I have loved the iPhone, but now I am quitting the iPhone.

This is not an easy decision.

I was there in January 2007 when it was announced and I bought the first iPhone as soon as it was available. I happily bought the iPhone 3G a year later. I’ve proudly yelled “I Am A Member Of The Cult Of iPhone.” I’ve been an unabashed cheerleader for the device to all who’ll listen. And I’ve scoffed at developers who said they’d abandon the platform.

But I’m not going to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS. Instead, I’m abandoning the iPhone and AT&T. I will grudgingly pay the $175 AT&T termination fee and then I will move on to another device.

What finally put me over the edge? It wasn’t the routinely dropped calls, something you can only truly understand once you have owned an iPhone (and which drove my friend Om Malik to bail). I’ve lived with that for two years. It’s not the lack of AT&T coverage at home. I’ve lived with that for two years, too. It certainly isn’t the lack of a physical keyboard, that has never bothered me. No, what finally put me over the edge is the Google Voice debacle.

Most of you won’t know what I’m talking about, so I’ll explain.

Google Voice is a a call management service that lets you determine what calls get through to you based on who’s calling and what time of day it is, among other factors. It has amazing features, like automatically transcribing all your voicemails. And you can forward calls to any other phone easily and automatically. Here’s an overview of the service if you aren’t familiar with it.

I’ve always wanted to use Google Voice but there’s a big switching cost - changing your phone number. Too many people have that phone number and use it to call in great stories. There’s no way I’m giving that up. And there’s another problem with Google Voice. When you make outbound calls from a phone, it (obviously) doesn’t use your Google Voice phone number, so recipients don’t know it’s you calling. Those were two hurdles I wasn’t willing to jump over.

But now Google is planning on rolling out number portability, so I can move my mobile phone number to Google. None of my friends, family or contacts have to store a new number.

That still leaves the problem of outbound calls, though. I can move my mobile number to Google and then get a new iPhone account, but outbound calls won’t be identified because they are on the new number. Google has a solution for that too, though. They are releasing apps for a variety of handsets that effectively take over the native dialer, address book and call log. Problem solved. I can use any phone I like, or a bunch of phones, and just choose the one that makes sense at any time. I never have to be tied to a carrier and their restrictive contracts again.

Or so I thought. Apple and AT&T are now blocking the iPhone version of the Google Voice app. Why? Because they absolutely don’t want people doing exactly what I’m doing - moving their phone number to Google and using the carrier as a dumb pipe.

So I have to choose between the iPhone and Google Voice. It’s not an easy decision. Except, it sort of is. Google isn’t forcing the decision on me, Apple and AT&T are. So I choose to work with the company that isn’t forcing me to do things their way. And in this case, that’s Google.

So what phone will I use next? Well, that decision is easy, too. I’d move to the Palm Pre because I believe it is the best phone out there other than the iPhone 3GS. But Google hasn’t created an app for the Palm Pre yet, just Android and Blackberry phones. So for now I’m going to use the new Android myTouch 3G along with the Google Voice App. As soon as something better comes out, or Google makes an app for the Pre, I’ll switch. And keep the same phone number. No long term contracts for me.

And Apple, if you ever decide to put the hammer down on AT&T and do the right thing for your loyal users, I’ll consider switching back. In the meantime, I’ll just use one of many iPod Touches laying around our office to test out new apps.

Coworking is a growing global trend that gives professionals who work from home an opportunity to work in a group setting. According to Wikipedia, while each individual is still working independently, members of a coworking group typically share values and are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.

Coworking spaces are usually informal, and they are frequently described as an office in a café, although they shouldn’t be confused with office space you can rent. The main difference is the setup – office rentals have separate offices and isolated work spaces, while coworking locations focus on community and togetherness.

Some of the more established coworking spaces have started expanding to meet the needs of their workers. Take Cubes and Crayons, for example. They have successfully combined coworking with childcare facilities and have two locations in California.

At its core, coworking can be an excellent way to get away from distractions at home, while getting work done in a social, collaborative and informal environment, alongside other local professionals.

The Benefits of Coworking

One of the primary benefits of coworking is being able to leave the walls of your home office and get out into the community. If you face work-at-home isolation, as many of us do, coworking can be a terrific way to break the monotony.

