business consultant, product designer, brand manager, marketing manager, VP of products, VP of marketing, VP of technology, research & development director, product director, product marketing manager, marketing consultant, brand consultant, innovation consultant, chief innovation officer, engineer, engineering student, business school student, business school professor, technology student, technology consultant, design engineer, consultant, trainer, professor or management consultant - this book and definitive guide is for you! If you are one of the key executives of the company or the CEO, buy this guide for your company!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - The Top 50 Innovative Companies In The World
Chapter 2 - The Innovation Index - Top 20 Innovators
Chapter 3 - Measuring Business Innovation Success - Key Benchmarks
Chapter 4 - Failures And Stumbles Driving Innovation - Five Takeaways
Chapter 5 - Blocking Creativity And Innovation - Nine Processes
Chapter 6 - Six Ways To Find Innovation - "See with new eyes"
Chapter 7 - Five Principles For Successful Business Innovation
Chapter 8 - Is Innovation Cyclical? - Four Common Blunders
Chapter 9 - Can Leadership Create Innovation? - Ten Leadership Ideas
Chapter 10 - Top Ten Creative Leadership Traits - Be The Leader and Innovator
Chapter 11 - Creating Team Innovation - Seven Characteristics
Chapter 12 - Creating Team Innovation - Effective Teams Examples
Chapter 13 - Creating Team Innovation - Ten Principles To Unleash Innovation
Chapter 14 - The Future Of Management, Creativity And Innovation - Upend Business Models
Chapter 15 - How Much Creativity Is Enough?
Chapter 16 - Co-Creation Driving Innovation At Top Innovators
Chapter 17 - Marketing Innovation Creating Market Leadership
Chapter 18 - Consumer Innovation Best Practices - Six Steps To Lead Innovation
Chapter 19 - The Innovation Gap - Disruptive Innovation versus Sustaining Innovation
Chapter 20 - Are Children More Creative Than Adults?
Chapter 21 - Questions Lead To Creativity, Answers Lead To Innovation
Chapter 22 - Expanding Your Business Innovation Capacity
Chapter 23 - Innovation Insights And Wisdom From Greatest Innovators
Chapter 24 - Turn Complaints Into Solutions, Innovations And Success
Chapter 25 - Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die
Chapter 26 - Ten Answers For Driving Innovation And Growth At World Class Innovators
Chapter 27 - Strategic Innovation At Deloitte - The "Apple" Of Services Innovation
Chapter 28 - Toyota's Innovation Factory
Chapter 29 - Ipod - Apple's Best Innovation
Chapter 30 - Apple Iphone Rising - Top Ten Innovations
Chapter 31 - Google Versus Yahoo - A Tale Of Two Cities
Chapter 32 - Youtube - $1.65 Billion Innovation And Counting
Chapter 33 - Blockbuster Versus Netflix - Winner Takes All?
Chapter 34 - GE And P&G - Innovations Driving Growth & Six Growth Principles
Chapter 35 - Can Dell Turnaround Dell? Seven Thoughts For Turnaround
Chapter 36 - Innovations Brewing At Starbucks ? Five Takeaways
Chapter 37 - Southwest Airlines Flying High With Ten Innovations
Chapter 38 - Innovations At Microsoft - Four Business Pillars
Chapter 39 - Direct Marketing And Direct Mail Innovation At USPS
Chapter 40 - Disruptor Zune Versus Innovator Ipod
Chapter 41 - 100% Electric Ultra Fast Innovation - Tesla
Chapter 42 - Nike Versus Adidas - The Innovation Game Is On
Chapter 43 - People Innovation - We Think Culture Of Innovation
Chapter 44 - Intel - Exponential Innovations
Chapter 45 - Five Innovations In Software Industry - Intuit Case Study
Chapter 46 - Google Versus Microsoft - The Enterprise Battle Heats Up!
Chapter 47 - Launch Of Tata Nano - A Watershed Moment in Indian Autos
Chapter 48 - How Can GM Turnaround The Business? Is Innovation The Answer
Chapter 49 - Doubleclick A Smart Buy For Google
Chapter 50 - Microsoft Walk-Off Home Run With Aquantive
Chapter 51 - IBM's $5 Billion Cognos Acquisition
Chapter 52 - Top Acquisitions By The Top Innovators
Chapter 53 - Will Yahoo merge with Microsoft?
Chapter 54 - Innovation And Stock Performance Correlation
Chapter 55 - The Innovation Index Annual Report
Chapter 56 - $1 Billion Or The Future

Eight new chapters added, including a detailed report on "Measuring Business Innovation Success"

Download Now

Innovation eBook details invaluable tools to unlock:
Creativity -> Ideas -> Innovations -> Success -> Profits

The Innovation Bootcamp On Demand Resource Kit Tools:

The entire Innovation Bootcamp is available On-Demand now for your business to unleash the creativity and innovation within your own environment! You can selectively leverage the key concepts of the Innovation Bootcamp at your own pace, at your office or at your home, and share them with your team. The Innovation Bootcamp On-Demand Resource Kit includes:

• The complete Innovation Bootcamp presentation and handouts containing over 400 presentation slides to spark new ideas, channel team creativity and create innovation factory.
• 100+ pertinent strategies and tools, hands-on techniques and uncommon insights to unleash creativity and innovation at your business

The Innovation Bootcamp Resource Kit consists presentation slides of Six Engaging Online Workshop Sessions:

• 1. Benchmarking and Leading with Innovation
  
• The Business Case for Innovation


• 2. Unblocking Creativity and Innovation


• The Essential Processes and Skills


• 3. Unleashing Team Innovation


• Great Teams Deliver Great Innovations


• 4. and 5. Business Innovation Case Studies


• Learn how Top Innovators Lead with Innovation (Google, Netflix, Apple, Toyota, Southwest, more). An entire session dedicated to Apple's Innovation strategy & process.


