Education leadership + Technology = Tech Success

Tech Success joins with Mobinett Interactive to deliver social Media success at BNI Conference

2011-06-14T11:35:00.001-07:00

PLUGged In for BNI U.S. National Conference!

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Tom Dillon

Mobinett Interactive and the great folks from Tech Success recently partnered to support the BNI U.S. National Conference with Plug, to help people engage with the event and connect with their BNI colleagues! The conference was a warm and welcoming affair, with members from BNI chapters around the country attending and reuniting with each other. The BNI way is to pay it forward with referrals and a smile, and the 500+ in attendance were raring to get the party started as early as 7:00 AM!

Mobinett and Tech Success informally partnered with the Rhode Island/SE Mass BNI chapter to deploy our Plug Events Platform for the conference, and it was a major success! We produced this cool video to introduce Plug to BNI attendees. Though we did very little promotion to attendees, we had 39 people sign up for Plug and check in for the event! The ability to connect with and message people nearby using the Plug location-based platform was used to great effect.

Tech Success, a company that provides social media management and other services, had CEO, Ariel Dagan and Client Relations Manager, Pam Richard on hand to help attendees engage on Plug. They were a major help in Plugging people in at the conference. Plug facilitated 144 connections between event participants and users sent 191 messages and 50 social media posts! People told us they’ve been waiting for a product like Plug and were excited to see Mobinett’s progress and experience a taste of what’s coming down the pipeline.

The BNI Conference started on a high, with the keynote speaker, Susan RoAne, an incredibly eloquent and approachable speaker who has written informative books on the art of public speaking and social/professional mingling including: “How To Work a Room,” and “The Networking/Mingling Maven,” as well as being a Mingling Mentor/Coach. Ms. RoAne dismisses those who denigrate small talk as nothing more than a waste of time, insisting that small talk is a valuable tool to start a conversation.

The remainder of the conference was left to smaller individual speakers giving great business and BNI chapter advice. Free time was planned between sessions, to encourage valuable networking. Attendees used Plug to find relevant people to meet, as Plug lets you search attendee profiles by keyword. They recognized the efficiency of networking with Plug vs. meeting random people.

The event was a great experience for both Mobinett and Tech Success, helping us prove the benefits of Plug once again. Thanks to BNI Founder Ivan Misner, BNI-Executive Director, Linda Macedonio, and BNI Communications Supervisor, Erin Mellinger for their support. Special thanks to Ariel and Pam of Tech Success!

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Facebook does it again. This time by honing in on the most natural part of our social fabric

2011-03-28T03:45:00.001-07:00

Brian Anthony Hernandez of Mashable comments on the new application by facebook called quetions, Brands and businesses are looking for ways to leverage Facebook’s recently unveiled Questions tool in ways that differ from what they’re already doing on Q&A sites such as Quora, Yahoo Answers and LocalMind.

The feature, which Facebook rolled out to all users March 24, functions as a recommendation engine. It also presents a major opportunity for businesses to conduct market research and crowdsource in a far more elegant way than was previously possible, according to Ben Grossman, communication strategist for marketing agency Oxford Communications.

“We know from Nielsen that recommendations from friends and family and the opinions of online strangers are the top two most trusted forms of advertising,” Grossman told Mashable. “Facebook Questions offers the perfect opportunity for brands to tap into exactly that.”

Businesses, groups and organizations can use Questions in several ways. For example, Grossman said:

Ice cream parlors can find out what the flavor of the week should be.
A gym can find out what time is best for its new hip-hop yoga class.

Radio stations can determine the hottest concerts for the summer.
Manufacturers can do a pulse check on fans’ holiday shopping plans.

“The best part about this is that it’s in a trusting, social and real-time setting,” he said. “The opportunity to gain instant feedback from a brand’s biggest fans is amazing.”

Fittingly, we had some more questions about Questions. Below, Grossman weighs in on the feature to help brands better understand the tool.

Mashable: How is Facebook Questions different than the Q&A tools already online?

Grossman: Though Questions certainly falls into a similar category as Yahoo Answers and Quora, there is are two very major differences:

Answers to questions are not free-form; users are limited to multiple-choice responses.
Questions (and their answers) are not catalogued by search engines at this time. Public Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers and Quora will still remain important for public-facing customer support and inquiries.

Mashable: How will Facebook Questions change the way users of Facebook Pages interact with their fans? Why is this important?

Grossman: Though third-party Facebook application development companies such as Involver and Wildfire have developed turn-key “poll” applications, many users were likely to get hung up on that pesky “Applications Permissions” box that demands access to users personal information.

Questions changes that. No permissions are required, and the Questions platform lets you answer and talk about questions with all your friends no matter if they’ve engaged with a third-party application before or not.

The other great thing about Questions is it comes with a setting that allows users to add more answers to the multiple-choice answers. This bit of flexibility will really and truly allow businesses to learn from their consumers — they just have to know the right questions to ask.

Questions also demands a higher level of fidelity to opinion statistics for brands. If brands bind themselves to the Questions platform to pose questions and they relate to the brand’s business, it’s going to be a lot clearer to all the fans what public opinion is. If the brand doesn’t follow through by acting on that opinion, Questions has a nice comment area that gives fans the perfect place to call a brand out on it.

Mashable: How have you or Oxford used Facebook Questions so far? How do you plan to use the feature in the future?

Within 15 hours, we had engaged 13% of our fanbase and had not only gained votes on answers we had given to the question; we also had fans suggesting (and voting for) new answers, including local couponing sites, LiveTVChat and more. For us, it was an opportunity to enjoy a high level of engagement with our followers, emerge as a thought leader and learn a little all at the same time.

The next frontier, after some additional testing, will be to activate Questions on behalf of our clients. Next month, we are planning on extending Legends Outlets Kansas City’s “Charity Check-In” program through use of Facebook Questions. On Legends Outlets Facbeook Page, Legends Outlets is currently encouraging its consumers to check-in with Facebook Places in order to trigger the brand to donate $1 to a pre-determined, local Kansas City charity.

Next month, the brand will be doing the same, but we will also be employing Facebook Questions to ask the fans what charities they would like to see appear as part of the ongoing Charity Check-In program. We’re excited to help Legends Outlets partner with the charities that mean the most to its fans, while raising their friends’ awareness of ways they can give back to the community.

Mashable: What was your initial reaction to the new Facebook Questions tool?

Grossman: Any time Facebook adds a new standard application to all user and business profiles, I get excited. When Facebook adds major new functionality like Questions, it stands to shift the social dynamic of over 500 million people, creating richer, more diverse and increasingly dynamic conversations.

Beyond the impact it will have on users, the widespread release of Facebook Questions is also emblematic of the continuing trend we’ve seen from Facebook: As soon as a new trend in social media begins to rise up, Facebook acts quickly and decisively. For those long-time Facebook users out there, Questions will hearken back to the days when Polls were far more common on Facebook. But this round of Q&A-based functionality released by Facebook is likely more of a direct response to the increasing popularity of up-and-coming sites like Quora and LocalMind.

What I love about Questions is how true it is to Facebook’s zeal for transparency and trust.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Chrysler’s Twitter Account Not Managed By Qualified People

2011-03-10T09:34:00.001-08:00

via mashable.com

Making certain that you have the right people in place to manage your Public Relation is critical when using social media channel that are constantly be updated. The days of working on brochure packet over a few months are long gone. PR is about getting it out TODAY especially when someone causes you a very large embarrassment that is growing by the moment

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Phone-Wielding Shoppers Strike Fear Into Retailers

2010-12-19T16:56:00.001-08:00

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By MIGUEL BUSTILLO And ANN ZIMMERMAN
Tri Tang, a 25-year-old marketer, walked into a Best Buy Co. store in Sunnyvale, Calif., this past weekend and spotted the perfect gift for his girlfriend.

Last year, he might have just dropped the $184.85 Garmin global positioning system into his cart. This time, he took out his Android phone and typed the model number into an app that instantly compared the Best Buy price to those of other retailers. He found that he could get the same item on Amazon.com Inc.'s website for only $106.75, no shipping, no tax.

View Full Image
Brian L. Frank for The Wall Street Journal
Tri Tang uses his mobile phone app, TheFind, to scan product bar codes and immediately troll online for the best price at various retailers.

Audio

Listen: Smartphones equal smart shoppers, reports Miguel Bustillos.

Journal Community

Mr. Tang bought the Garmin from Amazon right on the spot.

"It's so useful," Mr. Tang says of his new shopping companion, a price comparison app called TheFind. He says he relies on it "to make sure I am getting the best price."

Mr. Tang's smartphone reckoning represents a revolution in retailing—what Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chief Executive Mike Duke has dubbed a "new era of price transparency"—and its arrival is threatening to upend the business models of the biggest store chains in America.

Until recently, retailers could reasonably assume that if they just lured shoppers to stores with enticing specials, the customers could be coaxed into buying more profitable stuff, too.

Now, marketers must contend with shoppers who can use their smartphones inside stores to check whether the specials are really so special, and if the rest of the merchandise is reasonably priced.

"The retailer's advantage has been eroded," says Greg Girard of consultancy IDC Retail Insights, which recently found that roughly 45% of customers with smartphones had used them to perform due diligence on a store's prices. "The four walls of the store have become porous."

Some of the most vulnerable merchants: sellers of branded, big-ticket items like electronics and appliances, which often prompt buyers to comparison shop. Best Buy, the nation's largest electronics chain, said Tuesday that it may lose market share this year, a downward trend that some analysts are attributing in part to pressure from price comparison apps.

Smartphone fans such as Mr. Tang are still a small subset of shoppers. It remains unclear whether large numbers of Americans will be willing to take the extra time to compare offers with mobile programs. Some consumers may want to deploy the technology only when buying expensive or unusual items.

View Full Image
Brian L. Frank for The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Tang's smartphone reckoning represents a revolution in retailing.

Still, store chains are increasingly concerned about the ability of mobile-equipped shoppers to tilt the balance of power in retailing toward consumers—in part because their numbers are quickly rising.

On the Friday after Thanksgiving a year ago, consumers using mobile devices accounted for just 0.1% of visits to retail websites, according to Coremetrics, a division of International Business Machines Corp. that estimates e-commerce activity. This Black Friday, they accounted for 5.6%, for a 50-fold increase.

E-commerce experts expect use of shopping apps to mushroom as more Americans purchase smartphones.

Dozens of mobile shopping apps are already available through Apple Inc.'s iTunes, and programmers are busy developing many more to transform smartphones into shopping weapons. Many of them use phone cameras to photograph bar codes and QR codes, or simply let users speak a product's name into their devices.

TheFind app has been out for four weeks and has been downloaded 400,000 times, according to the company. RedLaser, an app that allows shoppers to use mobile-phone cameras to scan bar codes to compare products and prices, has now been downloaded six million times since it was introduced in May 2009, says parent eBay Inc.

Although store executives publicly welcome a price-transparent world, retail experts don't expect all chains to measure up to the harsh judgment of mobile price comparisons. Some will need to find new ways to survive.

"Only a couple of retailers can play the lowest-price game," says Noam Paransky, senior manager at consultancy Kurt Salmon Associates. "This is going to accelerate the demise of retailers who do not have either competitive pricing" or a standout store experience.

Because consumers made more frugal by the economic downturn are flocking to the cheapest offers they can find, comparison shopping via smartphones is making it harder for many retailers to charge higher prices in stores than on their websites.

"Those days are over," says Laura Conrad, president of comparison site PriceGrabber.com. Despite the higher costs associated with a bricks-and-mortar store, "The line between offline and online has been blurred."

This week, Best Buy settled a lawsuit by the Connecticut attorney general alleging that it showed web prices at in-store kiosks that were higher than those customers saw on home computers.

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The shift in consumer behavior also imperils some of the most lucrative aspects of selling in stores, such as the ability to use salespeople to lure customers into making impulse buys, or entice them to buy one thing after they came in for another. A 10-country study by management consultant Accenture this year found that 73% of mobile-powered shoppers preferred peering into their phones for basic assistance over talking to a retail clerk.

For diehard deal-hunters such as Mary Saunders, a Virginia mother of two, the phone is fast becoming the weapon of choice in the battle for the best bargain. Hunting for Christmas gifts on a recent afternoon, Ms. Saunders used her iPhone at several stores to scan bar codes on every item on her children's Christmas wish lists, saving $2 here and $3 there.

Ms. Saunders still gathers newspaper circulars and visits all the big stores near her home in Stephens City, Va., to scrutinize specials. But her phone gives her a new sense of empowerment.

"I am slightly obsessed with getting the best deal," says Ms. Saunders, a substitute teacher. "So to me, the bar code scanner is the coolest thing in the world."

While e-commerce experts say many U.S. retailers have been slow to react to the mobile trend, some are starting to see that there is upside as well as disruption: Now retailers can virtually target customers inside competitors' stores.

Through a partnership with TheFind, Best Buy now targets personalized advertisements to shoppers when the program detects that they are in stores such as Wal-Mart.

If shoppers use TheFind's free app to compare prices on TVs at Wal-Mart, for example, the phone gleans the particulars from their recent search and shows them ads of similar electronics for sale at Best Buy. The items aren't always identical, and the prices aren't always better, but it is an attempt by Best Buy to enter the competition, similar to the way that marketers now target special offers to consumers based on what they are searching for on home computers.

Journal Community
discuss

“ There is value to being able to pick up or return purchases to a local brick and mortar location... There is also value to instant gratification in addition being able to see products side by side. These advantages do not however give the local retailer a license to mark up products to a ridiculous level. ”
—John Delaney
The offers are only sent to customers who opt to allow the program to use their phone's global positioning system to track their location. Still, some consumers have complained about the technology; one review on iTunes is titled, "Spying on Me 24/7."

"That is an opportunity to steal a sale right when someone is in the throes of making a decision. That is what makes mobile so powerful," says Best Buy Chief Marketing Officer Barry Judge, who believes retailers must "dive in headlong" into the new environment.

The hard sell doesn't stop there. If a customer inside a Best Buy compares prices through TheFind and discovers a better deal elsewhere, the retailer also makes one last pitch for the sale with ads showing them deals on other products at the store, such as a similar Blu-ray player that comes with a free movie disc.

