Archive for Misc Posts
Tune in and Watch William Shatner’s LIVE Webcast on Myouterspace.com, July 23rd at 7:30 PST
STUDIO CITY, Calif., July 21 /PRNewswire/ — Myouterspace.com, a new Social Network created for those passionate about Science Fiction, will officially launch with William Shatner who will soar over the San Diego Harbor in a helicopter, landing onto deck of the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier at Comic Con. William Shatner’s Myouterspace.com launch will be held at the Tweet House on the USS Midway from 7:30pm-9:30pm PST on Friday, July 23, 2010.
Comic-Con is a natural magnet for the fans, as the world will be watching Mr. Shatner interview other celebrity guests and industry professionals. Shatner fans from around the world can follow the link to our live transmission page on Myouterspace.com and follow a live Twitter chat.
“I am excited about the possibilities that are happening at Comic Con,” said Mr. Shatner, host of Myouterspace.com. “The brand new platform for creativity in film, in gaming, and in animation is now coming alive on Myouterspace.com. With Tweet House on the USS Midway, and a great team of partners, can you get more with it?”
“The team at Myouterspace has worked extremely hard towards this exciting event,” said Sammy Oriti, Co-Founder of Myouterspace.com. “Bill is an innovator; a truly incredible visionary and it will a great moment when he lands his helicopter on the flight deck. All I can say is that I have the coolest job in the world…I work with William Shatner in a Sci-Fi virtual universe!”
Myouterspace.com is dedicated to providing fans with amazing content, while connecting talented users with creative opportunities in music, graphic design, entertainment, acting, film production, and writing. Myouterspace.com generates Sci-Fi projects for film, television and the web by allowing registered users to participate alongside industry professionals and connect with other users in the business. William Shatner, host of Myouterspace.com, engages with the online community by creating video messages to fans, overseeing feature productions, providing his professional critique to users, and promoting Myouterspace.com on Twitter, Facebook, and major media outlets.
With the support of William Shatner and an innovative twist on social media, Myouterspace.com is poised to be a presence in the Sci-Fi community.
Sponsorship/advertising inquiries; sales@adplayerz.com, or 800-557-4165, Ext. 202. Visit www.myouterspace.com and www.adplayerz.com.
U.S. Job Growth Driven Entirely by Startups, According to Kauffman Foundation Study
Posted by: | CommentsNew Firms Add an Average of 3 Million Jobs in Their First Year, While Older Companies Lose 1 Million Jobs Annually
KANSAS CITY, MO–(Marketwire – July 7, 2010) – When it comes to U.S. job growth, startup companies aren’t everything. They’re the only thing.
It’s well understood that existing companies of all sizes constantly create — and destroy — jobs. Conventional wisdom, then, might suppose that annual net job gain is positive at these companies. A study released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, however, shows that this rarely is the case. In fact, net job growth occurs in the U.S. economy only through startup firms.
The new study, The Importance of Startups in Job Creation and Job Destruction, bases its findings on the Business Dynamics Statistics, a U.S. government dataset compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. The BDS series tracks the annual number of new businesses (startups and new locations) from 1977 to 2005, and defines startups as firms younger than one year old.
The study reveals that, both on average and for all but seven years between 1977 and 2005, existing firms are net job destroyers, losing 1 million jobs net combined per year. By contrast, in their first year, new firms add an average of 3 million jobs.
Further, the study shows, job growth patterns at both startups and existing firms are pro-cyclical, although existing firms have much more cyclical variance. Most notably, during recessionary years, job creation at startups remains stable, while net job losses at existing firms are highly sensitive to the business cycle.
“These findings imply that America should be thinking differently about the standard employment policy paradigm,” said Robert E. Litan, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation. “Policymakers tend to focus on changes in the national or state unemployment rate, or on layoffs by existing companies, when, in fact, policy has little effect on net employment growth. Instead, job growth best would be influenced by focusing greater attention on policy that supports startup firms.”