• 6. Building an Innovation Factory


• Create a sustainable, scalable Business Innovation Model


• "The Innovation Bootcamp provided an excellent orientation on the topic of innovation and I learned several new techniques for generating and successfully implementing new ideas. Plentiful real world case studies was another aspect I liked about the program. I highly recommend it." - IT Manager, Top 5 IT Services Business

There's more:

Special Offer: Buy eBook today and get the Annual Innovation Report from Creativity And Innovation Driving Business delivered FREE! (in January) (a $99 value)

About the Author

Sanjay Dalal is an innovator and entrepreneur with over fifteen years of leadership experience in Silicon Valley and High Tech companies. Dalal authored and launched the Innovation Faculty eBook and Definitive Guide on Creativity and Innovation in business in 2008, used by over 500 leading organizations and professionals all over the world including HP, Hallmark, Cleveland Clinic, Pepsi, EDS, and major universities. Dalal published over 200 articles in the last two years on the real-time state of innovation in business at this blog on Creativity and Innovation Driving Business, and introduced the Innovation Index in December 2006 that correlates business, innovation and stock performance. Dalal was the president and managing director of the innovative investment company, Innovation Index Group, that systematically invested into the Top 20 Innovators of the Innovation Index. Dalal filed joint U.S. Patent on "Hands-On Labs" for delivering live, hands-on training over Web Meetings by simulating a training lab environment. Dalal has launched innovative products such as WebEx Training Center and WebEx Sales Center to market, and grown product line revenue to tens of million dollars in annual revenue. Dalal holds executive certification on Leading Management Teams from Cornell University, and is an engineering scholar graduate in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Dalal attended Arizona State University for graduate education in Computer Science. Dalal secured the first position in the 50th William Lowell Putnam Math Competition. Dalal volunteered as a basketball coach on three separate occassions for Fremont NJB, Irvine NJB, and Rancho Middle School 7th graders, as an art master for 2nd graders, and as the secretary of the School Site Council. Dalal was a member of the Technology Advisory Committee for the Fremont School District containing over 40,000 students, an appointed position by the Board of Education. Dalal is a Web 2.0 adviser for Cal State Fullerton, Extended Education and a lecturer on "Making the business case for Web 2.0". Dalal, an appointed member of the Dean's Leadership Circle of The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine, is a guest lecturer at the University of California, Irvine for the Strategic Innovation class. Dalal is an active Rotarian at the Rotary Club of Newport-Irvine.

Innovation eBook is brought to you by Creativity And Innovation Driving Business based in Irvine, CA.

Address: 8105 Irvine Center Drive, Suite 900, Irvine, CA 92618
Main Phone #: 1-949-288-6880

Selected references:
Creativity and Innovation Best Practices
Creativity and Innovation Case Studies
The Innovation Index
Top 50 innovative companies in the world

GOOD CARBS VS. BAD CARBS

How To Pick The Best Carbs For Your Diet

By Katie Clark, MPH, RD

There is a lot of buzz surrounding complex carbohydrates these days—and for good reason . Increasing the percentage of complex carbohydrates in your diet can be a helpful weight loss strategy.

Complex carbs vs. Simple carbs: What’s the difference?

Simple carbohydrates
These are just what they sound like: simple sugars. Simple sugars are quickly converted to glucose in your body . Simple carbohydrates include naturally occurring sugars and are most usually found in refined and processed foods, including white breads, sugary beverages and candy.

Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbs are more slowly digested and almost always found in foods more healthful than their simple counterparts. You find complex carbohydrates in:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grain foods

Health benefits of complex carbohydrates

There are numerous health-related reasons why you should increase your complex carbs, while decreasing the amount of simple sugars in your diet:

1. Complex carbs aid weight management
Foods that are high in complex carbohydrates are often lower in calories. It generally takes more time to eat 100 calories of a banana than it does to consume 100 calories of soda. Calorie for calorie, complex carbohydrates are more satisfying and the calories add up more slowly when compared to simple carbs.

2. Fiber keeps your feeling full longer
Most Americans don’t get the recommended amount of fiber per day: 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Increasing your complex carbohydrate foods always means an associated rise in fiber intake. And fiber helps you feel fuller for longer, meaning you’ll feel the need to eat less often.

3. Complex carbs contain nutritional benefits
There is no limit to the amount of nutritional benefits you get from switching to complex carbohydrates. These foods contain vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other nutrients that are rarely present in simple-sugar food items.

4. Be a smart consumer: choose complex carbs over simple carbs
People and dieters alike are finally waking up to the fact that carbs are not the enemy . The recent focus on the detriments of low-carb diets has had a positive effect—there’s a renewed interest in the benefits of complex carbohydrates and whole grains.

But beware; food manufacturers are exploiting this interest with numerous ways to confuse complex-carb seekers. A good whole grain food choice should be made primarily from whole grains. It sounds intuitive, but it’s easy to get misled:


5. Be wary of misleading food labels
Regulation surrounding labeling claims on whole grain foods is weak. Any food with a modicum of whole grain in it can be labeled “whole grain”. Check the ingredient list: if “enriched” is in the first ingredient, put it back on the shelf. Look for the word “whole” in the first ingredient to assure it is indeed a good whole grain food.

6. Keep an eye out for the fiber content in your food

The truth is in the label, and particularly the “fiber” section of the label. A good serving of whole grains will have 3 grams of fiber or more per serving. Only choose breads, pastas, cereals and grains that meet this requirement.

7. You can’t go wrong with eating fresh fruit and vegetables
These are your best low-calorie sources of complex carbohydrates. They are packed with nutrients and fiber and make great snacks throughout the day.


8. Balancing carbs, proteins, and fat is key
Keeping your carbohydrates to 55-60% of your total calories is a good way to divvy up your nutrients. Follow this rule of thumb: “Make half your grains whole” and eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. These strategies will ensure that your complex carbohydrate intake is adequate.

FUNK'S GOOD CARB LIST

Take this list, put it on your fridge and make sure these are the carbs you are eating every day.  Cut out all the other Carbs and here is the first step to getting peeling of the FAT!