But there are a number of other benefits of coworking. Here are a few:

• It creates accountability, which can help prevent procrastination.
• Coworking inspires creativity by giving you an opportunity to work in proximity to other like-minded professionals.
• It provides social benefits that are typically absent when working from home.
• It gives you the opportunity for professional networking while you work.
• Coworking can help you learn from others, collaborate and grow.
• It develops a community-like atmosphere where you can find support and encouragement.
• It fulfills the basic human need of working side-by-side with others, and can help you enjoy your work more.

Where to Find Coworking

There are coworking facilities all over the world, and the quickest way to find one in your area is to reach out to other local professionals or through a Google search. You may also be able to learn about local coworking establishments through social media, business networks and local organizations.

Here are some links to other coworking recources that may help you in your search for a coworking group to join:

• Coworking Community Blog: An informational site about coworking with some coworking locations listed.
• Coworking Google Group: A support and discussion network for people interested in coworking.
• Coworking Office Directory: A new directory with a small collection of international coworking groups.
• Coworking Wiki: A collection of coworking resources and local links.
• Wurkspaces: A coworking facilities directory.

Do you cowork or have you considered coworking? What has been your experience?

Image credit: Eddie Codel. Photo of Workspace, a coworking space in Vancouver’s Gastown district.

Source : http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/07/31/is-coworking-right-for-you/

1. Web Site Creation: Register Domain

Brand new businesses might want to check the availability of the domain name they wish to use before committing to a name for the enterprise. The most popular top level domain is .com, and the chance of it being available in combination with common business names is iffy. When a new business is determined to use a .com extension, it pays to test the business name plus ".com" to see if the combination is available. When a business name has already been established, and the .com extension is not available, it is sometimes possible to purchase it from its current owner. Otherwise, the top level domain must be selected from other choices including .biz, .info, and .net to mention a few. Selecting and registering a domain name is important not only because it is a business's address on the Web, but to some extent it determines how much marketing a company must do to promote the address. Since .com is the default, any other top level domain must be promoted more heavily in order for the address to be found. WEB DESIGN

2. Web Site Creation: Design and Development

Web site design is not the same as Web site development. Design is an element of development. Design is the look and feel of a Web site, its logo, color scheme, page layout, and navigation. Development is the coding that makes the design come alive and enables human interaction with the site. Many small to medium businesses do not have the expertise to design or develop Web sites on their own. Some companies use templates from hosting companies to design and build their sites. Others rely on outside companies to design and build custom sites.

3. Web Site Creation: Content

The most important part of a Web site is its content. If the content does not deliver on the Web site's promise (its name), it will not rank high in search engine results (more on this in the next paragraph), and will therefore be difficult to be found. And what is just as bad is that when users find the site but discover that it doesn't meet their expectations because it has misleading or unhelpful content, they will not return. Customer acquisition is an expensive proposition and good content can make or break the budget, the conversions and the return on investment.

4. Web Site Creation: Optimization

Even when a Web site design is visually appealing, has lots of valuable content, and functions flawlessly, it is still not finished. (In fact, Web sites should never be considered to be finished; they are always works in progress.) Whether designed and developed in-house or by a third party, Web sites must be optimized to be found and ranked by search engines and directories. This means that each page of a site should be keyword rich and use the keywords in the meta title and meta description. These tags must be coded into each page and should be specific to each page.

5. Web Site Creation: Submission

The final step in publishing a Web site is to submit it to search engines and Web directories. Most third party development companies will submit their clients' sites as part of their service. Although most listings are free, it may take from several days to several months to be listed. Some directories offer expedited listing for a fee.

By understanding these five critical steps to Web site design and creation, businesses can make the most of their development dollars by understanding the process and identifying what they can do themselves and what is better sent to a service provider.

Source

GoDaddy.com

O escritor português José Saramago lança seu mais novo livro, com textos retirados de posts em seu blog. O interessante é ver a relação entre o escritor e a internet, uma mídia que os mais conservadores têm uma certa resistência em utilizar. Ele cita na entrevista que utiliza a internet mais como fonte de pesquisa, acessando o Google com frequencia, nada mais. Ele conta que a utilização da internet não influenciou de forma alguma seu modo de escrever, ainda com frases longas, que dão espaço e tempo para observações e análises.

Mas o interessante foi seu ponto de vista em relação ao Twitter. Ao ser feita uma pergunta sobre o que ele achava do mais novo fenômeno da internet, o escritor afirma:

- … Os tais 140 caracteres refletem algo que já conhecíamos: a tendência para o minossílabo como forma de comunicação. De degrau em degrau, vamos descendo até o grunhido.