Because startups that develop organically are almost solely the drivers of job growth, job-creation policies aimed at luring larger, established employers will inevitably fail, said the study’s author, Tim Kane, Kauffman Foundation senior fellow in Research and Policy. Such city and state policies are doomed not only because they are zero-sum, but because they are based in unrealistic employment growth models.
And it’s not just net job creation that startups dominate. While older firms lose more jobs than they create, those gross flows decline as firms age. On average, one-year-old firms create nearly one million jobs, while ten-year-old firms generate 300,000. The notion that firms bulk up as they age is, in the aggregate, not supported by data.
About the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people’s eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. It also works to prepare students to be innovators, entrepreneurs and skilled workers in the 21st century economy through initiatives designed to improve learning in math, engineering, science and technology. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo. and has approximately $2 billion in assets. More information, visitwww.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn andwww.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.
PETALUMA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The following is a statement by the American Small Business League:
“The court finds it curious the SBA’s argument that it does not ‘control’ the very information it needs to carry out its duties and functions.”
In a recent story published by the Medill News Service, Small Business Administration (SBA) Spokesman Mike Stamler continued to maintain that the diversion of billions of dollars a month in federal small business contracts to Fortune 500 firms is merely random data entry errors. (http://medilldev.net/2010/05/small-bussinesses-struggling-to-win-federal-contracts/)
In the story, Mr. Stamler claims that large companies receive small business contracts, “because of simple human error,” and “miscoding.” For years, the SBA and Mr. Stamler have used “miscoding” to explain why some of the largest firms in the U.S. and Europe receive billions of dollars a month in contracts intended for small businesses. In a May 2007 press release the SBA even claimed the rampant abuses were simply a “myth.” (http://www.asbl.com/documents/sbamythvfact.pdf)
Mr. Stamler’s remarks stand in stark contrast to a series of federal investigations, going back to 2003, from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the SBA Office of Advocacy, and the SBA’s Inspector General (SBA IG) that have found widespread fraud and abuse in virtually every program managed by the SBA. (http://www.asbl.com/documentlibrary.html)
In Report 5-16 from March 2005, the SBA IG reported that large businesses had committed fraud by misrepresenting themselves as small businesses through “false certifications,” and “improper certifications.” (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-16.pdf) Another investigation from the SBA Office of Advocacy found large businesses had received federal small business contracts fraudulently through what they referred to as “vendor deception.” (http://www.asbl.com/documents/eagkeeye_report%202002.pdf)
In Report 5-15, the SBA IG referred to the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants as, “One of the most important challenges facing the Small Business Administration and the entire Federal government today.” For the last five consecutive years the SBA IG has reported these rampant abuses as the #1 management challenge facing the SBA. (http://www.asbl.com/documents/05-15.pdf)
An SBA IG investigation from March 2010 found that the SBA itself awarded federal small business contracts to large businesses during fiscal years 2008 and 2009. (http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/oig_report_10-08.pdf)
In February of 2008, the ASBL sued the SBA for the release of the names of Fortune 500 firms and other large businesses that had received billions of dollars in federal small business contracts. The SBA withheld the information until directed to release it by United States District Judge Marilyn H. Patel. In the court’s ruling Patel stated, “The court finds it curious the SBA’s argument that it does not ‘control’ the very information it needs to carry out its duties and functions.” (www.asbl.com/documents/26-2.pdf)
“I am stunned that Mr. Stamler has any credibility left with the media. Putting an end to Mr. Stamler’s blatant lies and the SBA’s misinformation campaign is absolutely crucial to ending these abuses,” ASBL President Lloyd Chapman said. “I think it is time that journalists ask Mike Stamler or Karen Mills the following question: why is it that all of these computer glitches, miscoding errors or data entry problems, always divert funds away from hardworking American small businesses into the hands of Fortune 500 firms, while at the same time falsely inflating the government’s small business contracting data?”
For more commentary, please click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-KHFzpKkIY
ISPLA Board Member Recognized with Life Time Achievement Award
Posted by: | CommentsOn March 27, 2010 at the 27th annual Intellenet Conference held in New Orleans, LA, James P. Carino, Jr. became the seventh recipient of the Julius “Buddy” Bombet Lifetime Achievement Award.