Spinach

Turnip Greens

Lettuce

Water Cress

Zucchini

Asparagus

Artichokes

Okra

Cabbage

Celery

Cucumbers

Dill Pickles

Radishes

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Eggplant

Onions

Tomatoes

Whole Barley

Buckwheat

Buckwheat bread

Oat bran bread

Oatmeal

Oat bran cereal

Museli

Wild rice

Brown rice

Multi-grain bread

Pinto beans

Yogurt, low fat

Skim milk

Navy beans

Cauliflower

Soy milk

Whole meal spelt bread

Grapefruit

Apples

Prunes

Apricots, Dried

Pears

Plums

Strawberries

Oranges

Yams

Carrots

Potatoes

Soybeans

Lentils

Garbanzo beans

Kidney beans

Lentils

Split peas

FUNK 50 FOR ABS PART 8 – ATTACK ON THE MACHINES

ABS WORKOUT - ATTACK ON THE MACHINES

10 REPS EACH WITH NO REST BETWEEN EXERCISES
30 SECOND REST BETWEEN SETS - 3 SETS

1. MACHINE LYING ABDOMINAL CRUNCH
2. MACHINE SEATED CRUNCH
3. MACHINE OVERHEAD CRUNCH
4. MACHINE BENT OVER CRUNCH
5. MACHINE ADJUSTABLE LEG RAISES

(I MAY NOT HAVE THE RIGHT NAMES OF THE MACHINE BUT JUST WATCH THE VIDEO)

Remember with all Funk 50 for Ab Workouts, you are going to do each movement for 10 reps each with no rest in between exercises. Once you have completed the 5 exercises rest for 1 minute and get back on the machines for 2 more sets – TOTAL 3 SETS

FUNK 50 FOR ABS PART 8 – ATTACK ON THE MACHINES

I thought I would have some fun and actually use the Ab machines at the gym I was at (Premier Fitness, Toronto). I never use them. But for the sake of people that do here is a great Machine workout that you can do at the gym.

I am not a big fan of ab machines. This was the first time I had used them in over a year. If you are a beginner to working out, you should never use the machines. They do not give you the ability to strengthen the support muscles in your core, which you want to do, especially if you want overall body strength.

The machines will not do your abs or core any justice.

One of the only reasons someone should be using an ab machine is to really bulk up the already developed and visible abs muscle by adding weight to the movement.

I never have clients use Ab machines; it defeats the purpose of strengthening the core, back and abs.

That being said, if you want to bulk up your already strong abs muscles or throw a wrinkle into your workout once every couple months then use this workout, as long as you have the equipment in the gym.

10 REPS EACH WITH NO REST BETWEEN EXERCISES
30 SECOND REST BETWEEN SETS - 3 SETS

MACHINE LYING ABDOMINAL CRUNCH
MACHINE SEATED CRUNCH
MACHINE OVERHEAD CRUNCH
MACHINE BENT OVER CRUNCH
MACHINE ADJUSTABLE LEG RAISES
(I MAY NOT HAVE THE RIGHT NAMES OF THE MACHINE BUT JUST WATCH THE VIDEO)

Remember with all Funk 50 for Ab Workouts, you are going to do each movement for 10 reps each with no rest in between exercises. Once you have completed the 5 exercises rest for 1 minute and get back on the machines for 2 more sets – TOTAL 3 SETS

Funk Tips
• When using the machines for Abs exercises press the small of your back against the machine to ensure, your ABS is doing all the work.
• Do not use you arms or legs during the exercises, concentrate and focus on the abs doing all the work
• Only use the machines if you already have strong abs or you have been consulted by a doctor or fitness professional


AB EXERCISES DON'T BURN FAT!!!!!!

You lose fat with nutrition and cardio. If you want to see your abs, tighten up your diet and do more cardio! The bottom line is, if your abs are covered with a layer of fat, you won't be able to see them, no matter how much abs exercise you do! If you need help with fat loss, check out Tom Venuta BFFM fat burning system here: CLICK HERE TO BURN THE FAT

 Funk

Don’t miss your chance to win $5,000!

If you haven't yet submitted your video to win the grand prize of $5,000 then quickly do create your video and submit it as soon as possible for this opportunity doesn't always come knocking at your door. The amount is attractive and you should give yourself one chance, and who knows, maybe you will and up being the winner. If not the winners prize then the 1st or 2nd runner prize could be yours. This iLASIK Video Contest is kind of a survey and would be of use for the future.

Many people have already submitted their videos but there is a need for more entrants so don't miss the chance. In case you are interested and are oblivious to the details, they are as described below-

The Prizes
$5,000 Grand Prize

First Prize (one in each video category):
HDTV package — a $2,500 value

Second Prize (one in each video category):
The Flip UltraHD™ camcorder — a $199.99 value

The Details
1. Submit A Video
Users make and submit a video in one of the following categories:
• “My contacts are getting in the way of my good time”
• “My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision”
• “You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure”

2. Tell Friends To Vote
Once users submit a video, their friends can vote on it. And votes are one of the key factors in determining which videos win a prize.

3. Have A Chance To Win
• One Grand Prize winner will win $5,000 — selected from all submitted videos
• Three First Prize winners will win an HDTV package(a $2,500 value) — one per video category
• Three Second Prize winners will win the Flip UltraHD camcorder (a $199.99 value) — one per video category

Ghoulish greetings

Happy Halloween from the AdSense, DoubleClick, and Ad Manager teams!


Posted by Arlene Lee - Inside AdSense Team

PhoCusWright: Organising appointments and meet ups for Orlando Nov 17-19

I am going to Orlando for PhoCusWright November 17-19. Due to the nature of long haul travel I will be there for the whole day the 16th and 20th as well. My diary is starting to fill up with appointments. If you are interested in making a time to meet up please email me or make contact through PhoCusWright's eConnect conference network site.

Tnooz: BOOT on Lonely Planet on Tnooz

By second post for Tnooz is live titled "Tips for what Lonely Planet should do next". Contains some background on Lonely Planet's online plans over the last few years, the online and brand vision from new CEO Matt Goldberg and my recommendations on what else they could do. Check out the post here for more. He is an extract with my recommendations for Lonely Planet:

1. Content Expansion: Make more and more of the content currently only available in books available online with the aim of being the number one organic search results for every major destination search item. It might hurt some book sales but winning in organic search will be more valuable long term;
2. Open Syndication: Increase syndication capabilities by allowing bloggers, writers, transaction sites, Facebook pages and more to access content material is an open way. Similar to point #1 above, it might cost a few book sales but being the social network content source of choice will be more valuable long term.
3. Facilitate and Make EveryYou Recommendations: Invest in recommendation technology to allow the community forums and information to be combined with the editorial content, booking behaviour and other data available to put Lonely Planet at the forefront of the development of specific and targeted recommendations of one based on the unique combination of desires, needs and interests of each individual at any moment in time. See My EveryYou concept. It will cost money and development time but the future of inspiration and content sites are targeted recommendations.