"Instead of letting that person walk out, you are telling the customer, 'Look, we know you're already here, let's make a deal,'" says TheFind's Chief Executive, Siva Kumar. "It is not a consumer-only game. Retailers can use it to their advantage."

While Best Buy is aggressively entering the stores of rivals, it still refuses to match competitors' prices shown on comparison programs. Best Buy's guarantee applies only to deals in print advertisements by neighboring competitors, a policy Mr. Judge admits Best Buy may have to change.

Wal-Mart plans its own countermeasures to capture mobile sales, says Gibu Thomas, the company's senior vice president of mobile and digital strategy.

But the company, which doesn't see mobile-phone apps as a threat to its discount model, says it is wary of moving too rapidly and frets about being seen as Big Brother by following customers' movements as they shop.

"We continue to believe that we are the best-positioned global retailer for now and the years ahead," a Wal-Mart spokesman says.

Pure online sellers are also venturing into stores—virtually, that is—with mobile programs meant to steal away sales from bricks-and-mortar rivals.

Amazon.com released a new comparison app last month that allows iPhone users to scan bar codes, take pictures of items on shelves or describe products by speaking into their devices, to see whether the online giant can beat the store's prices.

"We want customers to feel confident in their purchases, and by allowing them access to Amazon's information wherever they are, they will be," says Sam Hall, director of Amazon Mobile.

The hassle of multiple store visits still outweighs the allure of small savings for smartphone warriors such as Matt Binder, a 24-year-old employee of a startup web company in New York City. But when presented with an option to click a button to save a few dollars, he gladly complied.

Armed with an iPhone loaded with Amazon's Price Check app, he was searching for holiday gifts on a recent Sunday in a Westbury, N.Y., Best Buy when he spotted a stocking stuffer, a two-gigabyte USB drive, for $11.99. He snapped a picture of it, and learned from the app that Amazon had it with more memory for $9.99.

"I wouldn't drive somewhere else to save $2," he says, but he made a mental note to buy it from Amazon later when he got home, to save precious battery power on his shopping tool.

At Wal-Mart, he saw the same flash drive, beside a big display boasting "Every Day Low Prices." But thanks to his smartphone, Mr. Binder knew better. The advertised price was $6 higher than Amazon's.

Indeed, the mobile phone threatens to undercut Wal-Mart's once novel strategy: promising to save consumers money on their overall shopping baskets instead of promoting individual items.

"The whole notion of going to one place to buy everything in one fell swoop because you are sure of a total market-basket savings may go away," says Leon Nicholas of consultancy Kantar Retail.

Toys "R" Us nearly went under six years ago when Wal-Mart brutally slashed prices on popular toys in a successful bid for market share. So the toy merchant is trying to insulate itself from direct price comparisons with a strategy that focuses in part on exclusive items.

"The most successful retailers have great product," says Toys "R" Us Chief Executive Gerald Storch. "That always wins over everything else. Unless you're selling coal."

In practice, such a strategy has limitations, however. Many shoppers, especially children, want the same thing their friends got, not something else.

A day of shopping with Ms. Saunders in Virginia shows what retailers are up against.

She was approached repeatedly by shop clerks who offered to help, but rebuffed them in case they tried to talk her into buying more. Her smartphone told her a DSi game on her list goes for $10 less at Best Buy and that Target has Barbie's Fashionista dolls for the cheapest price around—by $3.

One way stores attempt to beat this price-comparison game is by stocking products that manufacturers have slightly modified exclusively for them, signaling the phone that no other store has the product.

Ms. Saunders used her iPhone to scan the bar code on a case for the Nintendo DSi handheld gaming system at Wal-Mart, but it didn't show up at other stores. A worker informed her that it is a special Wal-Mart bundle: the case plus earphones and a plug for $19.99.

But Ms. Saunders was undeterred. She typed the item's description on TheFind and discovered that Walmart.com, the retailer's website, offers a better bundle including a car adapter—for $5 less.

"It's like, 'gotcha,'" she said. "I feel so good when that happens."

via online.wsj.com

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Social Media Top Priority for PR in 2011 : MarketingProfs

2010-12-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Social Media Top Priority for PR in 2011 : MarketingProfs

Google makes reading a great book much more accessible

2010-12-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

If you have been on the side lines waiting to know when to jump in to the sea of digital book display devices such a Kindle or Ipad, your days of contemplations are now over.
Google has announced that their massive collection of books ( including many free titles) can bee viewed on any electronic device any time.
The beauty of this platform is that it is not limited to one device. Reading your story can begin on your desktop and continued on the train on your digital device of choice.
Why use ebooks? Who wouldn't want to have access to the largest selection of titles available any time? Reading all of them might mean that you may want to research how to extend your life expectancy 20 times over.

A Jewish Recipe for Viral Video view of over milllion views in just a few days

2010-12-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

Harmony group's Hanukkah anthem lights a fire on Web

By Monica Hesse

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 4, 2010

The dearth of good Hanukkah songs can be best illustrated by the fact that the most famous one was written Adam Sandler and is less a song about Hanukkah than it is a song about rhyming "Carnegie Deli" with "Arthur Fonzarelli."

There is "The Dreidel Song," but that's most entertaining if you are under 7 or under the influence of something strong, like gin, or a large boulder pinning you near the radio.

The field was thus wide open for the harmonizing Maccabeats, whose YouTube video of "Candlelight" (jauntily sung to the tune of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite") reached nearly 1 million views in less than eight days.

How a 14-Man A Cappella Group from Yeshiva University Created the Hanukkah Anthem of 2010:

Step 1: Flip your latkes in the air (sometimes)

"The whole message of Yeshiva University is that you can be an Orthodox Jew and participate in secular society," says Immanuel Shalev, who wrote the song's lyrics. The group had already covered Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," replacing the lyrics with Hebrew scripture. When Shalev found himself listening to Cruz singing "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes" and mentally replacing them with "I flip my latkes in the air sometimes, singing ay-oh, spin the dreidel," he knew he was onto something.

Step 2: Be resourceful

Uri Westrich, a medical student and Yeshiva grad, had made a video for the Maccabeats before - a rendition of "One Day" that reached a modestly successful 100,000 hits. The group asked him if he could direct their new idea. "I said, 'Let's add a reenactment! And let's add a Hanukkah party!' " He recruited three beefy friends to play the Greeks who battled the ancient Maccabees and rustled up some greenery for the Greeks' laurel wreaths.

"We basically wanted to hit our target audience of the Orthodox Jewish community in New York," Westrich says - the people who normally hired the Maccabeats for live performances. (From the Maccabeats Web site: "Having the Maccabeats is the perfect way to energize and enhance your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Sheva Brachot, or simcha of any kind.")

Step 3: Achieve local, then national, fame

fter the song was uploaded, Shalev was in the library when he noticed that everyone around him seemed to be whistling the song. He went to grab a slice of pizza, and the cashier congratulated him.

The video was widely blogged online, hitting influential ones like BoingBoing.net. The Maccabeats were invited on CBS's "Early Show," and the video appeared on "Today." The chief rabbi of London phoned to see about a possible video collaboration. They heard from Jay Leno's people, but that's still up in the air.

Meanwhile, "Every four minutes, I'm getting another request," says Maccabeat director and singer Julian Horowitz. "They keep asking, 'When are you going to be in Israel on tour,' or 'When are you going to be in London?" says Horowitz, pointing out that the group won't be going anywhere but to final exams. "It's like they think we're the Rolling Stones."

Step 4: Win your elders' respect

"Last night, we opened up for Matisyahu, you know, the first celebrity Orthodox reggae artist," Shalev says. The Maccabeats are all fans, so this was a huge honor.

And although the Maccabeats were supposed to be just the opening act, "It was obvious," Shalev says modestly, "that the crowd was very, very excited about us."

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

missed opportunities

2010-11-27T17:20:00.001-08:00

Have you been to any stores in the past 24 hours? Most likely you went to take advantage of the great sales that are being offered at this time of year.

Now let’s see.. How did you happen to hear about the sale? Are you a fan of this business on Facebook? Did you follow their tweets? Did you get an email notification from them about a specific sale?

Have you seen an ad in the paper? Maybe you just happened to be walking in the mall and the great music or the shop window caught your attention.

If you were not a fan or email recipient you would still be going in, browsing, and perhaps even making a purchase. Now how about the repeat business opportunity?

Were you asked to join the rewards club? Were you asked if you would become a fan on their Facebook page? Were you given instructions about special promotions on their website?

I know we all love to shop when we can get a great deal and who would not want to come back if we can even get another deal?

Only one place of business today offered us another 20% savings on the next purchase. Yet none of the many stores we visited today suggested we become fans or followers or even asked for our email to receive extra additional savings. Amazing!

How often do you just decide to pull into a store because you are in the mood? How often do you find yourself visiting a store for the first time?

Have you found yourself visiting a specific retailer because you received a promotion offer from them?

Who know when will be the next time I’m in the neighborhood of that specific retailer. However if I enjoyed the products I purchased, and the experience I had I would most likely want to be able to get another opportunity to either visit the business, or at last stay in touch through the various options of email marketing, social networks, blogs, video and more..

Better luck next time….

Ariel Dagan, Director of Operations

Tech Success Incorporated

Your Helping Hand in this Digital Age

Simple Solutions for Social Media Management

(508) 965- 8570

ariel@tech-success.net

http://www.linkedin.com/in/arieldagan

http://www.tech-success.net

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Avoiding the pitfalls of shopping this holiday season (reading return policy)

2010-11-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

Have you compiled your list?
Do you know what stores you will be camping outside Friday morning?

Before you make any purchase in-store or online, make sure you have read up on retailer’s return policy.
Yes. Many well known retailers want to make certain that the sales remain with the company. This means that returns are going to be harder and most importantly they will cost YOU money.

As a consumer you should pay particular attention to the following points within retailers’ return policies. I would suggest even asking to see the fine print of the return policies before handing over the credit card or cash. Here are just of the few things you will want to check for:

Restocking fees (particularly on electronics or special-order items, which may range from 10%-40%)
Limited time frame for returns
Store credit-only on merchandise that was originally paid for with cash or credit card
Shipping cost for returning items purchased online
Layaway item return or cancellation fees

Make certain you save your original receipts, and if you are gift-giving, include gift receipts highlighting the expiration date for returning the items.

Choosing wisely

2010-11-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

In just a few more days many folks will begin finding relief for the long anticipated start of the holiday shopping season. As with every year many folks will have on their lists some electronic devices for either a relative, significant other, or even themselves. Shopping for these new devices can thrilling or can also lead to great questions. What should I buy? How much should I spend? What size screen should I get? How much memory do I need?

The same type of questions have been with electronic device shoppers for many years. The thrill is that each year we see new devices come into the market place. Of course we would like to add a new gizmo to the " most wanted" item. It seems to be that as technology advances, so do the vast choices for devices to run applications.

That's right. After all, we are purchasing some device that will allow us to either call, text, take a picture, record video and share with our friends and family. Now, we all know size matters. The question is are you looking for mini or maxi?

Remember the comic about Dick Tracy and his advanced watch? Well, those days have been here for a while. So as you get ready to head out into the crowd and search for the latest and greatest please just ask yourself this question. What do I want the device to do? There are many great websites that offer detailed consumer reviews of the latest and greatest. Take your time. Read some of the reviews. But most importantly go out there, have fun and help infuse some dough into our economy.

Hands-on with Samsung's Galaxy Tab Android tablet Live Photo Gallery

2010-10-28T17:49:00.001-07:00

via mobileburn.com

Samsung is bringing some expected competiotion to the market as it roles out a tablet version that is both phone and both pad.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Great news for Israel and Google

2010-04-27T17:26:00.001-07:00

Google buys LabPixies By Guy Griml of Haaretz

Sergey Brin promised during his last visit to Israel in 2008 that Google would buy local companies - and now it has. Yesterday the Internet giant announced the acquisition of its first Israeli startup: LabPixies. Though no price was announced, estimates are that Google paid $25 million for LabPixies, which develops software gadgets ranging from calendars, news feeds and to-do lists to entertainment and games.

LabPixies was one of the first developers of customizable Web gadgets for Google's iGoogle personalized home pages and Android cell phone operating system, and for Apple's iPhone.

LabPixies, founded in 2006, was not financed by venture capital. It did have backing of private U.S. investors.

The money will be going mostly to the founders and entrepreneurs behind the firm: CEO Ran Ben-Yair, vice president of research and development Oded Poncz, creative director Udi Graff and Nir Tzemah, the vice president of business development.

The company financed its development mostly from its own revenues, and the outside investors have put in only about $1 million.

The firm employs only 10 people, who have developed more than 60 widgets so far - and has 50 million registered users. Together, these users rack up about 1.3 billion views a month.

In an earlier interview with TheMarker, Ben-Yair refused to divulge financial information, but did say the company had millions of dollars in revenues. This means Google is paying more for the technology, the employees and the products than it is for the business side.

When it started out, LabPixies focused on gadgets for computers, such as weather applications, which would be installed on the desktop and updated constantly via the Internet. They also developed applications for task management, calculators, Suduko and other games.

Despite the fierce competition, LabPixies widgets were a big hit on sites that allowed users to create their own homepages, such as Google and My Yahoo!.

Over the past two years, the company decided to use its success to move into the smart phone market. Now it focuses on the iPhone as well as phones using Google's Android phone operating system.

One of the company's biggest hits is FloodIt, its first app for the iPhone, which was the No. 3 on the list of top free applications in Apple's App Store. .

LabPixies released a statement saying: "We started LabPixies to create a truly personalized online experience and develop fun widgets that people find useful every day. Working at Google will help us scale to more users as well as giving our team greater opportunities. Google and LabPixies teams have worked on many projects together, including the launch of global OpenSocial based gadgets."

Google released an announcement, too: "The team will be based in our ever-growing Tel Aviv office and will anchor our iGoogle efforts across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We are looking forward to working with LabPixies to develop great web apps and leverage their knowledge and expertise to help developers and improve the ecosystem overall."

