Posted on October 31st, 2008 — in Information Parlor
It’s time you know what the latest technological gadget is. In
fact, this new toy is buzzing everywhere nowadays. PDA cell
phones are popping up more and more in the market place. Young
or old, maybe you should be asking yourself whether this new
cellular phone is something you should consider owning? Well, if
you’re unsure about whether a PDA mobile phone is the right
piece of hardware for you, don’t be. Read on and find out
everything you need to know about these great wireless phones!
Many consumers understand the value of owning a mobile phone
today. They are really convenient and easy to use. We almost
take them for granted because they’re extremely affordable to
own and maintain. They come with tons of loaded features to help
make our lives that much easier. They store phone numbers and
addresses, can link you to the Internet, can download your email
on a whim, and allow you to chat on Instant Messenger with your
closest loved ones whenever you want. Bored? Not when you own a
cellular phone, equipped with the latest games, cool polyphonic
ring tones, and picture messaging. Use it to take notes, and
keep you up to date with important meetings. There is simply
nothing that a cell phone cannot do nowadays. They even take
pictures and video images - and to think, these nifty little
toys can be held, literally, in the palm of your hand. Well, the
newest trend to hit our palms is the PDA wireless phone - better
known as a personal digital assistant. Imagine combining the
convenience of a cell phone with the reliability of a PDA - it’s
a match made in heaven! Here’s why. First of all, PDA’s are very
portable. You can take them anywhere! They fit in your purse,
briefcase, even your own pocket. They’re also very durable, so
they’re built to last! PDA’s are also pretty inexpensive these
days. You can get yourself a pretty decent and affordable
personal digital assistant for about $150. Once you get one,
you’ll realize just how amazing these devices really are! These
awesome gadgets store your personal and professional
information, at the touch of a button! Wireless PDA’s are also
programmable. You can run the most popular of applications on a
palm pilot, allowing you to interact with your home or office
computer. You can store documents, graphics, notes - the
possibilities are endless, and transferring information from one
medium to another is a breeze! What does it mean when you
combine the power of a PDA with a mobile phone? Pure magic!
There are many companies offering this innovative product. Check
it out! PalmOne makes a PDA cell phone that makes it easier than
ever for consumers to keep their business and personal life in
order without all the excess bulk! Remember, these phones are
compatible with either Macs or PCs, making it simple for you to
download information when you need it the most. Key features on
these types of phones include a mini “qwerty” keyboard for
typing notes, Bluetooth technology, USB capability, and lithium
powered batteries. Many of these PDA mobiles also include MP3
features! It’s all you’ll ever need to get through your day with
ease! Many people may even consider getting rid of their mobile
phones and replacing it with these new PDA cell phones. If you
think about it, you really don’t need much else! Tons of
Americans walk around with briefcases or purses full of gadgets
that only store a certain type of information. At one time, a
cell phone was used primarily to make or receive calls. Now,
times have changed. Long gone are the days when mobiles were
bulky, heavy, and inadequate. As you may know, cell phones have
marked their way into the world today, helping millions of
people get what they need in their professional and personal
lives. Not only do cell phones help us when we’re in a bind,
they keep us well in tuned with the world. We can access the
daily news, read our horoscopes, check movie listings, and so
much more. Keep your address book updated with your contacts.
Store email addresses, contact names, phone numbers - the sky is
the limit! In fact, there’s nothing a cell phone can’t do these
days! Without a doubt, cellular phones definitely enhance our
lives. They can notify us when we have an important meeting or
date coming up. You’ll never forget a friend or loved one’s
birthday again! They come equipped with cool features, such as
unique ring tones, games, and colour screens. Want to get
online? No problem! You can picture message your friends, send
text messages on the fly, even go online and download your email
messages. These features come in handy, especially when
travelling. In fact, many mobiles today are designed to be used
anywhere around the world! So, there’s no need to worry about
bringing a day planner or agenda to keep track of your to do
list. A cell phone is all you need! Now, you can enjoy the
convenience and affordability of combining your heavily used and
much needed cell phone with a practicality of a PDA or portable
hand held system. Look around - you’ll soon see that many
popular cellular phone carriers are carrying PDA cell phones,
all equipped with different, but important features. In fact,
customers can pick and choose which PDA phone best suits their
needs. It’s all too simple! However, one thing is clear - owning
a PDA mobile is an effective way to keep your business sorted.
Imagine just how much information these powerful tools store!