Investigative & Security Professionals for Legislative Action (ISPLA) congratulates Mr. Carino for a lifetime of service and volunteerism to our profession. Mr. Carino is a founder and Executive Director of Intellenet. He is also a founder and board member of ISPLA.
Presenting the award to Mr. Carino was Mr. John Lajoie, award committee chairman. Upon presenting the award Mr. Lajoie stated, “The Julius ‘Buddy’ Bombet Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award within our
profession for service, dedication, and benevolent and philanthropic efforts. It honors and celebrates your lifetime of immense achievement.
An achievement only enjoyed by fellow recipients who have also touched our lives in much the same way. And so isn’t it fitting that a man who voted in 1999 to create this award is now going to receive it. Fellow visionary Benjamin Franklin once said ‘Well done is better than well said.’ It’s a concept that is simple to understand, yet difficult to execute. Mr. James Carino- your lifetime actions embody, nurture, and enhance this philosophical doctrine and for that, we are eternally grateful.”
Previous recipients of this prestigious award include two ISPLA members, Buddy Bombet and Bruce Hulme. Other recipients are Kitty Hailey, Eddie McClain, Jack Reed, and Philip White.
ISPLA Executive Committee-www.ispla.org
Increasing Importance of Social Network Profiling
Posted by: | CommentsEx-parte information obtained by internet searches, juror blogs and other social network communication
through sites like Twitter and Facebook have resulted in mistrials and appeals from jury verdicts in the
recent months.
In Miami, a juror sent out a number of tweets on Twitter describing deliberation experiences, including
one that stated they were “giving away $12 million of someone else’s money.” In another case a mistrial
was declared after the judge was told that a Blackberry was used to look up information about the criminal
defendant, including criminal records and media reports on the case. The judge in this case discovered
that 8 of the jurors all had done some kind of internet search on the case with complete disregard
for juror instructions.
Paula Hannaford-Agor, the director of the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts
stated in The Court Manager “Examples of juror misconduct via technology have become so widespread
and alarming that a new expression has developed to describe the problem: Google mistrials.”
She goes on to say that the misconduct of jurors doing independent searches on the internet are twofold:
“jurors may use the Internet to obtain ex parte information about the case without the knowledge of
the court or trial counsel , and jurors may violate the privacy of jury deliberations by communicating with
outsiders.”
A private investigator working with a trial lawyer should monitor the social networks on jurors, witnesses
and other court personnel for potential threats to the client’s case before, during and after a trial for any
misconduct or other issues. There are several tools available to help with social network monitoring like
Spokeo.com, Tweetdeck, etc. A blog or forum tracker is also recommended for a complete profiling.
In preparing an online profile report for a case it is recommended that you separate and clearly define
the accurate information from the mis-information about a person, company or product that may exist in
search results.
With close to 1 Billion people active on social networks, online profiling research and reporting is expected
to be the fastest growing area of expertise for Private Investigators this year.
Article originally published in the Informant
Sources: Jury News http://ww.ncsonline.org/D_Research/cjs/JuryNews2009Vol24No2.pdf
RuleSpace Denies False Claims in eSoft Press Release
Posted by: | CommentsBEAVERTON, Ore., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ — RuleSpace, LLC, the leading provider of OEM Web categorization services, denied all claims by eSoft(TM) Inc. that RuleSpace has misappropriated eSoft intellectual property.
In a press release issued yesterday, just days before the RSA Conference, eSoft reported it has filed a complaint against RuleSpace claiming that it “secretly gained access to [eSoft's] technology,” and that the company “stole intellectual property associated with [eSoft's] database and categorization technology.”
“These allegations are patently false,” said Alistair Allan, president & chief executive officer of RuleSpace. “All businesses need to know their competitors’ strengths and weaknesses in order to fairly compete in the marketplace and to offer the best products and services to consumers. As part of our ongoing competitive research, we purchased a copy of the eSoft product, registered it in our own name, and had just started to test it when, last week, we were contacted by eSoft, demanding that we disable the device,” Allan said.