Google and LabPixies both declined to comment beyond their statements.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

BBC News - Sony to stop selling floppy disks from 2011

2010-04-26T13:53:00.001-07:00

The first floppy disk was introduced in 1971 by IBM

Sony has signalled what could be the final end of the venerable floppy disk.
The electronics giant has said it will stop selling the 30-year-old storage media in Japan from March 2011.
Earlier this year Sony stopped selling the disks in most international markets due to dwindling demand and competition from other storage formats.
The slow death of the "floppy" or "diskette" began in 1998 when Apple decided to not include a floppy drive in its G3 iMac computer.
Since then various other firms have stopped support for floppy disks, including computer giant Dell in 2003.
Computing store PC World stopped selling them in 2007.
However, Sony has continued to sell the disks, and continues to ship them in the millions.
Now, the firm - which claims to have produced the first 3.5in (9cm) disks in 1981 - has decided to halt sales completely faced with competition from online storage and portable USB drives.

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via news.bbc.co.uk

It is amazing how we have changed our need for storage. Do you remember the days when most documents could be stored on a disk or two? Even the zip drives went away fairly quickly.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Clean up on YouTube- What's up?

2010-04-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

YouTube released the entire redesign for all its users. What does the new look give you?

The YouTube page, which looks a lot cleaner, has much more room for extra information and comments. YouTube aims at giving the user more ability to interact with the video creators and to give more attention to the video itself. YouTube also decided it is time to get rid of the five-star rating system. It's now easier to say if you like or dislike a video.

The biggest changes YouTube has made are:

It's cleaner, simpler and easier to use.
Information about a video is grouped together
The actions bar is cleaned up
The right-hand side of the page is devoted to the next video to watch.
The channel name and subscribe button are now both on top of the video.
A new playlist interface, with the next video in the list appearing consistently in the top right.
Saving to playlists is made easier
The five-star ratings system is replaced with a simpler "likes/dislikes" model; the site now offers a new "Videos I Liked" list.
Comments have a new highlights view that summarizes the best discussions and celebrates when creators communicate with their audiences.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Finding the changes within Passover

2010-03-29T10:38:00.001-07:00

Tonight marks the beginning of a holiday many of us know as Passover. This holiday is also known by other names. One of them is the holiday of Liberty.

When we seek Freedom and Liberty we find opportunity.

In the song “change in my life” we see that all need to be given an opportunity. The story shared in the Passover Seder gives each of us the chance to see that no matter where we find ourselves in these times or at times long ago, having the support of one person or a group can elevate any situation.

Tonight we ask four questions. The first being: What is different on this night from all other nights? The support of friends and community can make this night of change (of bondage to freedom)a night we can bring strength top those who need it most.

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Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

The Passover Haggadah and Technology

2010-03-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

I know many users of technology devices are not great fans of users guide. They either find them too technical or to long. This Monday, March 29 Passover begins. At the festive meal it is traditional to use a "Haggadah" ( a users guide) to the Seder. The word Seder is a Hebrew word meaning order.
There are many Haggadah's available. Each Haggadah has something special about it. Some are more colorful, some have larger print, some are interactive, and some are just plain. No matter what Haggadah you find, they all cover the rituals involved with the order of the festivity of the Passover night.
In the text of the Haggadah we find the words " We were slaves, now we are free". I know that it is hard for us to imagine a time long ago. Perhaps we can look at technology as a reference. Do you remember the PC's with Windows 95 operation systems that on had 64MB of RAM? If you wanted freedom you had to upgrade to 128 or even 256 MB. Wow! 256 That meant some breathing room. Or perhaps you are a MAC fan and recall the days of constantly inserting disks into the floppy drive in order to install a file system. When the Imac came out we thought that we gained freedom. However both PC and Mac users alike were still shackled to the desks and bulky machines.
Laptops had us paying our way to freedom. Do you remember how much you paid for your first wireless system? Let's give a break for the computers and touch on the other mega communication device " The Telephone". Answer machines have been replaced by voice mails. We still use it constantly. But is having a wireless phone really giving us freedom?
What do you do when the phone rings? Do you ignore it? Do you turn your phone off when it rings and you are trying to have some quality time with.... (fill in the blank)?
The Haggadah has the words from the Bible "and you shall tell it to your children..." Perhaps we can tell our children of a time in the not so distance past when we were able to have some freedom from the constant ringing of the phone or the endless stream of text messages, or emails pushed onto our digital devices.

The Haggadah tells of a story of 4 children. Wise, simple, wicked, and one who was too young to ask. Perhaps we can take a moment this holiday to ask ourselves..,
What is freedom? How do we define being enslaved?
Technology gives us the ability to create great tools.
Tradition and faith give us teachings to know that freedom and slavery can be defined in many different ways.

Bloom Energy is changing energy consumption- The furure is here!

2010-02-24T11:19:00.001-08:00

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Bloom Energy is holding a press event Wednesday morning where the company is expected to unveil further details on its Bloom Box product. In case you're just joining us, these boxes promise to not only bring ample amounts of power in a small amount of space, but to change people's dependency on traditional power grids. All for less than $3,000 a unit.

A quick primer on the technology can be seen on this segment from CBS' "60 Minutes," which aired last week. We've also got an FAQ that explains more about what it does here.

The event is being held at eBay's San Jose, Calif., headquarters, which has been running a test batch of Bloom Boxes for the past nine months. Former secretary of state and current Bloom Energy board member Colin Powell is slated to speak, along with Bloom Energy founder K.R. Sridhar and venture capitalist John Doerr, who currently sits on President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. There's also a surprise appearance by what the event planners claim will be a "prominent California government official."

We'll be there snapping photos and bringing you the updates as they happen. If you want a simple reminder, just sign up with your e-mail in the CoverItLive blog below. It'll give you the heads up when we get things going, which should be around 8:30 a.m. PST.

Disclosure: CNET is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.

via news.cnet.com

Worth following this company. They have already proven their ability to provide the needs for building of major corporations. It's great to see a company think big in a clean and efficient way. http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20000091-248.html?tag=rtcol;txt

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Microsoft Outlook is catching up to the others with its new Social Connector

2010-02-17T09:23:00.001-08:00

via blogs.msdn.com

Since this model is still in beta mode Microsoft has time to fix all the trouble Google is facing with Buzz. It seems that Microsoft is going to surprise people again. Integration of email and social networks is already being done today by many add on tools. It will be best to have it built in to the main office application.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

What's the Buzz tell me what happenin'

2010-02-09T18:48:00.001-08:00

In the 1970's Rock Musical Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber we get the words:

Why should you want to know?
Don't you mind about the future?
Don't you try to think ahead?
Save tomorrow for tomorrow;
Think about today instead.

Google is always thinking ahead about the future and about what we want to know right now. This latest tool that gives you the ability to share and post within Gmail is great for those hwo already use Gmail. Yes I know there are millions of people that have a Gmail account ( this includes me). However I think we might start to see Yahoo, MSN and other mail service provider start to sing in chorus: " What's the buzz..."

Will they follow Google lead? Time will tell... Here is a closer look at the new Buzz

and if you want to sing out loud with the Jesus Christ Superstar group here you are:

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Have you made the follow up call?

2010-02-01T12:53:00.001-08:00

Many trimes we meet someone and have a great intial exchange of ideas regarding our ability to close future business with this prospect or client. The key is being able to follow up and get to the next step in the converstaion. This is often where many business opportunities do not continue. Making the call and following up with someone should not be that difficult. It is however something that stopps many business deals from going forward.

Here are some good suggestions from Andrea Sittig Rolf:

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

The importance of social bookmarking. Do you Digg?

2010-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

Take a closer look at the fast growth of the feedback community. Digg is just one of many social bookmarking sites that have changed the way stories, articles, websites and more are share across social networks.

Ideas should be dreamed,realized.... and SHARED!

Clothing manufacturers start designing larger pockets

2010-01-27T20:42:00.001-08:00

With today’s announcement of ipad by Apple clothing manufactures around the world are already getting fresh ideas from their designers. The challenge- designing lines of clothing that will have pockets large enough to hold the ipad. It is expected that it will be some time before the digital product will be available for purchase by consumers. However the clothing industry wants to make sure that there will be no shortage of the styles of clothing to match the latest in advanced design.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Super Size Me!

2010-01-27T14:14:00.000-08:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large! Why not?
Is bigger always better? Sure, we want to be able to have portability and the new super sized device by Apple will give us that ability to do most of the functions we do on a regular basis with greater ease.

Lets face it, we are a society that is constantly moving and constantly connected. Being able to have a tool that gives us greater flexibility and maneuverability with such crisp resolution can be tempting.

What do we take and what do we leave behind?

2009-12-31T10:22:00.001-08:00

It was not too long ago that the Sunday newspaper was where you would find the latest reviews, great coupons and so much more.

These days information is flying by not just on the ticker at Times Square in NYC but on our digital devices. We are constantly being pushed updates through our email, social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo or getting another tweet from the many people we choose to follow.

As I stand today at the doorstep of a new decade I think to myself “what am I going to continue using in the new decade and what do I want to leave behind?” I know many of you have already built a website or have started writing a blog or have even created profiles on social networks. So what next? How do we keep up with it all? Yes, we have upgraded our mobile devices and can do most everything “ on the go”.

Can you even remember what technology looked like in the year 2000? It is amazing how ITunes, YouTube and Facebook ( to name a few) have changed the way we communicate and receive our information.

So I dare you to think hard and imagine. Where do you think we will be technologically in another 10 years? How exciting !!!

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Social media websites strengthened holiday season for retailers

2009-12-29T18:23:00.001-08:00

Holiday retail sales might have staved off a visit from the Grinch thanks in part to social media.

Nearly half of U.S. retailers polled in a pre-holiday national survey said they intended to increase their use of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter during the Christmas shopping season.

"Social media has allowed for a very efficient, low-cost way for retailers to communicate directly with their best customers on exclusive sales and offers," said Clay McDaniel, co-founder of Seattle-based marketing firm Spring Creek Group.

Although the exact impact of social media on holiday retailing hasn't been calculated, online outreach is thought to have been a factor in the 3.6 percent increase in November and December spending reported Monday by MasterCard Advisors' Spending Pulse.

In addition to boosting sales, social media has enabled retailers to reduce or divert spending on traditional advertising in print and broadcast media.

Total ad spending in the U.S. was down 14.7 percent in the first nine months of 2009 compared with last year, according to a recent report from TNS Media Intelligence.

Although much of the decrease is attributable to economic weakness, some retailers are using social media to supplement their traditional advertising at minimal additional costs, said Mike Gatti, executive director of the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation.

"It has helped retailers to better target customers without increasing marketing budgets," Gatti said.

Best Buy's "Twelpforce" — a Twitter-connected set of customer-service workers — has been one of the highest-profile social media outreach campaigns.

Domino's announced Monday that Facebook, Twitter and other social media will be a cornerstone of its campaign to promote a revamped pizza pie.

Introduction of the new pizza "was driven so heavily by listening to our customers through social media (that) having that component be a part of our online marketing campaign seemed like a no-brainer," said Domino's spokesman Chris Brandon.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

How to get amazing search results with LinkedIn Faceted Search

2009-12-20T20:38:00.001-08:00

I am certain many of you are on LinkedIn. I am also certain that many of you are not using LinkedIn in the way that can help you search for what or who you need to find. Faceted search is a very powerful tool that can help you achieve super search results.

With over 50 million business people on LinkedIn isnt it time you took another look at why you should be using this tool as part of your networking tools?Check out this clip for a closer look at the Faceted search tool.

Faceted Search offers the following benefits to your search experience on LinkedIn:

Enables True Guided Navigation: A list of filters are generated dynamically for every search in order to guide you through the optimal path to find the most relevant people

Provides Intuitive Interface: Refining your search is easier than ever with an intuitive user interface that allows you to slice and dice search results by 8 facets

Improves Precision: As LinkedIn continues to grow by the millions, increasing search space requires increased precision to help you find exactly the right people

Increases Efficiency: Find talent, business partners, customers or a former colleague faster than ever before.

Reduces Need for Complex Queries: It significantly reduces the need for complex Boolean queries. This was a particular need we heard from many of our power users.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

9 Great Document Collaboration Tools for Teams

2009-12-20T20:04:00.001-08:00

9 Great Document Collaboration Tools for Teams

Posted using ShareThis

Why you shouldn't trust Staples next day delivery

2009-12-18T06:07:00.001-08:00

I placed an order online for an office inventory item that I needed. Staples stores do not carry it in stock and I had the option of getting the item delivered next day.

The item was the Avery 4014 dot matrix 5,000 labels. I happily paid and received a confirmation. Happily I went and made plans with folks to do a mailing party this weekend to affix the labels on the postcards. I received confirmation the same day from those who will be attending. Everything was set and all I had to do was get the snacks for the “stick on” party.

This morning I received an automated telephone from Staples informing me that there was a delay and they can’t deliver the product since they do not have it.

You figure a company the size of Staples would be able to take advantage of the automated software that informs you when an inventory item is low so you can order more. Staples should not promise next day delivery when they can’t guarantee it.

The long term relationship I have had with Staples will still be in place for any needs I can get in the store. I have learned that the old Staples promise does not exist any longer. What a shame.

I have decided to forget about next day needs and just try to get things done when they get done.

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Trying to make sense of it all - Cap and Trade confusion

2009-12-13T19:02:00.001-08:00

Do you understand what is being suggested by countries with regards to the pollution in your town? The cap and trade may sound like a nice fix. The question is what does it fix and how can it fix something that is being passed on to someone else.

The grabage that you throw away still smells and still needs to be placed somewhere. The same is true for CO2.

<p>The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.</p>

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Why are these the Top 50 Facebook Pages 2009

2009-12-13T16:42:00.001-08:00

What makes a Facebook page worth visiting? Brand & name recognition are only part of the story. What else check this out

Top 50 Facebook Pages 2009

View more documents from Willis Wee.

Making a little light at Hanukkah shine bright through social networking

2009-12-11T14:08:00.001-08:00

Today around the world we begin to take 1 candle and light it in our the Menorah or Hanukkiyah.

Each day we will add one more candle to make it the Menorah shine brighter and stronger.