Cell phones are extremely practical but their downside is that
they can only store so much information! For example, most
mobile phones come with phone books that store between 100-500
contact entries. Certainly not enough when you’re building a
list of personal and professional contacts. Having a PDA cell
phone is like carrying around a mini computer in your pocket and
the possibilities are surely endless! While it can’t fix your
family meals every night or make the kids go to bed, it will
keep you and your family extremely organized and in tune with
what’s going on day to day! While a PDA cellular phone is used
primarily for professional use, take advantage of the many fun
features it has to offer. If you ever wanted to own an MP3
player, there’s no need to buy one on its own! Some PDA mobiles
come with a Windows Media Player device to keep you occupied
with your favourite tunes during the day! If you’re travelling
and are looking to maximize your time, surf the Internet. Even
better, catch up on your emails! It’s like taking your office on
the road, wherever you go, whenever you go! If you’re worried
about using your PDA too much - don’t! Many PDA cell phones will
give you somewhere along the lines of 250 minutes of talk time
and 240 hours of standby time. Keeping spare chargers and a base
charger is always convenient to ensure that you’ll never go
without your phone when you need it the most! You’ll enjoy
typical features, such as a speakerphone, vibrating ringers,
text capability, and Internet options. Connect using Outlook,
and you’ll never have to search for a phone number or email
address again! Store it once and forget about it! For those
individuals who are constantly travelling and on the road or in
the sky, a PDA mobile phone makes sense. It’s the perfect gift
and travel companion! Sometimes, it can be difficult to take a
break from your day to find an Internet café or office that will
allow you to connect and check your email and important
messages. Now, imagine being able to access your information
from anywhere in the world! You could be having dinner, in a
car, or in between meetings, and you’ll never miss those
important messages ever again! It’s important to note, your PDA
cell phone contains the Internet, which will allow you to surf
the web. So, now you can book your hotel reservations, find a
phone number for a taxi, look for a restaurant in your area -
it’s all possible without having to exhaust other options! Sync
your phone with your laptop, and access your work, no matter
where you are. Access flight information with the touch of a
button! Get movie listings and find out where some of the best
attractions are when you’re visiting a new town. It’s obvious
that owning a PDA cell phone has its advantages. Remember, PDA
phones are extremely lightweight and portable. So much power for
such a tiny device - and to think, many phones will give you the
option to add more memory if you need it, for additional
storage! It’s also good to know that many companies will also
throw in extra cellular accessories, such as a headset, leather
case, belt clip or hand strap. These always come in handy to
protect and maintain the look of your equipment. They’re also
very suitable when on the road. Having a headset allows you to
use your phone while on the road keeping you safe as you drive
with both hands on the wheel! If you’re going to use your phone
on the road while driving, at least be safe! Be conscious of
yourself and the other drivers around you! It doesn’t stop
there! You can upgrade to a Bluetooth headset, or consider
buying an extra adapter, charger, or magnet mount antenna set.
You could also consider getting a starter kit that comes with
the essentials to make the most out of your PDA cellular phone.
One thing is for sure. The rave about PDA cell phones is
sweeping the nation. Stop and think for a moment. Many people
carry around more than one of the following - a cell phone, an
agenda or journal, a PDA system, a camera, an MP3 player. Well,
all you need is the PDA mobile! It will replace all of these
rather expensive items and provide for its consumers the
convenience of owning the best all-in-one device to ever hit the
market!
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Posted on October 30th, 2008 — in Information Parlor
Virtual Networking 101 for freelance translators and small
translation agencies
by Christian Hansel, SiteFounder of babelport.com
This Article gives a little insight into the mechanism of online
networks and their benefits for self-promotion and marketing of
freelancers and small businesses
This is an edited reprint of an article written for babelport.com, the
Translation Industry Information and Project Portal, and nakedtranslation.com,
Céline Graciets excellent Translation web-log. The
article offers a little insight into techniques of virtual
self-promotion and networking for freelancers and small
companies, especially in the translation industry. As a
self-employed programmer and project manager I’ve had my share
of experience in this but still I am far from being an expert.
Nonetheless, here’s my compacted knowledge of what networking
means and how networks are created, maintained, and
extended.
What is networking?
Technically, a network is a collection of interconnected unique
entities allowing for and generating multilateral transfers with
redundant ways and strategies of interaction. Translating this
techie-jibberish: a network is made up of individuals
communicating with each other. To use an analogy: like a spider
in his web you can go from one spot to another using the paths
that connect the individual positions: The more connections are
established in a web the more stable it is. In fact, personal
and business networks very much resemble the web of a
spider.