Tnooz editor Kevin May has followed up with a post "We love Lonely Planet and want to see it get better says the BBC", where an interesting debate has started.

Reminder: Google sessions @ ad:tech NY next week

If you're planning on attending ad:tech or Content Revenue Strategies (CRS) at the Javits Center in New York City next week, we hope you'll come and meet the Google ads team while you're there. Over November 4 and 5, we'll offer a series of sessions designed to give you practical tips for improving your search and display campaigns.

The Google Ads Factory Tour, 11/4-11/5/09

The Factory Tour will span 10 hours of live workshops designed to give you an overview of Google's latest measurement and optimization tools. Here's the full two-day agenda:

Wednesday, November 4 - Optimizing Search & Display

11:00am-12:00pm AdWords Optimization Tools: Smarter Search Management

12:00pm-1:00pm Conversion Optimizer: The Next Generation of AdWords Bidding

2:00-2:30pm Google Content Network: Matching Solutions to Advertisers

2:30-3:30pm Google Content Network: Creating Effective Campaigns

3:30-4:30pm Google Content Network: Optimizing for Results

4:30-5:00pm Automating Content Network Campaigns Through the AdWords API

Thursday, November 5 - Measurement, Ads Quality, Mobile & Local

11:00am-12:00pm Google Campaign Insights: What to Measure and When

12:00-1:00pm Google Campaign Insights: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Technology

2:00-3:00pm Google Analytics & Website Optimizer: Making the Most of Your Traffic

3:00-4:00pm Google Search Ads Quality: What It Is and How to Improve It

4:00-5:00pm Local and Mobile Ads: How to Use Location to Drive Results

You can stop by for a single session, or stay for the whole event. The Factory Tour is open to all exhibit hall and conference passholders. For more information, check the ad:tech events page.

Content Revenue Strategies, 11/5/09

Formerly known as ADSPACE, CRS is the only expo dedicated to AdSense and contextual advertising. Sessions will focus on maximizing performance on Google’s Content Network as well as emerging blog, video and social media networks.

We'll also have AdWords and AdSense optimizers available to answer any questions you have about improving your contextually-targeted campaigns. Stop by the Optimization Lounge to get customized tips and share any feedback you have for the Google ads team.

If you haven't yet signed up for ad:tech or CRS, registration is still open. You can enter the promotional code 20EXNY9 to receive 20% off an ad:tech full conference pass. If you're only attending CRS, enter the code CRSGoogle to receive $100 off the price of your CRS conference pass.

Hope to see you next week.

Posted by Austin Rachlin, Inside AdWords crew

What would you do with $40 million?

Detriot Public Schools thought it would be a good idea to give it to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

As the Boston Globe reports:

Houghton will be providing a computer-based teaching system it developed with Microsoft Corp. that will connect teachers, students, and administrators.

The article goes on to frame this as a watershed moment in terms of the shift occuring in the publishing industry.

I frame it as a bunch of uninformed policy makers in Detroit Public Schools getting hoodwinked by Big Publishing.

The Globe quotes Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief academic officer for Detroit public schools, as saying:

"Detroit’s teachers will be able to prepare and assign homework through Learning Village and use its tools to measure how well students learn - even how well they understand a lesson taught earlier in the day.

“I wanted one central portal that everybody can tap into."

$40 million to help teachers prepare homework online? $40 million to 'connect' students and teachers?

I have one question for Ms. Byrd-Bennett: Have you heard of Google Apps for Education?

I read a story like this and I think of all of the help Detroit's families need in this recession and it just makes me so angry. When are educational policy makers going to wake up to the reality that there are alternatives to spending millions and millions of dollars on technology -- alternatives that will in fact produce better results?

But there's that fear thing. Fear of the Cloud. It's what folks were talking about today on NPR's coverage of the city of Los Angeles going Gmail.

Well, darn it, I'm alot more afraid for the sanity of a public school system in a shattered city giving $40 million dollars to a textbook manufacturer than I am of putting anything on the Cloud.

$40 million dollars.

Money that could have been spent making 1:1 computing accessible to the children of Detroit. Money that could have been spent training teachers in the integration of social technologies to better equip students with the capacity to work and thrive in a globally connected world. Money that could have been used to empower students to go beyond the confines of their textbooks, schools, and neighborhoods and to tap into learning communities engaging in dialogue and debate in real-time the world over. And -- in many ways most importantly -- through the use of open source and community-driven projects from Scratch's creative programming initiative to the Library of Congress and its 'Teaching With Primary Sources' program the chance to engage with the authentic learning without the filter of Big Publishing.

Instead, what those kids see is $40 million pumped right out of their city and back into the open arms of the textbook industry.

And if you think this is a bit of a tirade against the textbook industry, well you are right. It is. Because right now, I have absolutely no respect for an industry that would accept that kind of money from a place facing as tough a situation as Detroit.

Shift. Yeah, right.

This isn't a 'shift' in anything. It's business as usual.


[Add 2:48PM]

And to add insult to injury, Jon Becker sends over a link to a WSJ article from the start of this school year:

Detroit's public-school system, beset by massive deficits and widespread corruption, is on the brink of following local icons GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy court.

Tips How To Make Money on the Internet with ease

Money, it is required for anyone. with money, we can buy our needs. there are lots of ways to make money. starting from lawful to unlawful. ranging from how to reply to the easy difficulty. ranging from real-world business served until the real world, ranging from business to business Oline offline. Today's been a lot of internet businesses scattered this virtual world. For my friends who are interested cai money through internet business, please visit the link below, follow the prompts and the handful of money as much as possible. but be careful lho. all businesses must be successful and failure, there is profit and nothing to lose. Thus, must be prepared mentally if you want to start business .. ok? 

Money = Happiness?

A very simple question, whether the money can make us happy? If we have a lot of money, we can buy whatever we want to start from stately homes, limited edition luxury cars, designer clothes from top to tasty and delicious foods from leading restaurants. But, if it can make us happy?

 

Illustration light, one family has a mansion, all family members have their own luxury cars, a lot of money to all kinds of needs are met. But one problem, communication among family members is not well established, because everyone was busy with her show business and each other. The father was busy meeting out of town, she was busy social gathering, the children busy with the event the easy to adapt in relationship  respectively. Until finally no wonder that each family member has their selfishness, and disregard the name of togetherness and harmony in the family. If this has happened, whether the money can make us happy? Is money can buy a blessing to our family?

