Why Qantas annoy me

Am on a trip to the US for work and like most am compelled to fly Qantas because United offer no alternative, especially as the planes are 50 years old but younger than any member of staff. I feel like I should be standing up and offering them a seat.

I hate the United/Qantas duopoly flying to the US. The AU government confirmed again recently that they would not be granting any rights to Singapore, entrenching the duopoly further. I remember the incredible double speak of the minister as he justified the entrenchment of an anti-competitive arrangement as being in the best interests of the consumer. Here I am as a consumer and I am outraged that I have no choice. Now I find out that the Kangaroo route is going to be even further deregulated; effectively no limits on flights. There are more than 30 airlines to choose from on this route from the fantastic (Singapore, Cathay, Virgin, BA etc) to the ridiculous (Royal Brunei). How does the government make this decision on one hand but leave us with no choices when going in the other direction? Here is how the minister (Warren Truss) justifies this

"The economic modelling work [on the Pacific Route] that we have done suggests that the benefits of an airline such as Singapore entering that route would be very, very small to the Australian tourism industry,"

Must be the first time in history that a conservative government economic model showed that more competition would have no positive impact. Presumably Truss clutches his chairman’s club membership and hopes no one notices the inconsistency.

Without competition Qantas take me for granted. For example they announced with much fan-fair and mutual back-slapping that the new Qantas in-flight entertainment would be launched. This would be a revolution – they proclaimed – as Qantas would be offering video and audio on demand. Let put aside that Cathay, Singapore and many others have offered this for years. Instead I am going to focus on the fact that this new service – NEVER WORKS. I have flown 4 long haul sectors with Qantas since the announcement and on each sector the service has failed to work. The program works something like this - flight reaches cruising, staff turn the system on, over the next hour everyone on the plane selects a movie, this crashes system, staff reboot system, over the next hour everyone selects a movie, this crashes system, staff switch off system. Four times this has happened. Took me 4 hours to Syriana – which given how complicated the plot is made it is impossible to follow. On this current trip they have just given up on this leg and retuned to the old entertainment system that forces you to survive the long sector in two and half hour blocks with movies starting at random times.

If Singapore flew the Pacific route it would bring prices down, service up and maybe convince Qantas to install an entertainment system that works, employ staff that smile, serve meals within 3 hours of take off and stock magazines put out after the Labor government lost power. And the punch-line – I get of this flight and have to connect on an American Airlines flight.

Landing page quality update

Yesterday, we sat down with Andrew C., a product marketing manager, who gave us a heads-up regarding an upcoming AdWords 'landing page quality' change. This change to the algorithm will affect a small number of advertisers -- while having a positive impact on the quality of ads that our users see. Here's a little background, and a look at what's coming up:

As you may recall, we began incorporating advertiser landing page quality into the Quality Score back in December 2005. Following that change, advertisers who are not providing useful landing pages to our users will have lower Quality Scores that in turn result in higher minimum bid requirements for their keywords. We realize that some minimum bids may be too high to be cost-effective -- indeed, these high minimum bids are our way of motivating advertisers to either improve their landing pages or to simply stop using AdWords for those pages, while still giving some control over which keywords to advertise on. Although it is counter-intuitive to some who hear it, we'd rather show one less ad than to show an ad which leads to a poor user experience -- since long-term user trust in AdWords is of overarching importance.

From time-to-time, we improve our algorithms for evaluating landing page quality (often based on feedback from our end-users), and next week we're launching another such improvement. Thus, over the coming days a small number of advertisers who are providing a low quality user experience on their landing pages will see increases in their minimum bids. It is important to note, however, that the vast majority of advertisers will not be affected at all by this change, as they link to quality landing pages.

If you do see an increase in minimum bids and you feel that your landing page is providing a great user experience, please contact AdWords support and we'll take a look. Also, for useful guidelines which will help to define what users look for in a high quality site, we hope you'll take a look at the landing page and site quality guidelines, from the AdWords Help Center.

Posted by Blake, Inside AdWords crew

Tips for Starting A Small Home-Based Business, Part I
Copyright © Monique Hawkins

http://moniquerh.payitforward4profits.com


Have you been dreaming of getting out of the rat race and starting your own home-based small business? If so, your dream has become a reality for thousands of people across the U.S.

New small home-based business owners often have similar questions such as Will I be successful? Do I need a mentor? What help is available? What will this cost me?

The fact of the matter is, those who are successful in starting their small business have carefully planned for each phase of their business’s life. There are definite steps potential entrepreneurs should follow to increase their chance of success. Here are 3 tips to assist them in this process:

Tip #1: Decide on your potential business. Ask questions such as if there is a marketplace, if a profit can be made, and how much competition is currently in the specific market place.

Tip #2: Do careful research. This is highly important and can prevent potential small business owners from making costly mistakes. Some basic questions to ask are:

1. What niche or void will my business fill?
2. What services or products will be sold?
3. Is my idea practical, and will it fill a need?
4. Can a demand be created for the business?

Once the potential small business owner has determined their business if feasible, other questions to think about are:

1. What skills and experience do I bring to the business?

2. What will be my legal structure?

3. What financing will I need?

5. Where will my business be located?

Those looking to work from home should answer additional questions such as :

1. Is there enough space in the home?
2. Can the business be run well and successfully from the home?
3. Can one deal with not working around other people?

When potential small business owners are able to answer the questions above and feel comfortable with the outcome, this will naturally lead then to the next tip:

Tip #3: Develop a business plan. This is crucial and there is help available for this important step. For example, The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides free or low-cost resources to help potential small business owners’ plan, finance, and manage their business. The resources the SBA offers includes free, online courses which takes entrepreneurs through the steps of starting a business, assistance in writing business plans, and guidance in how to raise capital. These resources are easily available online at http://www.sba.gov, or at the local SBA office in towns and cities across the U.S. The SBA’s Answer Desk can also be reached at 1-800-U ASK SBA.

Another great source from the SBA is there SCORE program. This stands for the “The Service Corps of Retired Executives.” This is a free e-mail business course that includes informative sections on federal and state agencies and links to other business resources. Find the SCORE program by going to www.score.org
Starting a small home-based business and being successful with it are dreams of many people. However, it does require careful planning and research. If done right, one can indeed leave the “rat race” behind and embark on a life they have always dreamed about. Why not start now?

About the Author:
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To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://moniquerh.payitforward4profits.com
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New Travelport corporate site and logo

Hot on the heels of the announced sale to Blackstone comes a new corporate website for Travelport. Not a lot new there yet but looks like it is still in beta.

Video post: Geoffrey Vitt answers your questions

Geoffrey discusses the following:

1. Why aren't all of my ad units showing? I've pasted 3 ad units into my site, but only 1 appears.

2. The postal service in my town is unreliable. What other options do I have for receiving payments?

3. How do referrals work and why should I use them?

See full transcript

NOTES:

Geoffrey mentions that receiving checks by secured express delivery costs $25. Please note that this amount varies from country to country. For more information about the cost where you are, log into your account and check the Payment Details section of your My Account tab.

Geoffrey also mentions that publishers can receive checks in their local currency. You can visit our Help Center for a full list of countries for which we offer payment in a local currency.

Posted by Dobromir Montauk - AdSense Publisher Support