Through networks, new contacts are made: Imagine, your best
friend’s friend introduces you to one of her acquaintances who
will at a later point introduce you to your future chess club
fellow whose cousin will turn out to become your
wife/husband/friend - or may be a new client. There is a theory,
called The Six degrees of Separation (more information) which
basically says that you only have to know seven people who know
seven others and so forth to know everybody on this planet. By
making use of personal contacts you create and maintain networks
daily.
In real life everybody has social networks: your family, your
friends, your business partners etc. Networks are the most
valuable resources we have - not only in business. When it comes
down to business, however, it is vital to understand that you
cannot have enough of them. As a professional in your specific
field you are most likely already networking daily: Making sales
contacts, calling colleagues, showing up regularly at your local
professional association meetings, knowing your links to the
Chamber of Commerce etc. Through this, you certainly have gotten
most of your jobs so far and will in the future. If you are
experienced in this kind of networking you may also be a member
of a business group, which usually only allow a small number of
each profession to join. This is real life networking you are
most experienced with if you have not just started freelancing
yesterday.
This article will concentrate more specifically on on-line
marketing or self-promotion instead of repeating what everybody
most likely knows. On-line self-promotion works along the same
principles as its real-world sibling: You need to create
networks, leave positive first impressions, and make sure your
connections are redundant. In order to go into detail, however,
it is necessary to have an idea about user behaviour and of how
search engines work.
Search engines and your virtual self
Search engines gather addresses from header information sent by
browsers when user point their browsers to Google and Co, as
well as from threads in Usenet groups, news services, and, of
course, web sites they have previously indexed. These addresses
are stored into databases and spiders or robots, little
programmes that browse these sites automatically, are sent to
these websites regularly. My own site, for instance, is indexed
by robots daily for new content (1.000 views per day) and every
5 or 6 weeks completely (25.000-40.000 views per day).
When indexing websites robots usually call pages more than once
depending on the number of internal links. In that sense, a
website is its own little network. Search engines distinguish
between internal, incoming, and outgoing links. Internal links
help to evaluate the ‘weight’ of the single page and its
content, outgoing links are relatively unimportant for the
evaluation of the site itself but represent incoming links for
the sites linked to. Incoming links, however, represent the most
important factor, apart from content, of course. The more
incoming links a website gets the more valuable it becomes: it
is represented in Google’s internal database and robots will
index it more frequently. Like an introvert in real life a
website without incoming links is practically isolated and
virtually unable to network, hence it becomes vital for a
business website to get as many incoming links as possible.
Apart from links a major factor that helps to promote your
website - your virtual self - is well represented content.
Search engines build their catalogues of key words from textual
information you offer and combine them with the number of
incoming links registered for your website. Of course, the
information about you, your experience, expertise, products,
services, and prices represent the core content. But surplus you
offer on-line may be the key for virtual success. A news
section, a web-log, or a glossary of your expertise represents
such additional information. Larger companies offer forums,
references, dictionaries etc. The important fact is that the
content needs to be original - continuously reprinting is rather
harmful. Blogs are good examples: Many offer little original
content apart from copying texts found elsewhere; others,
however, paraphrase and comment on recent publications, news,
and events - thus, they create a surplus of information - an
expertise. Remember, robots index your content regularly. It
pays off to regularly provide up-to-date surplus information
since more content will get your site being linked to more
keywords in search engines.
Another way to easily produce a little bit of content is
integrating news feeds. Some websites offer xml-based or
javascript-generated news specific to your industry.
Babelport.com, for instance, offers a News Feed for the
translation industry that can be configured according to your
needs. Babelport.com News
Feed covers topics including translation markets, workshops
& events, news about CAT-Tools and PC-Security relevant
information up to six times a week. Using the Configurator<
/a> you can generate html/php/javascript code that allows to
integrate new and up-to-date content on your website easily and
according to your layout-needs.
Content is best represented as text in plain html, with a
well-done but simple design. Company websites should not have
the most fancy design - in fact this may influence your ranking
negatively. Flash driven websites are more difficult to index
and don’t forget that many users disabled such features. Also
robots only index plain html-links no popup, javascript, or
flash-based links (See Google for more information how search
engines index sites). Furthermore, as in real life a positive
initial impression is everything: Users not getting the
important information immediately will turn elsewhere - don’t
expect them to spend minutes searching. Now that Google & Co
have something to index you need to make sure they will findA
your virtual self. Here networking and on-line self-promotion
starts.