Stress, you must have experienced stress because of money problems right? Many of us are experiencing financial problems and consequently the stress because of financial thinking. Make installments starting from the motor or car, pay the mortgage until the problem of fulfilling daily needs, from eating, drinking, until smoking.

If you have it all, do not worry it means you are normal. Why? Because these days everything has been measured with the name of money. Starting from the big, mortgage or home such as a motor until the small things like if you go to the toilet. All have been measured with the name of money. If it had happened something like this, if true money can make us happy?

We worked the bone slam starting from morning till night, worked tirelessly to get the money, sometimes even we do not care about the health of our bodies. Until at last we often experience health problems, often sick, and instead spend the money to pay the doctor let our bodies back to health (that means sometimes the money we get nothing compared to the health of our bodies sacrificed). If you have ever experienced anything like this, whether the money can make us happy? Is money can restore the health of our bodies and make us happy again enjoy life?

Suppose you are asked to leave all your money, and live what they are without money. Would you be happy? If we have a harmonious family and loved us, sure you will agree that our lives would be happier even if we do not have a lot of money, right?

Twitter - a de facto standard for real-time data?

I wrote a comment on Twitter's Business Model: Brilliant or Non-Existent? on the Harvard Business blog, that turned out to be rather long, so I post it here as well:

I believe Twitter has done the right thing given the funding they have had and the potential value they can create, extract and control. The potential value lies in the number of users and the number of sent messages, so by improving the user experience the number of users, and the number of messages per user, increases along with the number of applications using Twitter streams. In comparison with most other internet services, Twitter has the ability to become a de-facto standard for a new type of data to be mined. The key question is how much of the value created that will be captured and controlled by the company, and how much of the value that will be extracted by others mining their data. What I find perhaps most impressive is that Twitter has managed to get so many application developers to build applications on top of its API without an outspoken business model, assuring the continuous ability to do so with or without fees or advertising.

There are many speculating about future premium versions using a Freemium model, but with or without paid versions I believe there are so many great ways to monetize the Twitter data. Twitter is increasingly becoming a standardized platform for real-time data, now used by actors such as Microsoft and Google, and their search algorithms will probably be updated with algorithms ranking pages on links from Twitter users, RTs by other Twitter users, by the number of followers, by webpages linking to Twitter profiles etc. This is of course of great value for Internet users, as well as for search- and content companies, and brand owners, that want to know what is going on right now, what are the latest reports within a certain area, who are the people in the world that by interest or profession stay on top of everything that happens within their field, local community etc. It is of course also of great value for the Telcos getting increased amount of data transfer from mobile phones.

Content in Twitter messages will probably soon trigger other services. Say that I Twitter about a book that I have read, it would be in the interest of Amazon to ask me to comment the book on Amazon and recommend a new one, in the interest of the writer to get my feedback, in the interest of my local cinema to tell me about when the movie is coming out, and in the interest of mine to know what friends also read the book and who liked it and who didn’t. By cross-referencing twitter messages with past messages, messages by others or from friends in social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn, there will be great opportunities for interesting services and business models.

My twitter stream (@sundelin) will probably not be ranked as high as @NYTimes for general news but perhaps my stream will be considered more important in relation to business models, where I tend to find things faster than most others.

Related posts:

• A Conversation with Evan Williams (Twitter, Inc.), John Battelle (Federated Media Publishing), at the Web 2.0 Summit 09 (Day1)
• Interview with Evan Williams, CEO Twitter

Young Teachers Speak Out on Social Tech in Education

Just finished teaching a fall semester course on Paperless Classrooms and Social Tech in Education. And I can't help but say that I was completely moved by the experience of watching young teachers go from social tech newbs to PLN-building professionals.

I'd like you to hear what they've had to say; so over the next couple weeks, with their permission I'll be re-posting some of their thoughts and observations about being a young teacher lucky (or unlucky) enough to have been thrust into the digital revolution.

First up is a piece by @JefeGORavens, who incidentally has become a regular contributor to #EdChat:

This is a collection of quotes that I have heard myself, that I do now say, and that I look forward to saying in the future.


Where I was:

"Twitter? What the.....? Hell no I ain't freakin' tweeting and twitting or whatever. Do I look like Ashton Kutchner?"
"Diigo? What the freak is a Diigo? That sounds like some Star Trek vehicle!"
"I now have a blog. Great. I feel like a 12 year old girl with boy problems. Maybe I should start writing in my diary again."
"When is this guy going to understand, I am a simple and basic guy. I can't be tweeting until dawn, diigoing up a storm, and then weeblyin it out all weekend. I need some air!"


Where I am now:

"Seriously dude, I really feel like this stuff is the future. We need to start doing this with our students."
"I know man, I thought twitter was for celebrity stalkers too, but now, I realize that my twitter account is the best PD I have ever gotten."
"#EDCHAT is amazing. In the span of 2 hours I get ideas for the classrooms, best practices, worst practices, ideas for bettering the school, links to websites, and support. In 2 hours of PD, I normally get tired, bored, and frustrated."
"What the.....? You're not on twitter? How do you expect to run for office, when your PLN doesn't even exist!?!"


Where I will probably be in the future:

"Okay estudiantes. Log onto my blog to find the conversation I posted. I want you to find the 5 mistakes in the conversation, and then create a new blog post in your own blog that lists all 5 mistakes."
"Principal Powell, I would love to give a demonstration at tomorrow's PD on how to use twitter and blogs and pixton effectively!"

I look forward to sharing the voices of more young teachers both in favor of and critical of social media in education.

Romantic tips for her, some are do it yourself

People walk into a relationship romantically but at some point of time it starts to fade, blame it on the other demands. Why wait for something bitter when you are the one who can keep a relationship from withering? romance is one element that needs to be active all the time whether you are near or far.

If you are a male facing a relationship problem with your spouse, girlfriend or stable partner? these wonderful romantic tips and ideas can help you keep both remain romantically healthy. Cajoling/attention, flowers/chocolates are always first preferences but wait.. including these, there are lots more you can do to show how special she is in your life! go for it!

Roses on blades! haha.. Put rose petals above the blades on a fan and as the lady takes her place beneath the fan, switch it on, and she'll be delighted to bathe under the shower of sweet smelling petals! just don't forget to spray some perfume on the petals..

