legal, media, marketing & technology
Ever have certain unwanted repeat callers on your cell phone? Perhaps a salesman, or even worse … a stalker? I just ran across a neat tip to identify these unwanted calls when they don’t have caller ID. Create a new contact in your cell phone address book and give it the name of DO NOT ANSWER. In the iphone you can add up to 9 phone numbers per contact. Now when the phone rings, the caller ID will tell you not to answer!
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Facebook on Tuesday was awarded a patent for a social network news feed, setting the stage for a future battle with its social networking peers over similar technologies.
The patent is specifically for “dynamically providing a news feed about a user of a social network” and effectively grants Facebook the opportunity to pursue other social networks who it deems are infringing on the company’s patent.
In my opinion, this is a amazing ruling. Just think of what could result from this patent.
We have a whole new generation that prefers learning in a non-sequential, mosaic way. This new generation is influenced by media and the Internet and saturated with endless sound and video bytes. I have experienced this first hand in the lives of my own children. Their life is lived out in a big media bucket. They can learn and interact with information in a much more informal and dynamic way than I could at their age.
Information seeks and finds us whenever we are, we don’t have to look for it. With Social Media we are always aware of news, entertainment and even the lunatic fringe. This stuff finds you and me every minute of the day!
So how do you communicate with this new generation? Embrace the new media and speak their language, don’t hard sell. Be transparent and real.
How did we get to be a generation filled with electronic media and want to learn in a non-sequential way? Read this earlier blog post – Communication with young adults
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Robot teachers have been in the movies – how far off could it be for real? It looks like things may now be progressing faster than anyone thought.
According to South Korea’s etnews, plans have been announced to invest in a "R-Learning" program that promises to put robotic teaching assistants in up to 400 pre-schools by 2012. Plans include expansion to a full 8,000 pre-schools and kindergartens the following year.
Robots wouldn’t be in charge of the class (yet), but they would be used to do things like recite stories, and could let parents check in on the classroom and send messages to their children. If that trial program proves to be successful, robots could then be expanded to elementary schools, and the Korea Institute of Science & Technology is apparently already eyeing international possibilities. So will the robots be allowed into the unions?
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So how can you market on the Internet. Do you need a bigger, badder web site? What can you do to get traction?
1. Create a website with content
The secret to a successful website is to get people there and give them a reason to come back. You can do this with content. Have content before you concern your self with SEO and web site promotion.
2. Tap into Your Expertise
Include content that showcases your talent and expertise. Talk about what you know… you will present yourself as an expert. It showcases your “know-how-trust” factor. Cement your credibility as an expert.
2. Market to Your Existing Customers
Instead of just focusing on getting new business, turn your attention to your existing customers. If you treat all your clients as special, they will feel special — and be likely to tell someone else about you.
3. Build Relationships
Build relationships with your clients and prospects. Social Media is a great way to extend your reach. Don’t sell with social media. Build relationships, let the selling come later.
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It’s every companies dream to ride a big wave. How do you do that with social media? I like to think about conversing at a friends dinner party with people you know and have just met. You would not hard sell someone at the party your good and services –would you? It’s socially unacceptable. So as you build your social network today, here are some tips to help you surf the coming swell with awareness.
Looking for a personal gift for the person that has everything? May I suggest this action figure. The one and only CSI Miami – Horatio Caine!
Around my house we don’t miss a single opening of CSI Miami. Why, for the show open when they introduce us to foul play and Horatio Caine does his cameo performance with the cheesiest line ever. Actually we try to guess the line before he says it. So for me this action figure is the bomb … it’s poseable, 12 inches tall and it’s a collectible? You’ll find it on etsy.com.
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The numbers of mobile websites are increasing and it’s clear that mobile web is increasing in importance. I’m told that smartphones will soon outnumber laptop and desktop computers. I use my mobile browser daily.
Are you planning on making a mobile-optimized version of your site? Here is a list of considerations.
1. Make a small or light-version of your site.
2. Make images smaller, optimize the page structure.
3. Remove the flash and Java because many phones don’t support it.
4. Watch file sizes – websites exceeding one megabyte per page are painful over a wireless connection.
5. Don’t skip on the content or your site will be worthless.
The 2010 Only In Houston award was given to Dan Workman of Sugarhill Studios Saturday February 13, 2010. The OiH Award is given to honor people who have contributed to the Houston creative community and has set a new standard of excellence.
Dan has been very supportive of the Houston music industry for as long as I can remember, and I’ve known him since the 80’s. In addition to the OiH award, Lou Congelio presented him with a proclamation from the mayor of Houston naming Saturday “Dan Workman Day.” Dan will also be joining OiH as a new board member!
Thank you Dan, for your support of the Houston Creative community and Only in Houston.
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Speed up Outlook 2007
Published March 4, 2010 Computer , Productivity , commentary , technology Leave a CommentTags: Microsoft, office, Outlook 2007, Speed up
Follow these steps:
1. Open Outlook as an Administrator by going to C:Programs/Microsoft Office/Office12 and right clicking on the Outlook exe program. Choose “Run as Administrator”.
2. Then once Outlook opens, go to Tools, then Trust Center, then Addins.
3. Click “Go…” at the bottom and uncheck Outlookaddins.
4. To maximize speed, uncheck everything EXCEPT Windows Indexing, which may be the only useful addin anyway.
5. If you lose some function that was useful, just follow the steps above and check the addins that correspond to the missing function. Then exit Outlook and restart it to test the addin’s fuction.
When I did this this morning, the speed of my Outlook 2007 improved significantly. I had about 17 addins that I unchecked. We are supposed to to have a new Outlook and Office soon from Microsoft and I hope they have addressed this performance issue.