Creating networks online
If incoming links are so important to your site - how do ensure
you get them? First, by regularly providing content: if you
provide valuable information visitors will link to your site.
Second, virtual business networks allow you to create profiles
and get promoted for free or little money. Third, find means to
demonstrate your special knowledge: engage in expert exchange
forums, publish articles about your area of expertise on portals
like babelport.com, etc.. Whatever you do make sure you provide
your unique signature and your URL. Thus people will remember
you more easily and you also become more visible (and your
search engine rankings are improved).
Moreover, put a tagline to your signature in emails, forum
posts, etc: A short but catchy slogan that represents what you
do and how you feel about the kind of work you do. For some good
examples you may have a look at the user profiles visible at
babelport.com. Make sure, however, you don’t put superlatives in
there - calling your self the fastest, most reliable, or best
begs a challenge to this claim.
Joining business organisations and business portals is another
major keys to successful virtual networking, whether you wish to
bid for jobs or not. There are some out there addressing
translators (including babelport.com) and some excellent general
ones (e.g. www.openbc.com). Apart from the direct benefits of
such platforms (creating personal networks, getting access to
information, and, possibly, a job) you can only profit from
signing up with such business portals. The reason is simple: Due
to the amount of content, keywords, and incoming links portals
like these are more frequently indexed than the website of a
small business or freelancer. If you have a profile page on
these portals, participate in forum discussions, or publish
articles thAere your name, profile, résumé,
tagline, and your URL will be indexed every time robots crawl
the site completely.
Lastly, ensure a steady visibility on business platforms. Being
advertised as featured member for only a day creates additional
incoming links valid for some weeks if a robots indexes the page
during that time (remember the daily indexing by robots). This
will have more effect than paying for keywords on Google or
banner ads in general web-directories. Also, the more articles
and forum threads you post the more incoming links are generated
for your own website. Redundancy only helps to strengthen your
virtual networks (remember the spider analogy?): Be listed and
engage in more than just one business portal. By creating
profiles on and actively participating in multiple platforms
your virtual self will be ranked higher in search engine results
and connected to more keywords.
Continuous investment
As in real life, maintaining virtual networks is time and,
sometimes, money consuming. You do not need to provide original
content daily - but do it regularly. Give yourself at least
three hours per week to write some content for your website and
to participate in online forums. If you have gathered unique
information in your business, or written essays on translation,
tips for freelancers, or wish to publish new linguistic research
results, contact our administrators who will put them online for
free at babelport.com. Doing this you gain expertise and
reputation directly and add to your virtual network at the same
time.
Joining business portals does not need to cost money - there are
many benefits you get for free. Investing in annual member fees
for two or three portals, however, may cost you a couple of
hundred Euros per year, but remember it is investing into your
business and may earn you more reputation than spending the same
money in printed newspaper advertisemenAt. It certainly creates
more lasting links immediately and pays off in the long run.
Especially if you are running a business with global reach - and
as a freelance translator you most likely are - you will need to
promote yourself as heavily internationally as locally. Business
portals offer great opportunities for this.
Creating, maintaining, and extending your personal and virtual
business demands continuous engagement and investment with
success often not immediately visible. The benefits, however,
will be measurable in steadily increasing website-traffic in the
long run.
Christian Hansel
CEO cpi service, Leipzig, Germany
SiteFounder of babelport.com
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Posted on October 30th, 2008 — in Information Parlor
“So, What Do You Do?” © 2005 Dr. Barry W. Morris & Magnetic Communications & Consulting Phone: 831.612.1047 Email: Barry@BarryMorris.com Web: http://BarryMorris.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This article first appeared in The Marketing Syntax Ezine. Get Your Own Subscription Today…It’s Free! http://BarryMorris.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “So, what do you do?” It the standard question.
We all get to field this question every day in our business. It seems everyone wants to know: potential clients, grocery store line-buddies, even fellow attendees at the PTA meeting.
It this article, I’ll look at how responding to this seemingly meaningless question can bring you more business.
We’ll also learn why the way you currently respond to this question is driving away business in droves.
<<>>
We all have labels. I think that most of us tend to think in terms of labels.