Take her to movies, go fountain visiting and toss in a coin making a wish together.

During a conversation ask your girlfriend casually about her favorite things, make a secret list and keep it with you. In the case of music.. sing those songs and burn them in a CD, then gift it to her as a surprise. You both could have a romantic laugh or two!

Or, why not strum the guitar and sing to her whilst on a candle night dinner at home or near the fireplace..

When you call at the times she at work, ask for the most beautiful person in the world(but only to her)..

Places to leave a romantic note-
In the refrigerator..
Jewelery box
Make up kit
As a bookmark(page being read).

Gather the pictures of your school, collage or courting time and upload them to a popular site as facebook etc.. write romantic captions about how you felt during that particular shot. You can also gift her the photos personalizing it decoratively.

Set aside a date for putting up with all the household chores yourself. Name it a wife's/woman's monthly day off, and do all the things she wants and decides!

Stroll with your partner beside a beach or in an open space after dinner, whether at home or out.

Let her wake up to a ready made breakfast.

She would love self personalized gifts.. it expresses the time, effort and love you've put into it.

Will update as time permits :-)

A chance to win $5,000 in a video contest!

Have you ever got the chance to compose a video and win prizes? Many times i see people creating videos and it shows their talent, but they aren't acknowledged or rewarded for their effortless creativity.

I suggest everyone to go and try out the latest contest on gottaseethisnow.com for the chance to grab the $5,000 prize!

A global leader, Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO), would like to know how lasik has improved your life or can improve life. The entrants are required to create a video showing how much of your life can get improved by the operation from your point of view.

The categorizes to submit your video would be
“My contacts are getting in the way of my good time”
“My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision”
“You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure”

Self promote your own video, by asking your friends and family members to vote for you. If you aren't lucky to win the first price from the iLASIK Video Contest, the 3 second and 3 third prizes should gladden you enough.

You don't have to wait for the results for they will be open to public. It means that the votes will be visible to public. This way each entrant gets to see where he/she stands.

A more customized search experience for your website

We've posted a couple times about how the Custom Search Element can help provide a more customized search experience for your users while enabling you to earn money. Today we're excited to announce two new features for the Custom Search Element that will enable you to further customize your website search to the look and feel of your site: themes and rich snippets.

Themes

You can now customize the layout and styles of your Custom Search Element. To select a theme for your Custom Search Element, just go to your Custom Search Engine account at http://www.google.com/cse/manage/all and click Control panel. On the Control panel page, in the left-hand menu, click Look and feel.


You can now choose from a number of layouts and color styles for your Custom Search Element. You can also preview your selected theme. Here's an example of the 'Shiny' theme:


If you'd like to tinker further with the look and feel of your Custom Search Element and you're familiar with CSS and JavaScript, take a look at this Custom Search Control documentation.

Rich snippets

Rich snippets are another new feature that allow you to customize the actual Custom Search Element search results with additional relevant content, like thumbnail images and actions. We like to think of rich snippets as a way to add more flair to your Custom Search Element search results.

Here's an example of search results from a Custom Search Element which uses both themes and rich snippets. The thumbnail image next to each search result shows rich snippets in action.


Rich snippets require you to mark up the page with metadata. For more information, check out the Custom Search Developer's Guide.

If you have any feedback for us on either of these new features or on the Custom Search Element itself, please leave a comment. We love hearing what publishers have to say about Custom Search!

Posted by Christine Tsai, Google Web Elements team

Introducing AdWords Comparison Ads

Today we're excited to begin testing a new feature of AdWords called AdWords Comparison Ads, which lets users compare multiple, relevant offers more easily. Comparison Ads is part of our continuing effort to make ads more relevant and useful to our users and to help you, our advertisers, reach the people who are most interested in your products and services.

AdWords uses a host of targeting and relevancy signals to determine the best ads for each query. However, sometimes a user's query doesn't provide enough information for us to confidently predict what they want. Take, for example, users who search for "mortgage." Do they want a new home loan or a refinance? Do they want a fixed rate or an adjustable rate loan? Comparison Ads improves the ad experience on Google.com by letting users specify exactly what they are looking for and helping them quickly compare relevant offers side by side.

With Comparison Ads, you can also target your offers at a more granular level, leading to more valuable, qualified leads. To see how it works, let's use our mortgage example. Users searching for "mortgage" on Google.com may see a promotion from Comparison Ads prompting them to select the type of loan they are looking for and to compare various rates.

(click to view full size image)

If they click the promotion, users are taken to a page with more detailed sponsored results. They can choose directly from the offers listed on that page, or they can further refine their search by providing additional information like income and home value. By giving users the ability to refine their search on a number of relevant attributes, we are able to show more targeted ads and provide you with more valuable leads.

Once users find an offer that matches their specific needs, they can either call you directly or request a quote. If a user requests a quote, Google automatically anonymizes the user's phone number and sends you a unique code that you can use to contact the user. You only pay if a user calls the phone number on your offer or fills out a form to request a quote.

(click to view full size image)

While Comparison Ads is still an early-stage feature, we've focused on a number of ways to enhance the user experience:

• Speed -- Comparison Ads shows targeted offers in less than a second. There are no long forms for users to fill out - Users see specific offers immediately and only need to fill in additional information if they wish to further refine their results.
• Transparency -- Comparison Ads only shows real products. There are no teaser rates, or bait and switch offers. Comparison Ads also standardizes the information presented to users, making it easy for them to sort and compare offers on a side by side basis.
• Privacy -- Comparison Ads won't send advertisers any user information, including anonymized phone numbers, unless the user explicitly requests more information about an advertiser's offer.

At this time, Comparison Ads will only show to a small number of users in select U.S. states and is only available to a limited number of advertisers in the mortgage/refinance space. Over time, we'll increase the number of users who see Comparison Ads offers as well as the number of advertisers able to participate.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew

How non-profit organizations go Google

In addition to the thousands of companies and schools that go Google every day, more and more non-profit organizations are choosing Google Apps to help remove the cost and complexity associated with traditional IT, which can often challenge the limited resources of 501(c)3 organizations.

Learn more about the special discounts available for accredited organizations with Google Apps for Non-Profits and read about how USA Water Polo made the switch to Apps and was able to provide 35,000 staff, volunteers, and players with improved email and collaboration tools while re-allocating costs toward funding for their players, teams and members.