Microsoft, Yahoo! Change Search Landscape
Global Deal Creates Better Choice for Consumers and Advertisers

SUNNYVALE, CA and REDMOND, WA — 29 July, 2009 — Yahoo! and Microsoft announced an agreement that will improve the Web search experience for users and advertisers, and deliver sustained innovation to the industry. In simple terms, Microsoft will now power Yahoo! search while Yahoo! will become the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers.

For Web users and advertisers, this deal will accelerate the pace and breadth of innovation by combining both companies’ complementary strengths and search platforms into a market competitor with the scale to fuel sustained development in search and search advertising. Users will find what they care about faster and with more personal relevance. Microsoft’s competitive search platforms will lead to more value for advertisers, better results for web publishers, and increased innovation and efficiency across the Internet.
Under this agreement, Yahoo! will focus on its core business of providing consumers with great experiences with the world’s favorite online destinations and Web products.

“This agreement comes with boatloads of value for Yahoo!, our users, and the industry. And I believe it establishes the foundation for a new era of Internet innovation and development,” said Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz. “Users will continue to experience search as a vital part of their Yahoo! experiences and will enjoy increased innovation thanks to the scale and resources this deal provides. Advertisers will also benefit from scale and enjoy greater ease of use and efficiencies working with a single platform and sales team for premium advertisers. Finally, this deal will help us increase our investments in priority areas in winning audience properties, display advertising capabilities, and mobile experiences.”
Providing a viable alternative to advertisers, this deal will combine Yahoo! and Microsoft search marketplaces so that advertisers no longer have to rely on one company that dominates more than 70 percent of all search. With the addition of Yahoo!’s search volume, Microsoft will achieve the size and scale required to unleash competition and innovation in the market, for consumers as well as advertisers.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the agreement will provide Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, the scale necessary to more effectively compete, attracting more users and advertisers, which in turn will lead to more relevant ads and search results.
“Through this agreement with Yahoo!, we will create more innovation in search, better value for advertisers, and real consumer choice in a market currently dominated by a single company,” said Ballmer. “Success in search requires both innovation and scale. With our new Bing search platform, we’ve created breakthrough innovation and features. This agreement with Yahoo! will provide the scale we need to deliver even more rapid advances in relevancy and usefulness. Microsoft and Yahoo! know there’s so much more that search could be. This agreement gives us the scale and resources to create the future of search.”
“This deal fits the long-term strategic direction of Yahoo! to remain the world’s leading online media company and Carol Bartz has the full and unanimous support of the Yahoo! Board behind this deal,” said Roy Bostock, chairman, Yahoo! Inc. “This is a significant opportunity for us. Microsoft is an industry innovator in search, and it is a great opportunity for us to focus our investments in other areas critical to our future.”
The key terms of the agreement are as follows:
The term of the agreement is 10 years;
Microsoft will acquire an exclusive 10 year license to Yahoo!’s core search technologies, and Microsoft will have the ability to integrate Yahoo! search technologies into its existing web search platforms;
Microsoft’s Bing will be the exclusive algorithmic search and paid search platform for Yahoo! sites. Yahoo! will continue to use its technology and data in other areas of its business such as enhancing display advertising technology.
Yahoo! will become the exclusive worldwide relationship sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers. Self-serve advertising for both companies will be fulfilled by Microsoft’s AdCenter platform, and prices for all search ads will continue to be set by AdCenter’s automated auction process.
Each company will maintain its own separate display advertising business and sales force.
Yahoo! will innovate and “own” the user experience on Yahoo! properties, including the user experience for search, even though it will be powered by Microsoft technology.
Microsoft will compensate Yahoo! through a revenue sharing agreement on traffic generated on Yahoo!’s network of both owned and operated (O&O) and affiliate sites.
Microsoft will pay traffic acquisition costs (TAC) to Yahoo! at an initial rate of 88% of search revenue generated on Yahoo!’s O&O sites during the first 5 years of the agreement.
Yahoo! will continue to syndicate its existing search affiliate partnerships.
Microsoft will guarantee Yahoo!’s O&O revenue per search (RPS) in each country for the first 18 months following initial implementation in that country.
At full implementation (expected to occur within 24 months following regulatory approval), Yahoo! estimates, based on current levels of revenue and current operating expenses, that this agreement will provide a benefit to annual GAAP operating income of approximately $500 million and capital expenditure savings of approximately $200 million. Yahoo! also estimates that this agreement will provide a benefit to annual operating cash flow of approximately $275 million.
The agreement protects consumer privacy by limiting the data shared between the companies to the minimum necessary to operate and improve the combined search platform, and restricts the use of search data shared between the companies. The agreement maintains the industry-leading privacy practices that each company follows today.
The agreement does not cover each company’s web properties and products, email, instant messaging, display advertising, or any other aspect of the companies’ businesses. In those areas, the companies will continue to compete vigorously.
The transaction will be subject to regulatory review. The agreement entered into today anticipates that the parties will enter into more detailed definitive agreements prior to closing. Microsoft and Yahoo! expect the agreement to be closely reviewed by the industry and government regulators, and welcome questions. The companies are hopeful that closing can occur in early 2010.
The companies have established a website at http://www.choicevalueinnovation.com to provide consumers, advertisers and publishers with additional information about the benefits of the agreement.
Conference Call – 5:30 a.m. PDT, Wednesday, July 29
Yahoo! and Microsoft will host a conference call with Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to discuss the agreement at 5:30 a.m. Pacific/8:30 a.m. Eastern Time today. To listen to the call, please dial 1-866-515-2908 in the U.S. and Canada; +1-617-399-5122 international, reservation number: 47968026. A live webcast of the call can be accessed through Yahoo!’s Investor Relations website at http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/results.cfm. The companies have also established a website at http://www.choicevalueinnovation.com to provide consumers, advertisers and publishers with additional information about the benefits of the agreement. In addition, an archive of the webcast will be available through the same link. An audio replay of the call will be available for two weeks following the conference call by calling 1-888-286-8010 in the U.S. and Canada; +1-617-801-6888 international, reservation number: 91217610.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This release refers to operating cash flow (operating income before depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, and stock-based compensation expense, or OCF), which is a non-GAAP financial measure. The most comparable GAAP measure is income from operations. The estimated annual OCF benefit of $275 million included in this press release is the estimated annual benefit in income from operations of $500 million less approximately $225 million of estimated annual savings in depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation expense.