For 14 years, RuleSpace has been consistently selected by tier one partners on the strength of its URL databases and highly-accurate real-time categorization technology. With a strong customer base including tier one security vendors, ISPs and Mobile Operators, the company has stayed on top of its competition through constant research and innovation.
“We were planning to test it in full compliance with the terms of eSoft’s license agreement. We discontinued using the eSoft product while we investigate our legal options. Then, eSoft unexpectedly issued a press release about filing a lawsuit against us. We have not actually seen the complaint as of this moment,” Allan added.
As of the issuing of this release, eSoft has made no attempt to serve a complaint on RuleSpace or its registered agents. In the event that eSoft actually pursues a lawsuit, RuleSpace intends to vigorously defend itself.
CENTENNIAL, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–On Saturday, Jan. 30, the Bold & Fresh Tour Fathom in-theater event will now be a delayed broadcast of the O’Reilly and Beck tour recorded in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 29. Due to the weather-related state of emergency declared by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, the original Bold & Fresh tour date in Norfolk, Va., has been rescheduled, making a simulcast from Norfolk tomorrow evening impossible. Not wanting to disappoint fans who purchased tickets to the Jan. 30 movie theater event, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Fathom and participating theater circuits worked together to ensure Saturday’s theater event will still be held, using the production taking place in Tampa tonight.
For additional information, please go to: www.FathomEvents.com.
Outsell Report Shows Nearly Half of News Users Bypass Newspaper Sites in Favor of Google
Posted by: | Comments- Report Predicts Continued Drops in Newspaper Circulation as Internet Provides “News Right Now”
Burlingame, CA and London, UK—January 19, 2010—Outsell, Inc.’s third annual News Users’ research predicts continued steep drops in US newspapers’ print circulation as consumers continue to gravitate toward the Internet for news. The firm forecasts 3.5 percent annual declines in both daily and Sunday circulation, leading to a low of 43 million Sunday newspaper readers by 2012, compared to more than 62 million in the early 1990s.
The research underscores the dramatic effect that aggregators such as Google and Yahoo have had on both print and online readership. For “news right now,” 57 percent of news users now go to digital sources, up from 33 percent a few years ago. They’re also likelier to turn to an aggregator (31 percent) than a newspaper site (8 percent) or other site (18 percent).
“Among the aggregators, Google’s effect on the newspaper industry is particularly striking,” said Outsell analyst Ken Doctor. “Though Google is driving some traffic to newspapers, it’s also taking a significant share away. A full 44 percent of visitors to Google News scan headlines without accessing newspapers’ individual sites.”
Outsell surveyed 2,787 US news consumers about their online and offline news preferences, including many “power news users” who consult news sources at least twice a day. Among other findings:
• Newspapers that see paid online content as a panacea are in for a rude awakening. Only 10 percent of news users are willing to pay for a print newspaper subscription to gain online access. Seventy-five percent say they’d turn to a different source for local online news if their newspapers required a paid subscription.
• Local newspapers retain strength with local topics, such as family events and entertainment, but there are “cracks in the house.”
To purchase News Users’ 2009: http://www.outsellinc.com/store/products/886?refid=pr886
ABOUT OUTSELL, INC.:
Outsell is the only research and advisory firm focused on advancing the publishing and information industries. Our international team provides independent, fact-based analysis and actionable advice about competitors, markets, operational benchmarks, and best practices, so our clients thrive and grow in today’s fast-changing digital and global environment. Outsell’s headquarters are in Burlingame, CA, US and London, UK. Visit us at www.outsellinc.com.
An Online Support Team Is The Secret To Keeping Your New Year’s Resolution
Posted by: | CommentsMyMightyTeam.com is a new free site for getting support to keep your resolutions
NEW YORK, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ — In one corner, a piece of exercise equipment that soon became a clothes hanger. On a shelf, a pile of diet books. On a hard drive, the first few pages of a novel. Chances are your home or office contains these or other remnants from failed New Year’s resolutions. What will make the difference this year?