I’m a writer; she’s a chiropractor, etc.
When someone asks you “the question”, how do you respond?
Most likely you respond with something like, “Hi, I’m Barry and I’m a marketing consultant”
It seems perfectly natural to answer in this manner…
<<>>
However, the listener responds with a silent, automatic response when they hear you describe yourself with a label such as “marketing consultant.”
The automatic response is a mental picture of what they think that a “marketing consultant” looks like. It’s then followed by a determination of whether or not they need a “marketing consultant.”
All of this happens in less than a second. Think about that.
In less than a second that other person has conjured up an image of the professional-you, whether of not they need you, and whether it’s in their best interest to continue the conversation.
Still, some of us use the following response…
<<>>
I hear people daily using their business processes to answer the question. It goes something like this.
“I create effective marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies by analyzing click-through rates from targeted email messages,” or “I use Rogerian therapy to uncover hidden childhood traumas in the lives of my clients.”
The problem with both of these responses is that they contain jargon, that industry-specific language that we use all the time but potential clients don’t understand.
As we mentioned in the example of the label, the listener forms an instant opinion of our services; when confronted with a process-based response, they become confused.
They don’t understand click-through rates or Rogerian therapy.
They counter our answer with a polite, “Oh, that’s nice.”..translated: See Ya.
Still another possibility is…..
<<>>
…using the solution-based response.
“Hi, I’m Barry and I work with small businesses to increase their visibility.”
This is better. It prompts the listener to respond with something like. “Oh really? How?” Warning: But at this point, most of us fall back into process.
“Well, I analyze click-through rates from targeted….yada, yada…..zzzzzzzzzz.
And we’re back where we started from.
The strength of this response is that it gets the listener to respond with an appropriate question: one that promotes inquiry and discussion.
That’s good, but there’s a better way…
<<>>
It’s the most effective way to answer “the question.”
“I work with small businesses who struggle to become more visible.”
Responding in this manner, I’ve stated who I work with and what their most pressing problem is. In this case, it’s limited visibility.
The strength of responding with a problem-based statement is that it promotes instant inquiry.
It will strike a chord with your listener.
One chiropractor I’m aware of responds like this: “I help people with bad backs become completely pain-free.”
Wow. That’s a powerful statement with which almost anyone can identify.
<<>>
When asked, “So what do you do?”, by responding with a problem-based answer, we can immediately involve the listener in our business. The listener, while they not personally be experiencing the problem we describe, still understands the problems faced in business.
I’ve had people respond with, “You know, I have a friend who could use your services.” and “My wife is self-employed and she’ll probably call you within 48 hours.” Your assignment is to craft an effective problem-based response.
How?
Step 1: List your target market (TM) (with who do you work?) Step 2: List several problems your target market experiences. Step 3: Brainstorm the benefits your TM experiences working with you. Step 4: Complete the following sentence:
“I work with ( Target Market) who experience ( TM’s biggest problem).”
Step 5: Craft your follow-up statement: After they as you how you do that, follow up with a benefit-related statement.
“By working with me, my clients experience (Benefits).”
Remember to stay away from describing your label, your process, and your specific solutions which almost always contain jargon.
<<>>
How you choose to answer this simple question can determine the success of your networking activities.
If you’ve encountered frustration with networking because you’re not seeing any results, begin to work on your Business Mantra. Rework it until you can respond with a problem-based response. Then see what happens.
I know you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Dr. Barry W. Morris Magnetic Communications & Consulting 204 Burnham Court Aptos, CA 95003 831.612.1047
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Posted on October 29th, 2008 — in Information Parlor
Rule Number 1: Compare, compare, compare. There are numerous prepaid phone cards out there and yes, there are some major differences between the fees they charge. If you’re serious about getting the most out of your hard earned dollar, take the time to compare different cards.
Rule Number 2: Read the small print, always.
Be aware of why prepaid calling cards are so profitable for long distance carriers: Let’s say you purchase a prepaid calling card for $50 and this card has an extremely low per minute rate but a $2.25 connection fee for each call. You make your calls until you have $2.00 worth of minutes on the card. Guess what? You can’t use the card anymore because the connection fee is $2.25. All you can do is throw the card away, and the company that issued the card just made a free $2.
Protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN): This is your personal number and should not be shared with anyone unless you have given them permission to use your card. If you lose your PIN, most companies will not replace it.