The story of Hannuka reminds us about a time long ago where there was no religious freedom. The Macabees where fighting to regain their ability to pray at the Temple in Jerusalem. Eventualy the Macabees were able to gain access to the Temple but everything was in ruins. The Temple had a Menorah. This candleabra with 7 branches was a symbol. A light for all to see. A reminder of the goodness and the power of faith.

For a very long time during that period the Jews had to hide their faith because they could not practice it freely. Tonight as in each year we light one light and add with each night to show that the light of faith continues to burn strong.

Perhaps you are thinking one samll light is not bright. But as with a choir and with social networking, with each connection we have , we increase our network of people who share a common interest with us. So raise your voice and reach out and connect to another person. Since we do not live alone neither does this night of one candle stay lit alone. It has the " Shamash" the helper candle to keep it company. Tomorrow there will be another candle and another. With each conncetion we make, our friendships grow, we help with causes and make the world a happier place for all of us.

So go ahead light your Menorah, Chanukkiya and lets bring in the light of common good that we all share.

Happy Hanukkah:)

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Change is in the air for LinkedIn - 50 mil+ users help push redesign effort

2009-12-10T16:35:00.001-08:00

via mashable.com

LinkedIn is leading the way and making some great changes to the already popular business networking site. The latest Twitter integration was just a small taste of many more great things to come.
Stay tuned!

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

To Tell The Truth

2009-11-21T09:09:00.001-08:00

Back in 1956 ( beore I was born) CBS put out a game show that remains poular to this day. In fact, people play this game every day without even being a contestant on the show. The thing that amazes me is the fact that we have to play a game in order to know who is really telling the truth.

It is unfortunate that we often learn how to behave from actions that are modeled to us. I did try to listen to my parents and take their advice as I was growing up in their household. It happens to be that this weekend we retell the story of Jacob who came before his ailing father dressed as his brother Esau.

Why couldn’t Jacob just tell the truth to his father about what happened with the selling of the birth right earlier on? Why do people go on each day make up stories and have us believe them just to find out later that it was not the truth.

So how do we learn to sift through those who are selling us a fib, and those who are in front of us, being honest and truly are Telling the Truth.

How many time have you come home and played this game? How many times have you come to a business meeting and felt as if you were trying to find if the person in front of your was telling the truth?

It’s funny that people who can get to be President of the Unites states, a guest author on Oprah, and financial Investors are really fantastic candidates for a role in the show, since someone has to be convincing enough not to tell the truth!

Click here to download:

image001.emz (336 KB)

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Mercury star soaring Ynet - Culture and Entertainment

2009-11-20T16:08:00.001-08:00

Mercury climb star

Marking 18 years since the death of Freddie Mercury, one can determine the singer's star faded not. Let's hear his band Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor talk about Mercury and discover the stories behind the band's Greatest Hits
Or Barnea
Published: 20.11.09, 14:38

On 24 November 1991 stopped the heart of Freddie Mercury, and the crowd separated from the rock singers who knew the most exciting talents ever. Next week, Tuesday (24.11), the world will celebrate the untimely death of Mercury following complications of AIDS, only one day after announcing to the world that he was ill. This year, 18 years later, memories of Mercury will continue to flood the audience in different corners in the world.

Kevin. Bypassed the Beatles (Photos: Gettyimages Imagebank)

Freddie Mercury memorial ceremony will be held Bfltaam, the London neighborhood where his family lived for ten years. Brian May will attend the ceremony, his band "Queen", and hundreds of fans are expected to honor the great singer. The event will open at 11 am with a performance by tribute band LK Wayne. Then inaugurate Brian May, along with Mercury's mother, Jer Bolsra, sister Kashmir Cook, a star singer's name will be stationed in the town square, just like the stars on Hollywood Boulevard.

Mercury Boulevard Gladstone and his family lived after fleeing Sbfltaam Zanzibar, where Mercury was born named Farouk Bolsra, following the civil war broke out there. Paul J. Bell, head of

Personal Column

When King was frustrated / Guy Veniovic '

Kevin did progressive rock. Yes, yes. It happened at Wayne 2 ", the album sophisticated, bold band's most surprising. Later she won a big international success, but it was far less interesting. Guy Veniovic 'explains

Full Article

Municipal Committee organizes the memorial service, said the site "Hounslow Chronicle that he was" glad to finally honor the memory of Freddie and achievements in stay forever. We celebrate his life and the success of Freddy, but in addition, the monument will serve as a reminder to people that if they work hard , they can succeed. I really expect to meet his family and friends and explain to them how much we are proud to be linked to such a legendary artist.

Definition of "legendary" in the context of Freddie Mercury is understatement. Good news came recently from the "Queen" Cshlhka overtook the Beatles' British albums parade generations. Mercury does not mean others have sold more albums than the boys from Liverpool, but all in all, including all the albums, "Queen" remained the British charts longer than "The Beatles". Drummer Roger Taylor said this week that he was struck by this statistics. "It's really nice," he told radio station BBC6, "our age, it's icing on the cake. I'm a big fan of the Beatles, but it's wonderful. I certainly plan to tell my mother about it."

Mae Mercury. "Legendary" is understatement

Speaking of Taylor, many things happen in his world these days. After projectQueen + Paul Rodgers" Member Name chant Brian May Paul Rodgers (former singer "fruit" and "Ed Company"). Taylor plans to take first solo album for 12 years. Next week, the day before Memorial Day at Mercury, Taylor will get his first single, "The Unblinking Eye", the theme song from the album. Taylor said this week that next year he plans a short tour following the album and would like to do it Cshmtoff band and the "Fighters", Taylor Hawkins, behind the drums.

On stage. "We had no idea what will come from" We Will Rock You "

"He's one of my best friends," Taylor said of Hawkins, "So maybe we do it together. I love him, he's a really good". The two collaborated on stage one of the rites Hall of Fame rock and roll, Ohayrohim Nmso impressions of Foo Fighters in London, are In the -02 And Hyde Park. Live 8 show non "of 2007, also The two shared an With drummer Chad Smith HR d Hot Chili Peppers.

Freddy back: Israel too will celebrate the day the singer's death. As in previous years, this time will be devoted Long Marathon Cinematheque Tel - Aviv Mercury band. Tomorrow (20.11) opens tonight a documentary about "Kevin" two performances will be screened later in the band, since the 70s and 80s.

And another thing: recently launched Musical venture Of "Kevin", Cshlhka introduced her new hits collection, "Absolute Greatest" along with "Logitech" Music player developed, "Skooizboks. Besides songs collection, attached to the new project of the exciting new interviews Mae Taylor, where they reminisce and discover the story behind every Classic, and talk about the great genius of Mercury. Now we bring you the interviews, especially here you can listen to them. "Bohemian Rhapsody" ( "song almost always comes in first place every step of my favorite songs"), "Radio proud proud" ( "The sound of Hayitiz"), "Under Pressure" ( "Originally we wanted to call him" People On Streets ") and - "We Will Rock You" ( "We had no idea what will come of it ... We wanted a song with the participation of the audience").

Ladies and gentlemen, radio "Kevin" starts now.

Listen to an interview about the song "Bohemian Rhapsody":

Listen to an interview about the song "Radio Ga Ga":

Listen to an interview about the song "Under Pressure":

Listen to an interview about the song "We Will Rock You":

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Pig in a poke Called Wanda
Lopez block

via ynet.co.il

A sound that never fades. Freddie is icon in time.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Connecting the Ancient to the Modern

2009-10-31T07:43:00.001-07:00

You can follow the "Dig into your history and find your Ancient Ties The Fabric of your Heritage" at http://ancientties.blogspot.com/ where there are conversations that connect the Ancient to the Modern.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

The journey begins....for Abram, Sarai, Lot and Ancient Ties Inc.

2009-10-30T22:39:00.001-07:00

The wait is over. For many years customers have requested the designs of the Biblical weekly themes. This weekend with the Biblical reading of Lech Lecha, the journey of Abram begins, and so does Ancient Ties promise to many who have been waiting patiently. In Gematria, Hebrew numerology, Chai =18=Life.

The T-shirts (and sweat shirts) are part of Ancient Ties' "Chai" Style Collection. -as in "High Style.

When they Abram, Sarai and Lot left Haran they had lots of shipping to do. For the release Ancient Ties Inc has offered a thank you gift is free shipping for customer loyalty over 10 years.

So “Get your Chai Style," "Wear your Chai Style," "Live in Chai Sytle." For $18.00

Thank you for your support and feedback over these 10 years,

Ancient Ties Inc. can be reached at:

508 965 8570

Email at: ariel@ancientties.com

Follow on Twitter

Become a fan on Facebook

Browse the http://wwww.ancientties.com website

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

The journey begins....for Abram, Sarai, Lot and Ancient Ties Inc.

2009-10-30T22:31:00.001-07:00

The T-shirts (and sweat shirts) are part of Ancient Ties' "Chai" Style Collection. -as in "High Style.

When they Abram, Sarai and Lot left Haran they had lots of shipping to do. For the release Ancient Ties Inc has offered a thank you gift is free shipping for customer loyalty over 10 years.

So “Get your Chai Style," "Wear your Chai Style," "Live in Chai Sytle." For $18.00

Thank you for your support and feedback over these 10 years,

Ancient Ties Inc. can be reached at:

965 8570

Email me at: ariel@ancientties.com

Follow on Twitter

Become a fan on Facebook

Browse the http://wwww.ancientties.com website

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Monitoring Your Industry

2009-10-24T12:41:00.001-07:00

Understanding the basics of today's business environment and what are the first steps to be done.

University Makes Twitter a Required Class for Journalism Students

2009-10-24T12:26:00.001-07:00

Twitter writing practice a compulsory part of the course curriculum for would-be journalists.

via mashable.com

It is time to wake up and realize that Twitter is not a fad. It is a power tool in the new landscape of communications.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Speed Networking Comes to Worcester! Tuesday, November 10 6:30 - 9:00 PM

2009-10-12T21:45:00.001-07:00

Do you know that as many as 80% of employment opportunities are never posted? Do you know that employment experts champion networking as the most successful approach to seeking employment and increasing customer/client base? Are you uncomfortable about trying to “sell yourself” in a room full of people you have never met? Then, speed networking is for you!

Join Worcester Central Massachusetts Connections for its first speed networking event on Tuesday, November 10, 6:30 – 9:00 PM at the Worcester Jewish Community Center, 633 Salisbury Street, Worcester. By establishing a structure for participants to meet and network with many people in a short period of time, speed networking is a powerful tool for job seekers (either unemployed or changing positions/careers), professionals and business owners, and employers seeking qualified candidates. Space is limited, and entry will be on a first come first served basis. Doors will open at 6:30 PM for registration.

Open to everyone, the event will begin promptly at 7:00 with a fifteen minute presentation on effective networking by Joellyn Wittenstein Schwerdlin, Career Success Coach. An hour of group speed networking will begin at 7:15, followed by approximately 30 minutes of additional open networking time. Bring plenty of business cards. There is no charge for admission, but a minimal per person donation will be requested to defray costs.

Founded in 2009, Worcester Central Massachusetts Connections (WCMC) seeks to provide support, opportunities and information about resources for those in the Greater Worcester area who are confronting the impact of the recession. The collaborative and non-denominational effort of five area synagogues, Jewish Family Service of Worcester, and the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, WCMC sponsors success teams, informational workshops and networking events.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

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2009-10-12T12:56:00.001-07:00

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Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Using your compass to find your new FOCUS

2009-10-12T10:25:00.001-07:00

Well folks, it another jolly celebratory day in which we stop, pause and think did Christopher Columbus really know what he was doing when he was sailing off on his destination. Some of my friends ( here in MA and in AL) have pointed out to me that perhaps this day is not all celebratory.

Well my friends, do not fret. Thanks to social media and my creative way of thinking I would like you to take out your compass ( no need to worry if you do not have latest application for you digital device, the old ones will do as well, and even the older ones will do ( you know, the ones where we trust the magnetic pull of the planet?)

Ok. So the perfect weather here in New England with the most spectacular foliage give you the opportunity to go & map for yourself a new chart.

Wasn't it Robert Frost who spoke about The Road Not Taken? So come on! Be in the Spirit of Columbus... even if he thought he knew where he was going:) Go to those places you've never been.

And for those of you who know me I want you to explore new places on the Internet you have never been, even though I am a huge fan of the open outdoors and love to travel. I can do both with my trusted handheld digital device:)

Reach out further than you've dared! When you feel you've stretched yourself beyond all limits, and your body is exhausted, take a rest, look around, count your blessing and say " Hey, I'm Alive, I've Got My Health ( or at least most of it LOL!)

Now, go ahead! use your compass application and try to find a new focus to your life.

Did I say FOCUS? Yes I did! Getting lost & finding your new path is all part of getting into FOCUS.

See you online:)

Ariel Dagan, Director of Operations

Tech Success Incorporated

Your Helping Hand in this Digital Age

Consulting, Training, Designing and More

(508) 965- 8570

ariel@tech-success.net

http://www.linkedin.com/in/arieldagan

http://www.tech-success.net

http://arieldagan.blogspot.com/ and http://www.tech-success.net/blog and http://socialmediasoul.posterous.com

http://twitter.com/socialmediasoul

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Using your compass to find your new FOCUS

2009-10-12T10:17:00.001-07:00

Ok. So the perfect weather here in New England with the most spectacular foliage give you the opportunity to go & map for yourself a new chart.

Wasn't it Robert Frost who spoke about The Road Not Taken? So come on! Be in the Spirit of Columbus... even if he thought he knew where he was going:) Go to those places you've never been.

Now, go ahead! use your compass application and try to find a new focus to your life.

Did I say FOCUS? Yes I did! Getting lost & finding your new path is all part of getting into FOCUS.

See you online:)

Ariel Dagan, Director of Operations

Tech Success Incorporated

Your Helping Hand in this Digital Age

Consulting, Training, Designing and More

(508) 965- 8570

ariel@tech-success.net

http://www.linkedin.com/in/arieldagan

http://www.tech-success.net

http://arieldagan.blogspot.com/ and http://www.tech-success.net/blog and http://socialmediasoul.posterous.com

http://twitter.com/socialmediasoul

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Using your compass to find your new FOCUS

2009-10-12T10:12:00.001-07:00

Ok. So the perfect weather here in New England with the most spectacular foliage give you the opportunity to go & map for yourself a new chart.