Of course it is urgently important. But let’s speak about site builder itself firstly. Though you are able to make website for your online business or any other purpose quite quickly, undoubtedly, the shortest way – is visual site builder. To add, site builder also has some other advantages. One of them is functionality – it offers you a full complex of tools and services to create a website . Moreover, site builder is quite easy-to-use and doesn’t need any additional programming or designing knowledge.

Today it’s not a problem to find the most suitable visual site builder. Thousands of companies are ready to help you if you want to create website . All you need is to compare the services these companies provide and choose the best one, according to usability, functionality and other aspects.

But while choosing the most suitable site builder service you may face some problems. The main one is that you are not able to understand what company and service are the best until you try every of them. And what’s more, with free-shared or demo versions of site builder it’s impossible to check the level of Customer Service.

Moreover if you are free-version-user you may be provided with low-quality or even zero level Customer Service. Unfortunately, the great number of existed site builders do not have user’s support at all or provide it for additional price. As a result you a left alone with your site creation and you don’t have assistant to answer particularly your question.

Now you see why high-quality and professional Customer Support is really important thing. For person who is not familiar with all programming and designing staff it’s better to have professional helper to rely on if some problems or question occur. To add, even the most functional site builder becomes useless without professional webmaster’s advice at the right moments when you create your own website.

And now let’s talk about Site2you services. That guys provide every their customer with full customer support every minute beginning from the first moment the start to create website. And know what, they support you until you finish with your site, they are ready to help you with programming, design or any other issue on every stage of creation process. Important fact to remember is that you are able to get answers for your questions or any other information you need via the most suitable way – email box, live chatting, ticket system or even phone. You may choose yourself how to communicate with your customer support team. And remember, that customer support professional will help you not only to create a website, but to maintain it afterwards as well.

In conclusion, before you begin to create your website make sure you have really good professional Customer support ready to ask any of your questions. And don’t be afraid to ask them even the most foolish questions, they will help you anyway. It’s much more easier to work with professional relief assistance.

Posted by Dan at SEO and Blogging Tips.
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Source : http://omarabid.blogspot.com/2009/07/do-you-think-customer-support-is.html

These days, companies pour an incredible amount of money into designing, redesigning, and improving their websites. The problem with laying down a sacrosanct list of web design tips is that website beauty and even functionality is in the eye of the beholder. Dancing icons that are straight out of 1997 may look terrible to some of us, but you can bet there is a die-hard group of folks that refuse to shop from any site that doesn’t have that dancing baby from Ally McBeal on the welcome page. Here are 10 web design tips you probably want to avoid in the future.