Know if there is a connection fee: This fee is billed for every call that is connected. If answering machines, fax machines, voice mail, or pagers picks up, the call is considered to be connected. Connection fees vary wildly between different calling cards. If you are planning on making only short calls, the connection fee alone can “eat up” your cards minutes. Know the per minute rate: This is the rate that is billed for each minute of the conversation that the caller engages in and is usually expressed in cents per minute. Many prepaid phone cards will have a cheap per minute rate, but then a very high connection fee. Once again, if you make only short quick calls, check the per minute rate while knowing what your connection fee is. Even if your per minute rate is only 1 but you have a $1.50 connection fee, a 2 minute call will cost you $1.52. (You just paid 76 per minute for your call.)
Make sure you know if your card has an expiration date: Many prepaid phone cards will expire on a certain date. This time span is usually 3-6 months and is either from the date of purchase or the cards first use. If your card expires with minutes still remaining, all you can do is throw it out.
Know if your card is rechargeable: Some prepaid calling cards must be thrown away once the minutes are used or when the card expires, but others are rechargeable. If your card is rechargeable you will be able to add more minutes by contacting the carrier.
Using a prepaid card to make your call from a cell phone: Read the small print because in some cases a call from a cell phone will use up more of your minutes.
Does your card have a maintenance fee?: This is a scheduled fee that might be applied weekly, monthly, and sometimes even daily (the fee is normally applied monthly). This fee is applied to any card that has been used at least once.
Check the pay phone fee: This fee is an FCC mandated fee that is collected every time that a payphone is used. Every phone card has a pay phone fee but these fees vary between companies.
What is the billing increment?: This is how you are billed for your call. For example, if the card has a three-minute billing increment, a two-minute call will be billed as a three-minute call. If a call is four minutes long it will be billed as a six-minute call. The majority of prepaid calling cards bill in one-minute increments, so if you make a call that last one minute and three seconds, you will be billed for a two-minute call.
Fees and taxes: Remember that fees and taxes will use up your remaining minutes, so use your card wisely.
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Posted on October 28th, 2008 — in Information Parlor
The noted social scientist said that the world has become a global village. Nothing illustrates this better than the emergence of the mobile phone. A century ago, the wireless radio, the telephone and the cable made possible the act of communication, by sending and receiving of messages. Today a SMS message takes am couple of seconds to reach a mobile phone, anywhere in the world through the magic of undersea cables, satellite transmission and local cell towers. This is a vast improvement from the traditional methods of messenger, pigeon post, sea mail, and the ubiquitous postman.
It is a vastly different world where your trusty mobile phone becomes your best communication medium in times of festivities, family occasions like birthdays, wedding days, anniversaries and emergencies. It takes a few seconds to write and a second to send it. Lovers, young and old, find it useful because the messages remain private and ‘for your eyes only’ with none being aware about it. It seems perfect that the I Love You message you send reaches the intended destination straight and true like an arrow. Of course, if the recipient’s phone number is a wrong number, you have had it.
SMS messages can be short and sweet, or as long as you like, the only limitation being that they do not exceed 150 characters. When this happens, the message is split up and sent as separate messages of 150 characters each. Book publishers have appreciated this and are sending best sellers via SMS to interested book lovers. Some SMS messages can bring the senders lots of prizes through contests, sweepstakes and lucky predictions.
SMS messages are cheap because mobile phone providers offer the facility either for free or at a low price. Associations, professional organizations, social welfare societies like the Lions and Rotary Clubs, welcome the facility of sending SMS messages announcing upcoming meetings, membership arrears payment dates, payment due alerts and acknowledgements of fee and subscription payments received.
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions find it useful to send short communications of impending semester dates, examinations and results as well as fee payment due alerts to students and their parents. The students and parents appreciate the relevant information in the messages.
Credit card companies, banks and financial institutions and marketing companies are able to generate new business from existing consumer database by using this medium to remind customers of payment or renewal dates, new offers available, or as a means of addressing customer complaints.
And laughing all the way to the bank are the mobile service providers, who earn a windfall amount in additional revenue by splitting the premium SMS message call charges with the companies.
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Posted on October 27th, 2008 — in Information Parlor
There are many appealing aspects to satellite television. From the many freebies that the companies try to entice you with, to the appealing price of the monthly service, to the value of the basic service, to the quality of the picture and sound.
Satellite TV is a digital broadcast, and as such it has an enhanced picture and sound quality built in. Satellite TV also boasts an optional HDTV broadcast, which at 1080 lines of resolution makes it roughly 3 times sharper than regular television.