Wasn't it Robert Frost who spoke about The Road Not Taken? So come on! Be in the Spirit of Columbus... even if he thought he knew where he was going:) Go to those places you've never been.

Now, go ahead! use your compass application and try to find a new focus to your life.

Did I say FOCUS? Yes I did! Getting lost & finding your new path is all part of getting into FOCUS.

See you online:)

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Seeking Sukkot - A story of dedication and reconnection

2009-10-09T03:59:00.001-07:00

The seeker of sukkahs
A Sharon man makes them his passion
By Elise Kigner Advocate Staff

Watertown: Teachers at Boston's Jewish Community Day School eat lunch in a sukkah assembled by parents with the help of eighth graders. All the students, including kindergartners, helped decorate it.
It all started with a mistake. Four years ago, Aaron Ginsburg was in Amherst visiting friends when he realized it was the start of Sukkot. In the middle of the afternoon he rushed home to attend services at his synagogue, Temple Israel of Sharon. The one problem: The synagogue was empty. Ginsburg was a day early for Sukkot.
As he walked home, an idea "just struck me like lightning." He would travel around Sharon photographing sukkahs and then post them on the Internet. And so SukkahsoftheWorld.org was born.
The next morning, Ginsburg started taking pictures, but felt so rushed that he snapped only 19 sukkahs. He then posted a message on the Jewish Sharon Yahoo group, asking for photo submissions. By season's end, he had photos of 70 sukkahs.
"It's very hard to think of an original idea," he said. "And people enjoy it. It makes you think you're doing something nice."

PHOTO BY ARI MASSEFSKI Brookline: At 24-feet by 80-feet, the Maimonides sukkah gives the Upper School's 400 students room to eat lunch, dance and sing.
He took photos of sukkahs at night, glowing with Christmas lights. A Nor'easter blew down some sukkahs, and an October snow dusted the tops of sukkahs with white powder. Ginsburg documented it all.
For the first two years, he posted many photos of black, brown, green and white boxes - sukkahs that looked pretty much the same from the outside. Then he realized something was missing: people.
"Sukkot is not about sukkahs, it's about people," Ginsburg said. "A sukkah is not a sukkah without people inside." So the next year, he looked for sukkahs at houses surrounded by lots of cars, a good tip-off that a party was going on. "I would barge my way in," he said.
Actually, he didn't need to: The hosts were quite welcoming. "They invited me to stop and chat and eat," he said.
One family even tried to fix him up, said Ginsburg, who is 59 and divorced. He became engaged six weeks ago - not through a sukkah yenta, though.

Sukkah showcase The Advocate put out a call for sukkahs. Here and on the back page are a sampling. At right, Izrail Soybelis and Leya Fuksman, who moved from the Ukraine to Brighton, relax in the sukkah on the balcony at the home of their daughter, Emilia Keselman of Chestnut Hill.
When people were not home, he would take photos from the street and leave slips of paper in their doors that explained that their sukkah would be featured on sukkahsoftheworld. org.
Nearly all of his Massachusetts photos are from Sharon, which, he noted, is known as "the Jerusalem of Norfolk County," because of its large Jewish community. Ginsburg has also solicited sukkah photos from people he knows all over the world. His more than 200 photos include sukkahs from Texas, Shanghai, Melbourne and Johannesburg.
Some of the sukkahs are ornate, covered with flowers and art. Others just satisfy the requirements of a sukkah, with at least two and a half walls and a roof with openings. Ginsburg's own sukkah is a prefabricated yellow and black booth he bought secondhand through a posting on the Jewish Sharon Yahoo group.

PHOTO CREDITS: AARON GINSBURG Sharon: Aaron Ginbsurg (left) in front of his own sukkah; Ira and Sharon Packer in front of their sukkah, decorated over the years by their three sons. These photo and others are posted on sukkahsofthe world.org.
This year, he got a late start on his photo project. Between working 12 hour days as a pharmacist and preparing for his Nov. 22 wedding, he found it tough to squeeze in time to scout the neighborhood. But last Friday
night, he spent an hour revisiting sukkahs he photographs annually and discovering new ones. The kids especially enjoyed
being in the spotlight.
"It was great fun," Ginsburg said. "Some of the kids asked if they could stick out their tongues. I said sure, go ahead."
Newton: This sukkah once sat on the roof of the old downtown building of the Associated Synagogues. It is now at the home of Alan Teperow, executive director of the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts. In the back is a mural by Teperow and his children of Jerusalem's skyline.
Brookline: More than 200 young adults celebrated Sukkot with the Chabad Chai Center and enjoyed kosher sushi while listening to live blues.

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via thejewishadvocate.com

This article about my friend in Sharon, MA can be found in The Jewish Advocates online version( subscription required) or printed paper. The article lets you understand more about the unique individual who stand s behind this project and many other projects. I am happy for Aaron that The Jewish Advocate has decided to focus on his what should be called " Sukkot" around the world. Feel free to contact Aaron. He has so many wonderful projects he is doing with great passion and dedication. It is my hope that you will all send Aaron more picture of Sukkot so his little "mistake/hobby" can grow even more.
May you continue to enjoy the end of Sukkot and a have a meaningful Shmini Atzeret ( I think somewhere some one thought it was time to pray for rain on the first day of Sukkot! Good thing they stopped praying for rain so we could all enjoy the beautiful weather we have been blessed with) and joyous Simchat Torah!

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Survey: Over half of U.S. workplaces block social networks | The Social - CNET News

2009-10-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

A majority of U.S. workplaces block access to social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, new survey results commissioned by consulting firm Robert Half Technology indicate. Fifty-four percent block social networks "completely," while another 19 percent only permit it "for business purposes."

Only 10 percent of companies surveyed permit social-network use on the job for any kind of personal use; 16 percent allow "limited" personal use, according to the results released Tuesday.

The study, conducted by an independent research firm, surveyed about 1,400 chief information officers at U.S. companies with 100 or more employees, which means that the results obviously don't encompass small businesses.

Regulating social-network use at work is a complicated matter. There are some nuances that numbers like these don't bring up: "limited" personal use of social networks sounds like it could mean anything from blocking the majority (but not entirety) of social sites to simply instituting a "don't trash your boss on Facebook" rule. Some companies, additionally, may have different standards set for different degrees of employees--the guy running the company Twitter account and the human resources department may have extra privileges, for example.

There also isn't a differentiation in the results regarding which percentage of "blocked completely" workplaces use filtering software to keep employees off banned sites and which ones have a rule by which employees are supposed to abide (but might not).

Internet controls and filters in the workplace are nothing new. But social networks pose an interesting case: their potential for professional as well as personal networking, not to mention the well-publicized use of Twitter for marketing and customer service. There's also the fact that they've become so ingrained in culture and communication that some companies choosing to block them can appear draconian rather than prudent.

But they're still great for procrastination and counterproductivity, so it's not surprising that most businesses put the clamp on them.

"Using social networking sites may divert employees' attention away from more pressing priorities, so it's understandable that some companies limit access," Robert Half Technology executive director Dave Willmer said in a release. "For some professions, however, these sites can be leveraged as effective business tools, which may be why about one in five companies allows their use for work-related purposes."

Along with the survey results, the company also offered a number of tips for social networking on the job: be aware of your employer's policies, don't complain about your co-workers or boss online, and keep tabs on your usage so that it's not too much of a time suck.

via news.cnet.com

It is time for many companies to " wake up and smell the coffee". If companies would like to understand their clients, they need to allow their employees to use the social networks that are where their current clients are around and also where they may find their future clients.
If your company is blocking you from using social media at work I would love to know and would love to help educate them how the organization can use social media to their benefit.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Check out The JCommunity Sukkot Channel playlist

2009-09-30T19:42:00.001-07:00

Want to know how to pick an Etrog? Want to hear the “Theme song” of the Ushpizin movie?

Want to know how to shake a lulav in a funky way? Just click on this link http://www.youtube.com/user/TechSuccessInc and you will be on your way to The JCommunity Project channel on YouTube.

If you subscribe you will get our update for the second part of the holiday when the party really picks up when we go really wild.

You thought Smashing Pumpkins were something else? Just wait till you see “ Smashing Aravot” and of course the 8^th day party of Simachat Torah.

More about that in next weeks update

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

The JCommunity Project gets your ready for Friday

2009-09-30T19:30:00.001-07:00

Can you imagine a holiday that lasts an entire week and you are “commanded” to be happy the entire week? What do you need for the party? Come to the shuk (marketplace) and find out. Then, break out in dance, build yourself a temporary home and invite special guest (“Ushpizin”) for each night. As the weather Fall weather kicks in, remember that we are always in the comfort of God. Now just try for 7 days to live with outside in your Sukkah. Ok, maybe your are not ready to have all your meals and sleepovers outside, but how about start with some popcorn, and a good Israeli Movie ( English subtitles) called “Ushpizin”.

So come check out some of the fun flicks we assembled on The JCommunity Project channel to get you ready, if you are not yet in the party mood.

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You can always visit The JCommunity Project demo website at http://jcommunity.yoodlecorp.com and become a new user and share the site with others.

Happy Sukkot!

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Why join as a new user?

2009-09-27T07:31:00.001-07:00

This is a demo site created and envisioned by myself, Ariel Dagan, Director of Operations and Michael Foilb, Director of Marketing. Our joint philanthropic mission is to help connect in essence every nonprofit Jewish organization through social media. In essence Tech Success will host the largest interconnected network of The Jewish Community in the United States (and other countries).
Read more about it in About Us.

in reference to:

"This is a demo site created and envisioned by Ariel Dagan, Director of Operations and Michael Foilb, Director of Marketing. Their joint philanthropic mission is to help connect in essence every nonprofit Jewish organization through social media.(A key target market for Tech Success will be the 2,200 nationwide congregations of various affiliations in the US). In essence Tech Success will host the largest interconnected network of The Jewish Community in the United States (and other countries)."
- The JCommunity Site - About Us (view on Google Sidewiki)

Google continues to be a change agent with Sidewiki

2009-09-27T07:07:00.001-07:00

via youtube.com

This is another wonderful way to breakdown the walls and link the silos.
Google has scored big with this wonderful additional tool the will take social media to new heights.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

How fast can you fast and hold true to your actions?

2009-09-26T22:19:00.001-07:00

Each one of us has their own special way to connect with this special time of year. We can focus on the preparation leading to this day, the 25 hour fast, the prayers, the institutions, the people all coming together as one to say we have done wrong. And then, most important we all rush quickly to the feast after the fast!

So, did you go and swing a chicken over your head to have it be your “scape goat?” ( oops did I write goat? try swinging a goat around your head!

What about saying sorry to a person you have offended? ( Remember it has to come from your heart)

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Ok now this one is tough because we always have food with our holidays. So here is a " fast" reminder!

</object>

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

How fast can you fast and hold true to your actions?

2009-09-26T22:04:00.001-07:00

So, did you go and swing a chicken over your head to have it be your “scape goat?” ( oops did I write goat? try swinging a goat around your head!

What about saying sorry to a person you have offended? ( Remember it has to come from your heart)

</object>

Ok now this one is tough because we always have food with our holidays. So here is a " fast" reminder!

</object>

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Do not be afraid of something that can enrich your life

2009-09-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

So why are many people (Women and Men) so hesitant about the use of social media? It is because they do not understand how to use it! So many LinkedIn users are using it like the average person who does not take advantage of their full capacity to achieve and learn. Most of the people using LinkedIn do not use even 10% of what can be achieved by using it effectively. Each day I hear people who say, yes I have a _____ account but I don't use it. Well folks, if you use social media networks you will clearly see why there are more than 300 Million users on Facebook and over 45 Million professionals on LinkedIn. But there are hundreds of social media networks to interact with and places to connect. So how do you manage all of it? If you would like to know just ask me.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

Why social networking is healthy

2009-09-26T13:07:00.001-07:00

via mashable.com

Let's face it. We are social creatures. We need to interact with one another and we like to do it often! Social Networking does not replace seeing people face to face, it actually increases your ability to get out there and be involved more in charitable events, social action, volunteer, and much more. So do not think that social networking is bad. It is making our world a better place for you and for me:)

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

If you do not use Twitter- you are missing out on life!

2009-09-26T12:59:00.001-07:00

The rise of Twitter has been the talk of the tech and media world. Last year, it grew 422%. That’s staggering, but nothing compared to the 1,382% growth it experienced earlier this year. And that was before Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN and mass celebrity adoption.
Its growth probably played a big part in Twitter’s recent $1 billion valuation via a staggering $100 million investment. However, an analysis from web stats firm Hitwise may indicate that this investment was a bad idea, as the numbers indicate that Twitter (
) has hit a growth ceiling.
Will Twitter Restart Its Growth?
The analysis, by Hitwise Global Research GM Bill Tancer, first graphs out marketshare of U.S. visits to Twitter, as compared to all other websites. In September of last year, it was around 0.01%. Then growth skyrocketed to a high of around 0.20% in June 2009. Since then though, it’s been dropping, and is now at 0.17%:

The graph of search volume for Twitter tells the same story. Over 0.06% of searches were for Twitter in July, but has now dropped to 0.053%.

Hitwise’s theory is that new user adoption has hit a resistance point. It provides data showing that there has been a significant drop-off of new users to Twitter from the world’s most popular website.
We’ve noticed that Twitter’s phenomenal growth has been stalling, but so have most social media sites this summer. The question is whether this trend continues into the fall or if Twitter can kickstart new user adoption with new features and new influx of cash.
Our opinion? The biggest challenge Twitter faces is finding ways to stop new Twitter users from quitting. It may even be the microblogging service’s Achilles Heel. But they have a seasoned team that’s growing rapidly. And now, with its new cash infusion, it has the ability to acquire new technology and talent to solve this problem. We hope and expect Twitter to get back to its growing ways.
But what do you think? Is Twitter done growing or is this just a bump in the road? Let the debate begin.

via mashable.com

Twitter is much more than saying " What are you doing". It is the most used application, has the fastest growing membership and is causing people to rethink about what they do and how they act ( especially where they shop, what they watch, where they eat, etc.. -endless list of reviews and opinions from your friends about everything)

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

The JCommunity Project You Tube Channel has new "hip" Days of Awe" playlist that inspires!