“The secret to sticking with a New Year’s Resolution is having the support of other people,” says Joan Greco, founder and CEO of My Mighty Team. “You’ve got to have a support team – people who know your plan, will cheer you on when you do it, and bug you when you don’t.”
MyMightyTeam.com is a new free online service for connecting you with a support team to help you make sure that this year you keep your New Year’s resolutions. On the site, you can easily and quickly invite friends, family or co-workers to join your team and help you make progress. If you prefer, you can use MIGHTY’s Teammate Finder to suggest like-minded people to work with.
Here's how My Mighty Team works:
-- First, declare your resolution and set a goal for the week or, even
better, for the day, such as getting to the gym; keeping a food diary;
starting a business plan; or writing the first chapter of your novel.
-- Second, do it!
-- Third, report back to your team before the deadline.
You can celebrate monthly milestones with your team, and rant about the challenges along the way. You can post evidence of your progress, whether it’s a photo of a slimmer self, or the first draft for a new business plan. The teams are private and invitation-only, so what’s shared with your team stays with your team. See more about how MIGHTY helps you Keep Your New Year’s Resolution.
My Mighty Team boasts communication tools that let you and your teammates blog, text, and get updates through email or cell phones. In addition to the private team pages, public pages on the most popular resolutions (such as “I Will Exercise More,” “I Will Quit Smoking,” “I Will Find a Job,” or “I Will Write”), rank top resources and let the larger MIGHTY community share tips and experiences.
My Mighty Team is the ultimate resource for helping people accomplish their goals and live their dreams. Use My Mighty Team’s free service to start a business, lose weight, quit smoking, write a novel – or achieve any other goal you can dream up. Founder Joan Greco dreamed up My Mighty Team after working on the most venerable small team in the nation: the United States Supreme Court. A graduate of Harvard Law School and an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Greco clerked for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
5 Winning Customer Service Strategies from an Outsourced Call Center
Posted by: | Comments| Magellan Solutions Outsourcing Inc. offers practical guidelines on delivering an outstanding customer service to small and medium businesses. |
PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 17, 2010 – Running an effective customer service remains one of the winning strategies to small and medium businesses. Their success lies in the ability to create an experience that builds loyalty and retains customers.
With new customers getting more difficult to acquire than to keep, the need to deliver a great customer experience has never been more critical.
Hiring outsourced contact centers like Magellan Solutions Outsourcing Inc. can help businesses deliver superior customer service because of their expertise in handling and managing requests, inquiries, and concerns. They can manage tasks in real-time, down to the single call, enabling business owners to focus entirely on their core competencies.
What draws small and medium businesses to outsource customer service offshore? Here are 5 practical strategies to accomplish great customer service:
1. Believing in the customer team – Successful companies running a customer service believe that their front-line agents should be empowered to respond proactively in any situation. Trust that they can do the job well. This, in turn, can impact your credibility.
2. Create an “inviting” front door – Magellan Solutions knows customer service should be warm and engaging. Customers should feel welcome the moment they place a call to fulfill a specific intent. It should more than saying, “How can I be of help to you today?” Show your enthusiasm that you are there to help.
3. Keep your customers with the right words – Good customer service comes from treating others the way we want to be treated. Choose the right words that uplift their mood such as “We’ll take care of that.” “Consider it done.” “We can definitely help you with that.”
4. Make things easier. Patience on the part of the customers is very limited. Make sure that you respond quickly and get that communication right the first time. Customers can be generous in their compliments when they are attended to by well-equipped agents.
5. Treat the staff well. Remember: the people who are part of the team should be treated with respect. They will pass this attitude to clients and customers.
Like other call centers, Magellan Solutions has been at the forefront of providing high-quality customer-centric services for small and medium businesses globally. The company uses these strategies to accomplish one mission: To provide the highest level of customer satisfaction possible. This explains why Magellan Solutions provides business owners with a range of services suitable for their line of business: telephone answering services, order taking, and reservations.
At the end of the day, an efficiently-run customer service yields an improved customer retention rate and eventually an increase in business profits.
Find out more about Magellan’s outsourced call center services by visiting its web site http://www.magellan-solutions.com.