Many people are not even aware that with your satellite dish you can also get Internet service as well. For many people who live in remote locations, satellite TV is their only choice, but many are beginning to discover the value in satellite TV regardless of where they live.
With satellite TV there is no need to amplify the signal inside the house like you do with cable, and your Internet service doesn’t go down because of signal degradation like cable can.
Unlike cable satellite TV is a 100% digital broadcast, which allows for a greater capability and programming. You can have 500 channels, which can be broadcast in different languages such as Russian and Arabic. Cable simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to accomplish this level of programming. Only so much data can transmit through a cable line, but with satellite TV you are using an electromagnetic wave to transmit and receive data, which bounces off satellites in space, thus you have virtually no limitations in the amount of data that can be sent or received.
It’s no wonder that satellite TV is quickly catching on with millions of Americans, and as many more discover it’s value and service, millions more will join the wireless revolution and jump on the satellite TV bandwagon.
If you would like to learn more about satellite TV, and see what kind of deals are currently out there and what your options are, feel free to visit our website at: http://www.find-satellite-tv-providers.com
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Posted on October 27th, 2008 — in Information Parlor
High tech cell phones can be wireless phones that go above and beyond just simply being able to put a call out to another mobile user. A high tech cell phone is great for anyone wanting to multi-task and get things done faster with one gadget. Any businessperson or anyone constantly on the go should consider getting him self or her self a high tech wireless phone to accomplish more on the go. There are many mobile phones these days that offer things like infrared connectivity, web access and color display. These options not only can make things easier or faster for you, but can also be more use friendly. A cell phone can accomplish nearly anything technical these days that you want it to. When it comes to wireless accessories and options you can either research these on-line, over the internet, or put yourself into contact with an authorized agent who can answer questions about features, rates, prices, and gadgets. There are a few gadgets that you should expect to come across.
Many cell phone providers offer things like 2-way messaging, multimedia phone with LED flash mega pixel, camera phones that can either take a snapshot or a video, amongst many other features. Your wireless high tech needs are sure to be met with all of the options available in a mobile phone today.
If hands-free dialing is your thing than there are cell phone options like voice activated dialing and speakerphone. Your mobile can also have high-speed data transmission, web browsing system and more. Prepaid cell phones are perfect if you are seeking to control the amount of time you use. The nice part about this type of cell phone deal is that you can recharge the amount of time you need by just simply buying more minutes.
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Posted on October 26th, 2008 — in Lots Of Travel Resources, Regional Highlights
Elegant Apartments, fully furnished, in the Historical Centre of Palermo
Our elegant and fully-equipped apartments are located in a distinguished and totally refurbished building (with elevator) of the end of the 19° century, situated in the Centre of Palermo, less than 5 minutes walking from Politeama Theatre square (also Called Castelnuovo square), the main square of the city.
The location is perfect as a base for visiting the best shops of the centre, cafes, bars, Arabic-Norman churches and every architectural and historical treasure of Palermo, all of which are very close by.
A short walk will take you to the Massimo theatre and the Archaeological Museum. Politeama Theatre square is also well connected by public transportation to the famous Mondello beach (10 – 15 minutes bus ride) and the airport Falcone e Borsellino (40 minutes away).
We are also very close to an old and traditional market called “Borgo Vecchio”, in which you can find all kinds of typical Sicilian products, and also fresh fish, just caught the night before!
Each apartment is independent air conditioning and heating are provided. Every apartment is furnished with TV, linen and towels, cooking area, bathroom with WC and shower. Iron and cot on request. Free luggage storage is available. Web access in lobby.
The cooking area is fully furnished with cookers, microwave oven, refrigerator and freezer, sink, kitchenware’s and pots.
PROPERTY FACILITIES:
# Internet Access
# Linen Included
# Towels
# Luggage Storage
# Children Friendly
# Guest Kitchen
# Travel Desk/Travel Info
# Key Card Access
# No Curfew
# No Lockout
# Lift
# Bike Parking
# Taxes included in price
# Free Internet Access
# WiFi in lobby
# Web access in lobby
# Air Conditioning
# Meeting Facilities
If you are interested in a cheap hotel in Palermo, pls visit our catalogue of Hotels all over Italy, where you can find also a wide range of Bed and Breakfast in Rome and Hotels in Florence, from cheap to luxury, togheter with Sorrento Tours
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Posted on October 20th, 2008 — in Jewels + Jewelry
Over the past several years there has been a huge demand for quality, wholesale sterling silver jewelry products. This demand for silver has put the pressure on the prices, which have doubled over the last year, sending retailer jewelers scrambling, trying to hold their costs down so that they can attract new customers as well as retain their current clientele.