2009-09-23T20:49:00.001-07:00

via youtube.com

“Check out the new addition for these Days of Awe and get inspired in a fun way with The JCommunity Project..” http://jcommunity.yoodlecorp.com

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

The JCommunity Site is live and open

2009-09-22T14:45:00.001-07:00

Welcome to The JCommunity, a project of Tech Success Inc. This is a demo site created and envisioned by Ariel Dagan, Director of Operations and Michael Foilb, Director of Marketing. Their joint philanthropic mission is to help connect in essence every nonprofit Jewish organization through social media.(A key target market for Tech Success will be the 2,200 nationwide congregations of various affiliations in the US). In essence Tech Success will host the largest interconnected network of The Jewish Community in the United States (and other countries).

The reason Ariel Dagan and Michael Foilb are doing this is a direct result from Ariel’s Success in being Director of Congregation Life for the past 2 years and his ability to link the silos in a way no individual has done so in prior years and Michael’s direct involvement in publishing the most successful and engaging Jewish magazine. Ariel and Michael both understand the financial crisis the Jewish community finds itself today and the continuing decline of membership each year. Ariel and Michael plan to change all this and bring vibrancy and engagement for every organization that is willing to use technology to engage their members. Ariel’s mission is to engage the 60% unaffiliated Jews and help all philanthropic organization understand how to deliver their message in the age of Web 2.0 (social media).

Social media will change the game when it comes to temple memberships. Each of these organizations is constantly focusing on their membership growth and engagement. Typically, these functions are performed by volunteers with limited expertise and time to effectively grow the congregational base. Congregants have a true need to have a sense of belonging to an organization.

If synagogues want members to invest more time and money they need to learn to tug at the hearts, ignite a sense of belonging and arouse a passion for involvement of each participating family. Social media is the outlet to provoke enrollment in a congregation.

Organizations need to connect with their constituency in a safe environment and in a place where they feel secure and have an opportunity to connect with their members. Every business and non-profit organization has the prospect of benefiting from this technology which will allow them to create, solidify and build a community. Any company with or without a web presence is a client who can benefit from Tech Success Inc. offerings.

We look forward to welcoming, educating, consulting and coaching every Jewish organization in The JCommunity, which is your community, and do so successfully by full integration of social media.

via jcommunity.yoodlecorp.com

To schedule a meeting with Ariel Dagan CEO of Tech Success Incorporated contact ariel at ariel@tech-success.net or 508 965 8570

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

The Role of Technology in Promoting Tolerance

2009-09-22T12:32:00.001-07:00

Check out this website I found at blog.facebook.com

Have your say and let us know what you think

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

ComScore repports : Facebook Grew 5.1 percent in US Last Month, Held #5 Spot

2009-09-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

In the United States, Facebook grew by slightly more than five percent between July and August, according to web measurement firm comScore, from 87.7 million monthly unique users in July to 92.2 million last month. This is the second month that comScore has put Facebook in the top five, after Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL — all of which have more than 100 million users.

Meanwhile, Facebook itself reported 81.2 million monthly active users at the end of August, in its advertising tool. ComScore and Facebook use different measurement methodologies, although the firm tends to be closer to Facebook’s own numbers than other third-parties.

via insidefacebook.com

Tech Success Incorpaorated works with companies tro help them how to handle the ever growing multimedia world and be " The helping hand in this Digital Age". For questions comments about the services of Tech Success Incorporated contact ariel@tech-success.net

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Welcome to the New World of Communication

2009-09-21T07:11:00.001-07:00

Social Media is taking the world by storm! social media is here to stay! The fact is most eyes are going online!

Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, LinkedIn, My Space, and hundreds of other social media sites have exploded in the last couple of years with just this past years growth almost mind boggling. Social Media has reached the “Tipping Point” and the statistics are staggering as to who is using this new means of communication and information gathering!

Wake up business owners… social media is no longer just for kids!

Facebook added 100 million users in 9 months!
If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest!
The fastest growing segment of Facebook is 55-65 year old females.
80% of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees.
Youtube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world with over 100,000,000 videos

Many businesses are now using social media to reach new customers and stay in touch with existing customers. Mastering Online Advertising, Internet Marketing and Social Media is a must for business survival! Still not sure if this could be true?!?! Check out the facts in the video and share a comment on how you are using social media, internet marketing & online advertising to grow your business.

Posted via web from Tech Success Incorporated

Just Turn Off Your System and Reboot!

2009-09-21T07:10:00.005-07:00

As a PC user for many good years I am well familiar with the blue screen phenomenon that happens these days on a less frequent basis than in years past. In 1999 I bought a G4 Apple workstation for my http://www.ancienties.com/ business. The truth is that that we never had to reboot that machine unless the graphic files were just too large to handle.
You are probably asking yourself at this point where am I trying to go with this introduction?
Well, we can learn a lot from the process that occurs in our working machines and how we deal with the situation at hand. Let us reflect a moment at the early stages of our use of the GUI or user interface process such a windows or Mac and compare it with the early stages of childhood development.
As a young child in a preschool setting ( or younger/older) when something goes wrong the child gets over loaded with stimulus, and usually has a meltdown by starting to have a tantrum where as a parent being around the situation you might feel embarrassed or frustrated.. The windows 3.1 and 95 were very much like preschool operator. The more programs were placed in them, the more demand they had on them the easier it was for the computer neurological system in essence to say " I can't stand it!" and just freeze, or give us a good reaction of the finger by putting up the " Blue screen".
As computer systems matured and as children we developed into elementary students we started to learn about being able to react to our overreaction or under development ( depending on your school system. In the computer world the problem would be solved by giving the computer general anesthesia and giving it a processor over drive. Basically letting the computer have more speed. Now how meant children in the country function like that every day? But what happens when the processor gets used too much? You guessed it. We could always try increasing the memory since we know that there is an open slot on the mother board and we can always replace it with a larger memory stick right? Can we just jump or children to other grades, have them read more books, do we really understand the capacity of how much memory can we really use? Is having a prescription of Ritalin make everything all better. What about the time we run out of the medication. Oh yeah, just like computers. Back to the blue screen.
Now after windows 2000 middle school years fooling around and having friends such as Norton , Mr. McAfee and the rest of your MAFIA protectors things got to be a bit stable and well balanced,
But oh no!!! Here come "The new kid in town". Gorgeous, sexy, sleek and with no defects, all the right parts are in the right place. The truth is they have always been around kind of like the ugly duckling the only the " nerds or geeks" were ready to be their friend. But guess what? The ugly duckling grew up to be a beautiful white swan especially when she spreads here wings and you can see all her amazing slick feature. Since she was always on the sidelines no one bothered her and she had time to observe, reflect and take notes. Yes she did grow out of the habit of sucking floppy disk after floppy disk after floppy disk in her earlier years. When her popularity developed a bit she did try to wear the latest fashion on the outside. But no one really understood the goofy and awkwardness of her body shape and image she chose.
But then in high school it all changed. She showed us both top visual and bottom visual ( Tits and Ass) The entire school was flabbergasted! They could not pierce their eyes off the small size of her machinery that lead straight up to her ears. We were all hooked. And the tiny controller for that " you know the time of adjustment of shut down" could be easily tucked away without anyone ever seeing it.
Well, do you think Miss Popular and Mr. Jock King were going to just stand by and let the ugly duckling that learned how to perfect her moves just like Sandra Dee at the end of " Grease"?
The rivalry was on now at full speed. But at what price? How many friends were used, shoved aside, lost contact with all just for" MWAHH" to be at the center of attention? and all those former friends? will get back to them in a second.
Miss Swan developed her own market and everyone wanted to please miss swan so they came and gave her most anything that she wanted including a hug following because Miss swan publicly was nice to them while privately using each and everyone to her own benefit. But Miss Swans Father who cherished her and was her mentor and becoming gravely ill was not getting the care and attention for his prodigy. Guess what- She was happy to be "popular" and "wanted".
But you can always stay Popular forever, you see there is always going to be a larger dinosaur or a more ferocious carnivore that is both slick and smooth.
Enter the Google Mafia- what , you didn't read about it yet? No, no, no. They have not wasted their time with their outside looks going to the gym. Their huge belly is part of the look they enjoy. Hey, who's going to mess with the MOB ( maybe Wal-Mart? just kidding) You see you never know when you walk in to a retail location such as a web portal that it is really paying the Google Mafia to get you to come and shop there. You have heard about that but you never actually see them except at " Good Will" events.
Well folks soon the beautiful Swan will be all forgotten because the name of the game is "Survival" and Popularity". Miss Swan didn't use her side view and rear view mirror so she did not notice that we are in the 21st century and that " Androids" will soon be everywhere. Folks, perhaps you can help save the planet for Miss Swan and Trexx dinosaur and sing out loud the words from Chumbawamba. Because no matter what people will throw at you when you lose your high position in your job remember these lyric and sing them in pride. This is what being successful is all about. ( if you do not know the melody- go to YouTube and find the band) Sing this Mantra every time you get denied an interview or a job offer and you will feel so much better.
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

10 Days A Time of Reflection - Looking at the man in the mirror

2009-09-21T07:10:00.003-07:00

There comes a time
When we head a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

He also wrote about the ability of one person to change his approach to looking at life and what can be done about what is around us:
I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life it's gonna feel real good,
Gonna make a difference. Gonna make it right . . .
See the kids in the street, with not enough to eat
Who am I, to be blind? Pretending not to see their needs
A Summer's disregard. A Broken bottle top and a one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind Ya' Know' cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.

So let's take at a look at ourselves and make the world a better place for you and for me.

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

The Secret to Success = Failure If you've never failed, you've never lived.

2009-09-21T07:10:00.001-07:00

I love music. In high school in Israel, I had a chance to combine that love with an important lesson in perseverance. From seventh through twelfth grades, I played rhythm guitar and wrote songs for a band. I also served as sound engineer and band manager. We knew we made good music, and it was important for us to get our name out there. We performed everywhere we could and participated every year in the Battle of the Bands. Our goals were always the same: improve our songs, gain name recognition, and develop a fan base.

With each concert, our sound improved and our songs became catchy tunes. At our final band concert, just before we all went into the army, more than 600 people attended. Nearly all the songs we performed that night were original songs.

It wasn’t easy. We had to be persistent. We didn’t always get the gig, the first place finish, or the cash prize. But failure sparked our determination to pursue success. The drive to succeed can emerge whenever we must confront obstacles.

Tech Success can help both individuals and businesses put themselves in the best position to overcome the pitfalls of the current economic conditions. Tech Success empowers individuals to turn weaknesses into their greatest strengths.

Only when we face adversity directly can we move forward to become the leaders of tomorrow. Tech Success Incorporated will be your helping hand in this Digital Age.

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Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

The Secret to Success = Failure If you've never failed, you've never lived.

2009-09-21T07:08:00.001-07:00

Only when we face adversity directly can we move forward to become the leaders of tomorrow. Tech Success Incorporated will be your helping hand in this Digital Age.

</object>

Posted via email from Tech Success Incorporated

10 Days as a Time of Reflection- Looking at the man in the mirror

2009-09-20T19:02:00.001-07:00

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

</object>

So let's take at a look at ourselves and make the world a better place for you and for me.

</object>

Posted via email from socialmediasoul's posterous

Just Turn Off Your System and Reboot!

2009-09-20T18:42:00.001-07:00

Posted via email from socialmediasoul's posterous

What will the New Year bring us?

2009-09-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

With only a few hours to go, I have been thinking very hard about what am I going to wish and hope for the upcoming New Year?
And then I thought about the things that are near and dear to my heart. I have two of them. Yes, that’s right. My Girls.
They are my life. And they are the most precious thing to me in the entire world.
So then I found this video on YouTube, I knew it is delivering the exact message that I want.
Since one of my daughters is now off and studying in college after growing up in our community, it has been time for her to go away and study. Only time will tell what she will do in the future.
These are my wishes for the New Year. These are my hopes for all the girls I know of my friends and family. As social media helps us live a life that is more equal, it is my hope that my girls will draw inspiration from all that this great community has to offer and share with them.

The Road Less Traveled- I'ts all about choice

2009-08-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

This week, the Hebrew Bible has a chapter that speaks volumes about our life today, although it was written thousands of years ago. The name of the chapter comes from its first sentence, which reads: "Look, I have placed before you ..." Many times, we act before we really take in, read again, or evaluate our options. Re'eh, meaning "look" or "see," is all about taking the time to assess your next step.
We have a choice about whether to be blessed or cursed in business and in life. Our actions lead us either to success or failure. Our inability to make the right choices may mean that we are not ready to move forward and should seek counsel from others.
This is why the Bible portion continues as it does, warning us about the dangers of seeking counsel or following the advice or mentoring of someone who does not truly care about us. As an educator, I have devoted myself unselfishly to the well being of others. I continue to volunteer because, when you give of yourself, others join you in your mission. Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa made the choice that this portion describes. Unfortunately, however, there are those who choose to hide behind the veil of ethnicity, religion and/or profession. We read about false prophets such as Bernard Madoff, only one among many so obsessed with themselves that they forgot the most essential element of the choice. When we choose badly, we harm not only ourselves, but every individual around us.

Summer is Watermelon time and perfect to explore the country side

2009-08-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

I learned many new facts about Russia that I did not know before. Did you know that one of the best ways to explore a country is by taking a relaxing 30 hour train ride from Moscow to Astrakhan. You mean you never heard about this beautiful region known around the world for its superb watermelons, wonderful vacation destinations and excellent State University?
This week I met up with Ilya and Alexander who like me are in the IT world in Higher Education. We had a chance to talk about their upcoming plans for expanding Astrakhans use of Social Media. Since Astrakhan State University trains specialists and researchers in a wide range of disciplines, it was natural for us to meet here in Worcester through their partnership program with Clark University. The university is also active in exporting its educational services and sharing new technologies, developed at ASU, with industry and business communities. Because of the global reach of ASU, which is proud of its strong collaboration with numerous institutions of higher education in Russia Germany, China and the USA, I might find myself spending next August on the Volga River eating cold watermelons, enjoying great caviar and spending time with my new friends at this internationally known university.