1. Avoid Frames – Frames are about as useful as those dancing babies. They cause people to have to move several scroll bars to see all of your content and they are ugly to boot. Recommendation to avoid.
2. Don’t require extra plug-ins – A surprisingly small percentage of Internet users are savvy surfers. Just because everyone in your office has the new Shockwave update installed doesn’t mean that your customer base will. Keep it simple and don’t require anything other than what comes with your basic browser.
3. Basic HTML Standards – it is amazing to think that some people are still using ancient versions of Internet Explorer or even Netscape, but they are. By using universal HTML standards, you make your site accessible to the most people at all times.
4. Brevity – Unless you are building a site for a niche audience that is expecting a puzzle (the Donnie Darko film website is a good example), you need to get to the point and fast. The average web surfer is going to give you approximately 5 seconds of their time. If you don’t engage them, they are gone, likely never to return.
5. Communication is Key – Every new business wants to create the coolest website, but cool may not be what sells. Communication, on the other hand, is. You can design a beautiful site that is simple and one that gets your point across fast.
6. Easy to read – Many sites choose to go the classy route by using excessively complex and ornate scripts instead of easy-to-read block text. This fancy script may communicate the class of product you have, but if folks can’t read it or have to put forth extra effort, they will likely continue surfing elsewhere.
7. Load times – Web designers are also surprised to learn how much of the world is still using dial up. Your page needs to load fast, so keep things like video and complex graphics to a minimum or give users a Flash vs. HTML choice on your splash page.
8. Splash pages – Speaking of these handy greeting pages, be sure that users have the chance to skip past them if they have already seen them. Your cool animation may only be cool the first time you have seen it; after that, it is just going to annoy people and lose you business.
9. Testing – At one point, Internet Explorer had 90% of the browser audience, now they don’t. Make sure you test your website in every browser, including Safari, to see how it looks.
10. Stay Flexible – Many companies fall in love with a particular look or style that is only fashionable for a short period of time. A dated website can be a killer, so don’t get too attached to anything and stay flexible.

Source : http://www.thatagency.com/design-studio-blog/2009/07/10-web-design-tips/

Os famosos ratos de laboratório podem vir a deixar de fazer companhia aos cientistas durante a fase de experiências. Um estudo mostrou que as simulações feitas em computador, podem trazer resultados mais fiáveis.

Instalando Active Directory no Windows Server 2008

Fonte : http://edgardelmiro.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/instalando-active-directory-no-windows-server-2008/

Many of us actively use sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote our businesses. And those of us looking to connect with more business-related contacts may turn to sites like LinkedIn to develop relationships with people we have worked with or may want to work with.

With the growing use of social networking by business professionals, there is a growing number of social networking sites focused on business users and meeting their needs. Here is a list of 20 social networking sites for entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals that are worth a look.

Biznik – A community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed.

cmypitch.com – A business website for UK entrepreneurs to get quotes, advice and more.

Cofoundr – A community for entrepreneurs, programmers, designers, investors, and other individuals involved with starting new ventures.

E.Factor – An online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.

Ecademy –A business network for creating contacts and sharing knowledge.

Entrepreneur Connect – A community by Entrepreneur.com where professionals can network, communicate, and collaborate with others.

Fast Pitch – A business network where professionals can market their business and make connections.

Focus – A community focused on helping business decision makers and IT professionals make decisions.

JASEzone – A professional community where you can find potential clients and business partners.

LinkedIn – A professional network that allows you to be introduced to and collaborate with other professionals.

Networking for Professionals – A business network that combines online business networking and real-life events.

PartnerUp – A community connecting small business owners and entrepreneurs.

PerfectBusiness – A network of entrepreneurs, investors and business experts that encourages entrepreneurship and mutual success.

Plaxo – An enhanced address book tool for networking and staying in contact.

Ryze – A business networking community that allows users to organize themselves by interests, location, and current and past employers.

StartupNation – A community focused on the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners.

Upspring - A social networking site for promotion and social networking.

XING – A European business network with more than 7 million members.

Young Entrepreneur – A forum-based site for entrepreneurs and small business owners who are passionate about promoting business for themselves and others.

Ziggs – A professional connection portal founded on the principles of professionalism and respect.

Do you have any other social networking sites for business that you use? Which one has worked the best for your business?

Source : http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/07/28/social-networking-sites-for-business/