Finding quality, selection and price all from one source can be a challenge. The best way to manage your wholesale sterling silver jewelry purchasing budget is to deal with a supplier who do the forethought to purchase a large stock before the prices went through the roof and are willing to pass the savings on to you. A large, well established company has this advantage over its smaller competitors and it is worth your while to create a business relationship with them. In the best case, they will not only provide your business with outstanding sterling silver jewelry that is affordable to you and your customers, but will also provide some technical support and marketing advice as well.
One reason why you will find this level of service is because the competition within the wholesale sterling silver jewelry market is just as steep as it is in the retail sector. This works to your advantage in your search for the pricing that best suits your budget. Research wholesale sterling silver jewelry vendors online, so you can review the current fashion trends, discover who is buying and what price point is most reasonable.
If you choose to create a re-sell account with online wholesale sterling silver jewelry vendors, make sure that you get all the facts before hand, for some of these online sources have a higher minimum order than if you were to purchase from their physical location. In order to find a vendor with a back stock of sterling silver jewelry, you need to look to how many years of operational experience in the real-world they have behind them, ideally, an online presence is an extension of the company, make sure that the company is not just an online operation.
You will find most of the better wholesale sterling silver jewelry vendors take the time to participate and showcase their goods in the large jewelry shows that make yearly visits to the major cities. At these events, you will have the opportunity to meet and talk with designers, manufacturers as well as wholesalers. What you see at these shows can give you a better idea of the types of sterling silver jewelry that will appeal the most to your customer base.
Best of all, many of the exhibitors use these events to offer special items for your inventory at great savings. You will be able to browse hundreds of wholesale sterling silver jewelry distributors at once, making it easier to compare price points and select your inventory within a short period of time all at one location.
Uma G. Bennett is a part-time copywriter for Sam’s One that specializes in sterling silver hip hop jewelry wholesale.
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Posted on October 19th, 2008 — in Great Media Tips
The beautiful tropical island of Puerto Rico is home to people that thrive on their fishing and agricultural skills. Puerto Rico is located between the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the Caribbean Sea on the south. Its fertile soil supports one of the densest populations in the world. Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the island on Nov. 19, 1493. Early Spanish settlers named the island as San Juan Bautista, in honor of St. John the Baptist and named the capital as Puerto Rico, meaning “rich port”. In course of time, the names were interchanged; the capital came to be known as San Juan and the island as Puerto Rico.
The Spanish settlers used the city of San Juan as a shipment port for gold that was mined in Puerto Rico. Silver from South America was also stored in the city for trans-shipment to Spain. Droughts, hurricanes and a constant threat of attack from the British, Dutch and French plagued the island in the 18th century.
In 1809, political unrest occurred amongst the islanders, with a small group of landowners rising up in arms against Spanish rule. In 1897, Puerto Rico was granted a Letter of Autonomy from Spain and trade was opened up with the United States and European colonies. In 1898, the Spanish-American War brought an end to Spanish rule and Puerto Rico became a commonwealth of the United States.
The economy of Puerto Rico thrived during the 20th century and in 1917, the U.S. Congress granted US citizenships to Puerto Ricans. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt launched the Puerto Rican Reconstruction Administration, which resulted in the development of agriculture, public works and electrification of the island. Puerto Rico was declared a semi-autonomous commonwealth territory of the United States in 1952.
Manufacturing plants from the U. S. mainland were attracted to the island, which ushered in a 20-year period of unprecedented economic growth. Other developing economies looked to the island as a model of industrialization and referred to it as the “Puerto Rico Miracle”. The 1970 census showed Puerto Rico in favorable light, with a large urban population for the first time in its history.
Undeterred by its politics, Puerto Rico’s economic growth continues and life largely resembles most U.S. cities in business, education, commerce and tourism. The music, arts, and folklore, however, are more influenced by all the elements of the island than mainland U.S. culture.
Puerto Rico provides detailed information on Puerto Rico, Map Of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Vacation, San Juan Puerto Rico and more. Puerto Rico is affiliated with Punta Cana Hotels .
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