Google Apps helps organizations of all kinds improve the way they work by minimizing on-premise hardware, increasing uptime, and making it easy for users to get productive fast. This is especially helpful for non-profit organizations, who can direct their focus away from IT maintenance and put their talents toward what they do best: doing good.

Posted by Miriam Schneider, Google Apps for Education and Non-Profit teams

Six (6) Ways How to Easiest Work In Internet

Out of a job and build their own business on the internet, who do not? We can do these jobs

pleasant online without getting out of bed, and still produce. The results can be far greater than when you were in your office job is so tiring. Another plus more, by working on the internet we can spend more time with our families.

Interested? Below I have made a compilation 6 easiest way to work online. Try one, two, or even all at once. Who knows this could be one of your career options in the future.

1. Sell your expertise in a particular field

If you have special expertise in certain areas, particularly those related to IT, you can be a freelancer in several sites that provide jobs for freelancers. These sites include Elance.com, GetAFreelancer.com, Guru.com and others. Jobs that you can get the other programmers, web designers, IT consulting, and others. Try to visit all three sites, and start looking for a job that would be mastered. The fee is very varied, depending on the degree of difficulty given the job. Typically ranges between $ 30 - $ 500.

2. Offers the best photos of your photography site

Hobby of photography? Or you have a large collection of personal photographs that deserve sold? Why not make it as a commercial enterprise? You can sell the best photographs of your work on photography sites such bigstockphoto.com, dreamstime.com, fotolia.com, and shutterstock.com. Internet Businesses usually require a variety of images to the ad banner-making needs, header blogs, and so forth. This could be your business area. Provide photos of their needs, and get ready for reaching the income from the internet.

3. Being a paid blogger

In the virtual world there are so many blog networks are looking for quality bloggers to work on their blog and get paid. The fee that we can produce varies, depending on the policies of each blog network, the quality of our writing, and how often we contribute writing. There are blog networks that pay $ 90 per month for 4-7 articles per week, there are blog network that pays $ 200 per month for 7-9 articles per week. Required to be paid bloggers include blogging capabilities in English, the mastery of blogging platform is used, the ability to interact with readers, and so forth. You can start your blogging career in bloggerjobs.biz. The site provides information that requires a network blog bloggers paid.

4. Blog network

Instead of a paid blogger, you might choose to make your own blog network. Income that you can of course be greater than if you are a paid blogger. In fact, if you build a blog network, you may not blogging activities at all. You can focus on the business side, and handed over all the contents of your blogs on the blogger who's hiring. Where your income come from? Of course, the ads posted in every blog that you have in your network blog. As a reference, Weblogsinc.com, GigaOmniMedia.com, and b5media.com precedent as a blog network-successful blog network.

5. Provide services online or create open-source software

Who says open-source software can not make money? Look success Mulenweg Matt, the founder of WordPress. See also RedHat, one of the contributors to the Linux software is also a billionaire from the free software. About how open-source software can produce, you can directly ask the contributors to the Linux redhat.com on his personal website.

6. Creating an online training

If you have a particular skill, then you have the opportunity to make an online training and get paid from there. One of the successful internet marketers online training is Yaro Starak. He is a blogger who makes training "make money by blogging". Another example you can see the site ganas.com, and EscapeFromCubicleNation.com.

TRICK OR TREAT OR TRICK YOUR MIND?

by Laura Discepola, RNCP/ROHP

Be rest assured, all hope is not lost, there are ways to keep your hands out of the candy jar and avoid the temptation this Halloween season!

HERE ARE SOME TIPS SO YOU DON’T FALL INTO THE HALLOWEEN CANDY TRAP:

1. Buy candy that you dislike and hand that out to the trick-or-treaters so you are not tempted to sample.

2. Buy healthier choices to hand out and be the healthy house on the block. Try boxed raisins, granola bars, boxed juices, individual fruit cups , apple sauces or fruit leathers (dried fruit sticks found in the produce section of your grocery store)

3. Skip the candy and hand out stickers, temporary tattoos, balloons, erasers or crayons instead – I’m pretty sure if those are around you will not be tempted to eat them!


Great! So you are thinking to yourself “What about when my kids bring home all their candy, what am I supposed to do then?”

1. Remember that it’s not your candy; it’s their candy so it’s not really yours to eat in the first place! You wouldn’t want them helping themselves to something that was yours without permission would you?

2. Ask your kids to say “no” when you ask for a piece – let them be the boss when it comes to your candy-eating habits.

3. Think out of sight, out of mind. Don’t leave a bowl of candy on the kitchen counter or in a place that you often find yourself looking like your main pantry or kitchen shelf. Place it in a solid container so that you do not see the contents and don’t get tempted!

4. When a craving does occur, try chewing on a piece of dried fruit – you will get a very similar, if not, the same satisfaction!

5. Keep some fruit leathers handy and don’t feel guilty having one once in a while if it helps you stay away from the candy trap.

7. Take a break. Call a friend, go for a walk and get away for a breath of fresh air will help curb that craving.

8. Manage your hunger by eating smaller, well-balanced meals (3 meals and 2 snacks) daily and control your hormones which will in turn control your cravings. Planned meals will make you less likely to get your hand stuck in that candy jar too!

9. Try making an herbal tea sweetened with stevia or home-made lemonade to satisfy that sweet tooth!

10. Craving chocolate? Make a healthy hot chocolate by combining skim milk, water and cocoa with a few drops of stevia for sweetness and you will forget all about the candy jar!

Contact:
Laura Discepola, RNCP/ROHP
laura.cnp@rogers.com
647.408.7142

Michael Jackson's friends and fans touched by his show 'This is is'

According to msnbc.com the people who went to watch the midnight show of 'This Is It' were moved to tears and joy. Fans screamed and cried and thought endlessly about the late pop star.

Among, the celebrities who went to watch the midnight show were actors Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Lopez, Paula Abdul, Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Will Smith, Paris Hilton and many other hollywood stars.

Basically a compilation of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage of Michael Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold-out shows in London.

Near the film's end, Jackson and the crew hold hands as he gives them a pep talk about the London shows.

"It's a great adventure," Jackson tells his colleagues. "We want to take them places they've never been before. We have to bring love back into the world." In time this broadcast may very well be available on DVD. That's a DVD I'll get, even if it requires me to get a cash advance.