The Times They Are A Changin'

2009-07-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

Until this year it has been a tradition that whenever the Harry Potter movie comes to the big screen I take both my daughter's with me to the cinema. Either before or after we see the new movie in the HP series of J.K.'s work my older daughter will sit down and start to read again every book in the series in order.

Well as the title of this blog indicates this year is different. For those of you who have been following my now teenage daughters on their blog know that they are indeed in the land of Muggles and Wizards and did wish to take advantage of being around the culture of the land, and see the movie on the day of release. Perhaps I can attribute them not going with their father is the fact that they are not the same little girls they were when the 1st book and movie came out. We see in the new HP clearly how Hermione, Ron and even Harry have all found other things to focus on beyond spells. If you are following along you know that that is a special type of magic.

Now mind you we have seen many movies on the day of release but this was my first Midnight at the Movies on release day. You would have thought who is up at 12:00AM right? wrong. The place was packed with all shows sold out! They even added another showing to please the crowds.There was a party atmosphere. Everyone from every age group was there. This was the place to be and be seen.
So there I am going with one of my good friends who chauffeured his younger teenage daughter and 2 of her friends ( they went to a different theatre showing GFB they should be in the same theatre with their father) waiting with the crowds not to see the next big thing in action packed adventure! This is not your parents Star wars or Mission Impossible. From the first frame of the movie we are on a wild adventure of special effects, good vs. evil and of course Amore'. Yes, I have to say our little kids have grown up and they do look much different. I related to Ron's haircut since my parents used to get on my back whether I had an argument with the Barber Shop. Even I thought to myself , even though I have 2 beautiful girls and no boys, that he sure does need a haircut.
You know there is a saying that Life imitates Art or that Art imitates Life? Well in the case of this new movie I can defiantly relate. Yes we all knew walking into the movie theatre that Professor Snape was going to take out Professor Dumbledore. However throughout the movie I was thinking about the theme of trust and insecurity. A person you thought you knew all so well just comes out one day and surprises you with the greatest shock of your life and figuratively killing you and your greatest arch nemesis ends up to be less secure about who they are and you find you don't really despise that person after all. Life is always about the choices we make and the people we choose to make connections with.
I will add this movie to my collection of favorites because of it's timeless message of conflicts we all have within us of good vs. evil. Perhaps it is because I am a person of faith and know that I can always have free choice that this movie hit a certain soft spot.
Last week in the weekly reading of the Hebrew Bible (Torah) we read about the greatest wizard
that lived during the days the Israelites traveled in the wilderness. Just like in Star Wars someone wanted the great powerful wizard to destroy the good. In the Bible Bil'am was meant to curse the Israelites, but all he could do upon seeing them is the reverse spell of a curse. That is right, you guessed it, a blessing. The power of blessings is the greatest magic in the entire world. When you are blessed and accept the blessing you are given, your powers can heal and change the world.

Look back after you have seen this movie and see who calls themselves " The Chosen One". Yes both Harry and Malfoy use those words. The question is were you choses for greatness or did you rise up to the occasion. I will let you be the decider...

When Bob Dylan was younger he was Robert Zimmerman. He never lost his connection with his Jewish past. Even though the marvels of technology let us successfully create magic moments, it is how successful we are when times change to remember how we choose wisely our next move.
The Psalmists new that God knows past, present and future. The book ends with Harry reading a note from someone that took decisive actions seen they understood what they needed to do to move ahead when it is dark and the path is unclear.

I leave you with the magic words of a poet who is a magician who is connected with his Ancient Hebrew ancestry and has a message for us. So listen my dear readers to the words or Google the words on the web and see if you are ready for the days ahead for the times they are a changin'

I see with my eye something that.....

2009-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Twitter has produced a hot new trend: real-time search. There is hardly a day that goes by within the Internet industry that real-time search is not mentioned. To feed this new hunger for real-time information, real-time search engines such as Twitter Search, Scoopler, Collecta, Topsy, CrowdEye, and more are popping up all around.

Unlike the traditional search engines, these real-time search engines return the most current information from the Web in the form of blog content and comments, Twitter messages, images and video, social services, news sources, and more.

Why does our society crave this continuous stream of information? Collecta CEO Gerry Campbell told WebProNews that this need to publish and consume information actually goes back to ancient times.

“If you go back all the way to the progression of cave paintings through monks copying Bibles to Gutenberg’s press, we’ve seen an acceleration in the ability to publish information. In addition to that, we’ve seen an acceleration and a growth in people’s ability to consume information… now, we’re bringing together the ability for anybody to publish and for anybody to consume information.”

Despite all the perks of real-time search, the real-time search engines have their share of challenges to overcome. There are complaints that the results are not relevant and that they are filled with spam, among other things. While challenges are present, real-time search is still in the early stages and Google, Facebook, and users still express strong interest in the area.

Where do you think real-time search will lead us going forward? How will it impact the search industry?

2009-07-09T16:28:00.001-07:00

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The key ingredients to Successful Social Media

2009-07-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

There are so many blogs in cyberspace. People are sharing many different ideas. One of the important details one must remember when creating a company blog is not promoting yourself or your product.
People are coming to visist your site because you have something you want to share with them. Something that may enrich their life. Part of blogging is showing that you are in a leadership position and that people can trust you and continue to follow your advice.

Remember, focus on what you think your audience wants to hear. Help trhem by paying it forward Give them something that they can use.

Ariel Dagan

Introspective in the sun - Step back and look forward

2009-07-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Many of us have spent this last weekend with friends and family and have perhaps even had the opportunity to hear a free concert in the park followed by a firework display.
Being part of the rat race, answering the cell phone, sending the email, replying to the text, posting a blog,tweeting or putting in the information in you handheld device you often don't get the chance to something unique.
Yesterday I had lovely sun filled afternoon filled with great conversation, laughs and of course food and drink. Each one of my senses was been stimulated and fulfilling me with a sense of enjoyment.
Technology is like our body and our friends. You see even though the handling of the food was through a pot luck opportunity, it required pre-planning, phoning, coordination, precooking and let's not forget shopping.Of course one also needs to do much moving around of items to prepare for any type of gathering: chairs, table, plates etc.. The smells of the items cooking on the grills, the seasoning of the dishes , the compliments being shared, a sip of a cold drink to quench our thirst all go to show that our bodies are always on, receptive and reactive to our environment.It is natural for us to be hesitant and not to try some item that might be foreign to us. Lastly, being outside the mosquitoes, as small as they are became a major player in both conversation, preparation and avoidance.
The beautiful part of the afternoon is that there were so many people there. Some I knew very well and some I met a previous event. Never the less I engaged with most everyone and found ways in which communication was shared.
Technology systems and its infrastructures are essential for making all tools, software and devices work and communicate with one another. At times many of us do not understand, or are not willing to try and communicate with someone that we might not know, or even try something that we have not done before.
Opening up to learning to take advantage of the environment surrounding you will ultimately make you more secure, confident and successful. However just like all the preparatory work that goes on before any social gathering, a strong connected system that can make sure it has looked at all variables needs to be established.
We are social creatures. Our needs and joy from social interactions have not necessarily changed, rather have morphed and expanded. Being out in the open yard gave me time to look at all the possibilities I have in reaching out and staying connected with my family,friends, colleagues, and new people that you meet every day be it in the same room through a personal touch or in the same virtual room through personal touch. In essence we are social creatures that want to be acknowledged, and have the opportunity to share in the conversation. Successful use of any technology can help us reach our independence and to live as free citizens of the USA and the world we share. Ariel

Tech Success = Community Relationships

2009-07-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt great about being part of a community? What was the reason for that?
Did someone acknowledge you? Care about you? Reach out to you? We all know that we can use technology to bring us together by creating a flier notifying us of an event at a certain date and time. However succeeding in getting your message across is what really what will make the people come out to the event. Let me give you an example.

If you just made a flier or sent out an email about a great event perhaps you will get x% of people to come. If you reach out through a well designed flier, a personalized video message you might even get more people than you thought would show up. No matter what design or method of transmitting your message you need to let the person know that it is important to you that THEY are at this event. Do you notice how some artist just keep staying popular and have fans? They get the concept of community relationship. Using different tools to deliver constant communications shows the person that we want to have an on going relationship. Think about it. What if you were still using the same cell phone to make a call that you used in 1995? Just imagine how smaller your community would be because of the roaming charges! So let's spread out and reach out and touch someone and make them aware that they are part of something incredible which is your shared community.

Should I stay or should I go?

2009-07-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

These days loyalty is sometimes hard to find. You can see this with the statistic with married couples. Yes I fell into this statistic after 20 years. Now that is a long time when we consider peoples loyalty to technology. What happened to all those floppy disks? How about the Zip drives? Are CD going to go away as fast as the 8 track cassettes?
So raise your hand if you are still a fan of AOL as a browser? Anyone know what happened to Netscape? Will people really start using MSN again because of the new Bling? OK, I have to admit I love my Iphone but after bing divorced I guess loyalties might be shorter lived these days.
So what do I do about my lovely blog site now that I have a new blog right on my website. I feel connected like the first date in school many moons ago.
I think I'll sleep on this mater....

Glastonbury Festival - A model of Successful Social Marketing

2009-06-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

When you think back at the greatest festival of the past you most likely think about "Woodstock". However, is a one time gig the way our world functions today? I do'nt thnk so. Well how can you creeate the atmosphere, free love and great music and art culture of Woddstock year after year after year.
To understand this wonderful excercise in social culture you have to undertsand the man who spends a great chunk opf time with his fellow farmers getting ready to host close to 180,000 ( One hundred and eighty thousand) people in a closed off area for THE BEST FESTIVAL that is able to take advantage of social media networking.
Glasto or The Glastonbury Festival is not just about the music and the culture.
For years my ex would spend hours upon hours on the Glasto-Message boards. Then they would meet up at a location at the festival.
Causes such as making our planet eco friendly and providing water in needy places are just some of the many items targeted by this festival.
The biggest success is how do you get almost 200,000 individuals to spend a very large summ of their money on tickets to a festival when the list of the performrs are not confirmed until after all the tickets have been sold out.

I can go on and on and on. But how about you check it out your self at least online this year at: http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/

Check out the pictures from the different days and the line up of everything there is to do each day!!!!) There is never a dull moment in GLASTO.
By the way.. my teenage girls are somewhere there with the rest of the gigantic crowds.
Start saving your money for next years festival!!! The best party on the planet all done and promoted thru very succesfull social media marketing.

Looking at the man in the mirror

2009-06-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how certain things just happen without you expecting them to happen. Just a few months ago I saw a broadcast on the Internet where Michael Jackson announced that he was giving his last performance. The fans were plentiful at the press conference in London. I heard here and there that he had financial problems, and of course he was an odd parent (more than most of us). But no one can deny that out of a talented family of performers/singers no one was more influential than Michael.
I remember when the album OFF THE WALL came out. I played it many times. It was special. I remember his performance in the movie version of THE WIZ- He had the moves, and he had the angelic voice. Quincy Jones the producer of many of his hit songs shaped Michael to be the superstar that he became. The album THRILLER was superb in every way.
Everyone wanted to be like Michael Jackson. He did become the leader of the pop industry. If you look at all stage performance prior to Michael Jackson you can see that Michael himself became the standard.
Yes I have to agree I join the others that did not care for his private affairs. But let us not be forgetting what he was like many other before him; Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Judy Garland.... They were all iconic figures. Each one had their unique brand. With Michael it was so much more...
Michael was no Martin Luther King Jr. But just like Dr. King he has moved millions of people around the world to unite in the most amazing uniting tool that we have at our disposal- Music and Dance. At times the lyrics Michael wrote and sung about where just about love while other lyrics were about introspect and trying to change the world. There are two songs that stick out in my mind and will always be remembered. Michael helped us move in the right direction to take on responsibility. He wanted us to care about the suffering of others. He wrote:
There comes a time
When we head a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of
God's great big family
And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

He also wrote about the ability of one person to change his approach to looking at life and what can be done about what is around us:
I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life it's gonna feel real good,
Gonna make a difference. Gonna make it right . . .
See the kids in the street, with not enough to eat
Who am I, to be blind? Pretending not to see their needs
A Summer's disregard. A Broken bottle top and a one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind Ya' Know' cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.

So let's take at a look at ourselves and make the world a better place for you and for me.

Looking for strong values from our future employer

2009-06-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

When seeking employment do the company values matter to you? Rabbi Pitkowsky spiritual leader of cong. Beth Israel of Worcester shares insights to the leadership values shown by Trader Joe's.
Several people brought to my attention last week an attempted boycott of Israeli products sold at Trader Joe's. Apparently, the plan was to vandalize Trader Joe's stores on a particular day by 'de-shelving' all products made in Israel and leaving the products in the aisles of the stores. The national leadership of Trader Joe's is to be commended for their response to this attempted boycott. The senior vice president of marketing, Jon Basalone, was quoted as saying the following, "We have received a few letters (threatening a boycott) like this via our customer relations email. Our response is that we sell products, and do not use our products as political causes. We have no intention of removing any products based on pressure from any group, no matter what they support or don't support. As always, we believe our customers are smart, and they are capable of making decisions about what they purchase." This response from Trader Joe's, which is full of common sense and wisdom, is a response not often heard when the topic relates to Israel. Far too often we hear about product boycotts, or boycotts of Israeli academics or other professionals. As I have stated many times before, Israel is far from perfect, but singling it out for punishment (in the form of boycotts, UN resolutions, or anything else) for actions it takes that are the same as or more benign than the actions of other countries in similar security situations is bigoted and prejudiced. Where are the calls for boycotts of China for their repressive actions toward the Tibetans, or for Russia for their actions years ago against Chechnya or against Turkey for their murder of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I? Does any of this mean that Israel should not be criticized in a measured, contextual manner? Absolutely not. I only affirm that the criticism of one country to the exclusion of other countries is wrong on any moral or legal level. I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that the rule of law means that the law must be applied equally to all people and all nations. Were that rule to apply here, Israel would be applauded for its advanced notion of human and civil rights, not criticized by the world over. About Trader Joe's, take a few moments to congratulate the company for their principled stand against a potential boycott of Israel products. Visit local stores and buy their products, especially Israeli products, tell the store managers that you are glad they stock Israeli products, and write a note to the national headquarters, telling them how happy you are that they stood up to a boycott with their morality intact. The address for the headquarters is: Trader Joe's National Headquarters, 800 S. Shamrock Avenue, Monrovia, CA, 91016 (Chairman and CEO Don Bane, President Doug Rauch, SVP Operations Charles J. Pilliter).