Watch The trailer of the Movie 'This Is It'

More on Recommendation Letters

Reader Steven writes:

The new "common app" form does allow for PDF attachments. Some institutions (University of Michigan for example) have actually entered the 21st century & allow high school teachers to add PDF docs to the overall student recommendation & evaluation. (I just filled one out for a student last week).

Excellent. So at least the University of Michigan admissions office has fully entered into the 1990s.

I expect more of this great land's premier institutions of higher education.

I want college admissions offices to accept (and actually look at) Digital Portfolios and Multimedia Recommendations. Our students deserve no less than that the folks making decisions about their futures should be able to speak the technological language of the real world in which the students are living.

And in the case of students without access to tech? Well, to be honest, there's really no excuse for students not having access to tech. There's absolutely no reason why every high school in the USA shouldn't have at least one digital workstation open to students in their college counseling room. No reason; no excuse.

But, that's a whole other post.

One about the allocation of resources.

MLM Business Lead-How to Generate More Leads and Find Customers

We all need a steady stream of mlm business leads for our business. Mlm leads can be found both online and offline. In this article, you will discover all the potential places where leads for your mlm opportunity can be found.

How to Generate More Leads and Find Customers

by Emjae Johnson

for About.com
http://sales.about.com/od/leadgeneration/tp/howtogenerateleads.htm

There are many ways to find a rich source of leads for potential customers for whatever it is that you sell. Before you use the lead sources on this page, first identify who it is that you sell to so that you will be able to choose the best source that is listed here.

If you are new to sales then start with only one or two of these ideas. You will soon discover what works the best for you and it will be clear where to concentrate most of your efforts. It is not unusual to find that many of these strategies to find customers are successful for you and, as they do, then add them into your sales plan for success.

Chambers of Commerce

Contacting Chambers of Commerce can offer you a wealth of business to business leads in a local area and can be accessed online as well. This is a very inexpensive way to get new leads.

Trade Associations

Whatever the industry or trade it is that you want to sell to, there is probably an Association for it. Each association has lists of memberships that are often available for purchase for those that want them but what this article is about is how to find industry association business leads for free out on the Internet - it's very easy to do!

Public Libraries

Your local public library can keep you busy with leads for a very long time. Numerous directories and publications are available which contain excellent leads, most all of them free.

Business Networking

Attending networking events gives you an opportunity to meet face to face with people who are all like minded and desire to share new business ideas and make new contacts.

Conventions and Trade Shows

Attending as well as participating in trade shows can be a vast source of potential customers.

Purchasing Lead Lists

Buying lead lists from a reputable company can often be your best source of leads, especially if you have taken the time to carefully profile your ideal customer.

Advertising

Advertising your products and services through numerous sources can be an excellent source of leads, although it is generally the most expensive.

Referrals from Customers

This is one of the best source of leads that you can ever have. Your satisfied customers will often recommend you to others in their circle of friends of business.

Newspapers and Magazines

Have you ever noticed how many b2b leads there are listed in newspapers and magazines, especially trade magazines. These publications, although they require a little more research, often have great leads that can also give you a little bit of the flavor of the company.

Telemarketing

Simply using the phone can generate a load of great leads for you and your business. It is not as costly as you would think, and with a little ingenuity it can be automated so that only interested customers will be calling you!

Word of Mouth or Viral Advertising

Word of mouth is truly the best form of advertising. It can sometimes be more successful than a direct referral. There is however an art and a science to this type of lead generation.

Lots of ideas for you to help you get more mlm business leads for your opportunity!


To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
Skype: Monique371

The ebook, Success in 10 Steps and Mentoring for Free answers the questions of frustrated netw0rk mar*keters - who REALLY want their questions answered. It's eating away at them, why they just haven't made it big. For more information click here:
http://mentormonique.mentoringforfree.com/?mad=36000

IT Managers Share Their Cloud Experiences

The common best-practices associated with managed cloud service utilization are hard to find, since the early-adopters rarely share their insights. Of course, for all the other people that are still assessing the potential benefits, that guidance is truly invaluable.

Therefore, it's very helpful that Forrester Research was able to interview more than 60 organizations that are currently leveraging Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud-based solutions within their business environment.

Forrester defines public IaaS cloud computing as the delivery of compute (virtualized servers, storage, and networking) on-demand as a shared service. Based on their findings, they say that the evolving usage characteristics fall primarily into three emerging practices.

Test and Development in the Cloud
The most common practice they found among enterprise users of IaaS cloud platforms was to build and validate new apps. Cloud platforms provide relief for in-house test and development teams who face resource constraints. Moving these actions to the cloud relieves a significant IT burden, but only for apps that are suited to the cloud -- those that can fit within the confines of a virtual server.

Deploying Web Applications
The majority of applications deployed on public cloud infrastructures are Web-based apps. Early users of IaaS clouds have found the greatest benefits with Web apps that are short-term oriented and/or unpredictable or volatile traffic patterns. These types of apps can best take advantage of the pay-per-use element of cloud infrastructures to right-size the cost of deployment to the behaviors of the apps.

High-Performance Computing
Another good fit with IaaS cloud platforms is high-performance computing. These often massively parallel programs can be scaled-out to effectively tackle very large problems, and the constraints of HPC are usually the size of compute grid that can be deployed. Enterprises are constantly having to trade off grid size and cost against speed of getting the result. Apparently, IaaS clouds provide relief to this tension.

Next Wave of Manage Cloud Service Apps
According to Forrester, given the above mentioned IaaS best practices, the next wave of cloud services best practices that infrastructure and operations professionals should focus on are as follows:

• Leveraging cloud management applications and services.
• Cloud bursting -- to maximize scaling within the cloud.
• Integrating cloud services with data center services.
• Leveraging cloud-scale services.
  

The Beginner's Guide to Cloud Adoption
So, where should you start? Forrester suggests, make sure you have supportive executives who will view your use of cloud computing as empowering for the business -- not as a threat to infrastructure and operations. Then, start experimenting with the common applications listed.

Clearly, IT and network out-tasking has a place in most organizations. Forrester says that their key findings show that cloud, while truly compelling, shouldn't be viewed as a replacement for the data center. It is, however, a viable alternative approach to consider.