Just turn off your system and reboot

2009-06-25T04:19:00.000-07:00

As a PC user for many good years I am well familiar with the blue screen phenomenon that happens these days on a less frequent basis then in years past. In 1999 I bought a a G4 Apple workstation for my http://www.ancienties.com/ business. The truth is that that we never had to reboot that machine unless the graphic file were just too large to handle.
You are probably asking yourself at this point where am I trying to go with this introduction?
Well, we can learn a lot from the process that occurs in our working machines and how we deal with the situation at hand. Let us reflect a moment at the early stages of our use of the GUI or user interface process such a windows or mac and compare it with the early stages of childhood development.
As a young child in a preschool setting ( or younger/older) when something goes wrong the child gets over loaded with stimulus,and usually has a meltdown by starting to have a tantrum where as a parent being around the situation you might feel embarrassed or frustrated.. The windows 3.1 and 95 were very much like preschool operator. The more programs were placed in them, the more demand they had on them the easier it was was for the computer neurological system in essence to say " I can't stand it!" and just freeze, or give us a good reaction of the finger by putting up the " Blue screen".
As computer systems matured and as children we developed into elementary students we started to learn about being able to react to our over reaction or under development ( depending on your school system. In the computer world the problem would be solved by giving the computer general anaesthesia and giving it a processor over drive. Basically letting the computer have more speed. Now how meant children in the country function like that every day? But what happens when the processor gets used too much? You guessed it. We could always try increasing the memory since we know that there is an open slot on the mother board and we can always replace it with a larger memory stick right? Can we just jump or children to other grades, have them read more books, do we really understand the capacity of how much memory can we really use? Is having a prescription of Ritalin make everything all better. What about the time we run out of the medication. Oh yeah, just like computers. Back to the blue screen.
Now after windows 2000 middle school years fooling around and having friends such as Norton , Mr. McAfee and the rest of your MAFIA protectors things got to be a bit stabler and well balanced,
But oh no!!! Here come "The new kid in town". Gorgeous, sexy, sleek and with no defects, all the right parts are in the right place. The truth is they have always been around kind of like the ugly duckling the only the " nerds or geeks" were ready to be their friend. But guess what? The ugly duckling grew up to be a beautiful white swan especially when she spreads here wings and you can see all her amazing slick feature. Since she was always on the sidelines no one bothered her and she had time to observe, reflect and take notes. Yes she did grow out of the habit of sucking floppy disk after floppy disk after floppy disk in her earlier years. When her popularity developed a bit she did try to wear the latest fashion on the outside. But no one really understood the goofy and awkwardness of her body shape and image she chose.
But then in high school it all changed. She showed us both top visual and bottom visual ( Tits and Ass) The entire school was flabbergasted! They could not pierce their eyes off the small size of her machinery that lead straight up to her ears. We were all hooked. And the tiny controller for that " you know the time of adjustment of shut down" could be easily tucked away without anyone ever seeing it.
Well, do you think Miss Popular and Mr. Jock King were going to just stand by and let the ugly duckling that learned how to perfect her moves just like Sandra Dee at the end of " Grease"?
The rivalry was on now at full speed. But at what price? How many friends were used, shoved aside, lost contact with all just for" MWAHH" to be at the center of attention? and all those former friends? will get back to them in a second.
Miss Swan developed her own market and every one wanted to please miss swan so they came and gave her most anything that she wanted including a hug following because Miss swan publicly was nice to them while privately using each and everyone to her own benefit. But Miss Swans Father who cherished her and was her mentor and becoming gravely ill was not getting the care and attention for his prodigy. Guess what- She was happy to be "popular" and "wanted".
But you can always stay Popular forever, you see there is always going to be a larger dinosaur or a more ferocious carnivore that is both slick and smooth.
Enter the Google Mafia- what , you didn't read about it yet? No, no, no. They have not wasted their time with their outside looks going to the gym. Their huge belly is part of the look they enjoy. Hey, who's gonna mess with the MOB ( maybe Walmart? just kidding) You see you never know when you walk in to a retail location such as a web portal that it is really paying the Google Mafia to get you to come and shop there. You have heard about that but you never actually see them except at " Good Will" events.
Well folks soon the beautiful Swan will be all forgotten because the name of the game is "Survival" and Popularity". Miss Swan didn't use her side view and rear view mirror so she did not notice that we are in the 21st century and that " Androids" will soon be everywhere. Folks, perhaps you can help save the planet for Miss Swan and Trexx dinosaur and sing out loud the words from Chumbawamba. Because no matter what people will throw at you when you loose your high position in your job remember these lyric and sing them in pride. This is what being successful is all about. ( if you do not know the melody- go to YouTube and find the band) Sing this Mantra every time you get denied an interview or a job offer and you will feel so much better.
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....
I get knocked down... But I get up again... You're never going to keep me down....

It takes a community to Rally for Health Care

2009-06-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a mesmerizing evening with folks who are both passionate and sincere. What were we doing? Planning an upcoming event for the Greater Worcester Community. That's right. Not a party for us but reaching out and seeing how we can make members of our community who are strangers to us aware of the resources available to them. As a resident of Massachusetts I take great pride of the many educational institution that are available in the state. Just in my city of Worcester there are over 10 colleges. Can you believe that 3 of them are walking distance from my house? Now how many people can claim that? Yes that is correct. Our fair group is focused on educating others. Mind you that many of the members of our task force do not even live in Worcester proper. Some came all the way down from Fitchburg. What are we doing? Organizing a Rally for Health Care that will be held this Saturday, June 27th at our historic Elm Park. Yes that is correct. I learned tonight that Elm Park was the first ever public park and that Central Park in New York City was designed by the same person. Good things come out of Worcester. Which brings me back to the point of our Heal Care event that will be taking place between 1:00 and 5:00 PM Some fine organizations are backing up our efforts and they include: Currie Management Consultants, Inc. , Organizing for America, The SHINE program of Massachusetts and many more. Since Worcester is the second largest city in the state we are blessed with a multicultural community that has come from many other countries. Some of the folks will share how health care is run differently then what we have currently in MA. We are going to have many activities both for children and adults. One of the most important parts of the event is informing our residents where they can turn and get support if they do not have insurance. It is sad that some people just can't afford it. I am most proud of the fact that this entire effort is being coordinated by my friend Khrystina who is still in high school. She has been able to lead a group of adults to organize and help bring our community together. One of the ways she was able to do this is thanks to her skills in being successful in using technology to her advantage. She has managed to collect clips of interview with President Obama and bring the issues she is concerned about to attention at our previous meeting. It is because of Khrystina's outreach to me through the social networking channels that I decided to get involved. I had several interchanges with her prior to meeting her at one of the meetings earlier this month. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this whole event is being managed by a high schooler. This my friends is the Successful implementation of Educational leadership and Technology. Khrystina is a very quiet leader. She does not need to be load in public. She is able to show her strength through her mastering control of the Technology at the edge of her fingertips. I applaud the next generation that is enabling my generation and others to get involved in bringing our community together in a successful way. I know that the event is already going to be successful. It can be even more successful if you let your friends who reside in the greater Worcester area to come get involved. There is even face painting for the young children. So come learn how to keep yourself healthy and be involved in a great community gathering and celebration of the power of the people. If one of our members can come all the way from Fitchburg I know then that I can expect to see you at Elm Park this Saturday, June 27th between 1:00 and 5:00 PM and you can also bring a food item to donate. So be a good citizen and show Khrystina that her efforts did not go unnoticed. Bring you friend bring some food and make it a celebration of good Health. And as we say in Hebrew " LeCHAIM" To LIFE!

Healthy Leadership + Social Action = Tech- Success

2009-06-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

Growing up as a kid in Jerusalem I never thought twice about a visit to the neighborhood clinic. Everyone there new you by your first name. It was just a 7 minute walk between the houses to see the nurse if I had a cut or the doctor if something was more serious. This was in the dark ages before answer machines and cell phones.
As the years went by and I grew older I had to carry with me a card that identified me in the computer system. Aside from people smiling all around me the service was always top notch. Even the dental plan was fully covered. You are probably wondering, so , " How much did this cost?" Never in my whole life did my family have these conversation because it was a given. It was covered because it came out of our taxes.
Now think of it. Do we see daily protest about the amount of federal deduction, state dedications or social security deductions out of pay check? When is the last time you went to you HR person and said" You go to be kidding me. These taxes are out of control!" and why is that, because it really doesn't effect us on a day to day basis.
Well as each one of us gets one day older and we forget the we are not as young as our mind thinks we are we find that going to doctors offices is more common than going to watch the Red Sox play at Fenway Park.
It is amazing how technology has given us the opportunity to surpass the life expectancy that we thought was old. My older friends tell me sixty is young, that must mean I am just still in diapers being in my early 40's.
For the past 20 years I have shared my life we a women whom I still care for very much. From the day she was diagnosed with MS I had to make sure I had Family Health Insurance coverage.
This year alone I paid $10,000 as my share of my BLUE CROSS plan. Do you know how many times my now ex wife was denied certain services?
As an educator I have taught my students to look, learn , listen and reflect. Technology in the world we live in to day has given us the ability to extend our lives, replace parts, limbs, speed up the process of recovery, send MRI results to be read by technicians half way around the world at 2:00 AM and let you and I discuss the issues in social media networks.
Our Success in curing the cancer of a system that is acting like blood sucking insects is to be educated about the situation, take action by getting involved and use your skill in technology, even if it just means picking up the phone and calling someone you know to get involved this coming Saturday in the Health for America day of Health Education. Educating yourself is the best medicine there is. And most of it is still free.Ariel http://www.tech-success.net/

Successfuly perfecting your elevator pitch with Technolgy

2009-06-22T04:13:00.000-07:00

Most of us use them at least once a day if not more. Some of us like to avoid them. No I am not going to write about the bathroom but actualy about those contraptions that help us remain at our perfect weight even though we are on a diet and can use the excersize or workout by going up or down the stair of any tall building.
Yes my friends, the elevators are big part of our lives. Especialy in the great cities where commerce is king. So, have found a succesful way to deliver that pitch during the ride up to the 30th floor? Well one Isreli firm taken aride in the elevator to a whole new experience.
I know you are all thinking in your heads " what is he writing about? almost every elevator these days has some digital screen in it". But how many of those realy travel with you and hold you attention?
DIGIGAGE- bread and born in Israel have used the educational leadership they have recieved through their roles in the army and have succesfully started up previouus companies and already have sold them. This latest experience might make us think about the eeefectivness of our elevator pitch. After watching this clip we might want to realign our coaching strategies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUaBecTcj00&NR=1

The next generation of Father and Child

2009-06-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

I always kept up with technology and when my daughters were young I got them involved with software. Of course they loved doing so many different things on the computer. My older daughter Ma'ayan loves photography. Technology has given her the ability to be more creative. Both my girls have put very creative movies on YouTube using lighting techniques and color blending.
Well when I was their age the hight of technology was the telephone "answering machine" with the cassete tape inside. We knew we were gettting "super advanced" when the voice answering systems didn't require a tape. Wow!! I still laugh now how my dad used to take out the manual that came with the machines and I would just say- " look, here's how its done" of course not using those manuels that sometimes were written in 12 different langauges.

These days I many of our answering machines have gone into cyber space. Forget about speaking on the phone.... in some years from now we will have that considered a lost art just like letter writting. Emails to my kids are so 90's... My younger daughter texts at the speed that I drive ( I've learned to slow down after the ______ speeding ticket but not Inbal. Within a few seconds she done with writing another text. And it's back and forth. Recieving and answering text. I say to here- why don't you just call your friend and speak it would require less efforts on your part.
I might not understand why my daughter chooses to text. But each week both my girls and I love to cuddle on the sofa watching the latest new movies that we just downloaded off the internet and many times we can begin watching the moview before the popcorn is even ready.

I'm still a fan of many musical genres being a Berklee alum. However these day I learn to tolerate the music my daughter has on her Ipod. Perhaps I'm just like the words in Harry Chapin's song Father and Son.
My dad taught me so much- For those of you that have not contacted your dad today, don't be lazy- take out your Iphone and call or your I touch and send a text, or go on your laptop and send a picture of yourself from your picture collection. If your one of those that promised to be angry with your dad because of a silly thing and you don't want to talk. That's OK. Just take your phomne and text something nice. For those of you who are like me, still sentimental you can do what my girls did today. Since they are in England with my ex wife for a month they rememberd to make my day special. They used what they have been taught by their mother and father. The importance of personal contact. Since they could not be here with the help of technolgy they called me to wish me a Happy Father's day. And that just made the day so special and successful.

The bonds of Father and Child

2009-06-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day I have been thinking of my dad who passed away a couple of years ago. I was relecting back on how I used to drive him crazy listening to the music on the car radion system. Then came the " Walkman". I would go everywhere with my headsets on. My dad would say- just be careful on the roads, since I would always have Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple blasting in my ears.
I remember when we got our VCR. My father would always have to ask me how to make it work or how to record a television program. I tried to show him and he just said. You you know what you are doing so just do it for me. I sad Abba ( dad), I'm not always going to be around to record the programs for you.
Can you believe how fast the years have gone by and then no one realy cared about going to the video store since cable TV was "in". Well, this time I made sure my dad knew everything that he needed to know about the TWO remote controls. You could have said my dad was out of an old Western film slinging both remotes with right and left arms. It drove my mother crazy when he used to surf the channels for a good action movie. Since he had a hearing loss he turned the volume up. You thought that you were right in the film.

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