The Traversalist

The current “frenzy” over VoIP seems to focused mostly on BroadBand phones and their predicted replacement of landline phone calls as we know it.

But that’s just the obvious action on the surface.

VoIP technology is & can be much more than that. And company R&D is gearing up in unprecedented ways to prepare for that surprising leap in expectation.

Notice I said expectation.

Seems the old business model in Telco was that whatever the companies came up with is what the consumer would take.

The companies drove the market & what was in it…including any technology “advancements” and their application, distribution, etc.

Remember…..we had dial-up internet….then DSL, cable, & satellite access. Now WiFi & soon reliable WiMax deployment.

We had high cpm PSTN / POTS residential phone calls….then we had bundled local/LD…. then flat rate LD. Now Broadband phone (VoIP).

We had bulky analog cell phones then digital/PCS, text messaging, and now sleek video cellular.

But that is old world thinking.

The reason is 2 fold….

First….VoIP technology (note I didn’t say VoIP “phone”) stands to afford unprecedented advancements and capabilities yet to be seen. The potential is boggling.

Second….the old business model was that whatever companies came up with consumers would accept. The companies drove what was available & came to market.

No more…now consumers are dictating to companies “we want this now come up with it”.

That’s a drastic change in thinking that companies must now deal with. Those that do will be better positioned to capture what markets are created by consumer demand…vice the old approach of markets being created by what companies developed and released. And the foundation of this new consumer driven demand will likely be based on VoIP (and I believe wireless) technology.

That aside, I’d really like to see what you think of this shift in product development and market control to consumer “vision” vice company “idea” driven….fueled by the possibilities surrounding VoIP and wireless. We’ve seen….or soon will….a host of Gee Whiz break throughs & possibilities focused heavily on multi-media & data (both residential & business). What do you think the future holds?

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The news these days is abuzz with talk about the avian flu. Everyone is talking about where it’s going, and how it’s going to turn into an epidemic, but no one is talking about where it CAME FROM! That’s because the answer is too horrible for words.

Years ago, it was noticed that for most of the year, turkeys were barely eaten. Only around Christmas and thanksgiving does anyone eat turkey. The rest of the year, the turkeys are just sitting around, growing old and fat and bringing in no profit. That’s why for the last 10 years, every turkey you’ve eaten has been a clone. Rather than keeping a whole gaggle of turkeys which have to be maintained year round, they simply keep one turkey, and when demand is about to spike they make clones of the bird, genetically engineered to age at one hundred times the normal rate.

How could they know that the accelerated development rate would be passed on to a flu-like retrovirus, vastly boosting its mutation rate and allowing it to quickly jump the barrier between species? Even now, the master virus continues to mutate, throwing off newer and deadlier strains as it evolves towards the perfect virus.

Remember folks, everything happens for a reason. I like to call people who think otherwise coincidence theorists.

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Manhattan is the heartbeat of New York City and has become synonymous with the city as a whole. The Island itself is home to Times Square, as well as a number of artistic and cultural focal points. The Island of Manhattan can be roughly divided into Downtown, Midtown and Uptown areas, each of which include a number of first-class points of interest.

Positioned to the south of 14th Street, Downtown Manhattan is the site of the Financial District which runs along Wall Street, including the rebuilt World Trade Center and Battery Park, from which you can reach the Statue of Liberty by boat. Quite a few popular cultural areas downtown, including Greenwich Village Tribeca and Soho feature old architecture, the latest eats and plenty of shopping. Another admired target downtown is Manhattan, which runs along Canal Street.

The Midtown area is found between 14th Street and Central Park, and contains a prominent arts scene. The center|core|axis|hub|heart} of arts life in the metropolis is the Theater District which contains Broadway, Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen, as well as the Air & Space Museum. Midtown is a opportune area for visitors to stay as there are a lot of hotels in the area. Other trendy districts consist of Gramercy Flat Iron, a chic residential area, as well as the fashion centerpoint Chelsea District.

Dominated by Central Park, Upper Manhattan includes the Belvedere Castle in Central Park, the MET and quite a lot of museums throughout the Upper East and West side. Additionally, the section is thesite of Columbia University in Morningside Heights, the historic Harlem community and Washington Heights.

All of Manhattan’s distinctive districts carry their own sense of history, as well as trendy attractions from first-class arts to eats. A visit to New York is not complete without a complete tour of Manhattan’s greatest places. There is a good reason that the island has come to define the public face of the city. Manhattan is one of the world’s foremost cultural capitals and continues to set the standard in commercial and artistic trends.

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Security camera systems work via closed-circuit television (CCTV). This CCTV differs from broadcast television because all of the components of the cameras and televisions are linked with cables or alternate direct means. CCTV can be viewed in real-time, and there is no need to broadcast a signal.

CCTV can be found in many places, including airports, casinos, banks, and the streets. Cameras can be placed in inconspicuous or obvious places. There is usually a security room that has individual televisions that are directly connected to a specific security camera. The amount of security personnel needed to monitor the cameras varies with respect to the amount of cameras needed. In casinos, there can be hundreds of cameras.

CCTV has been used extensively in the United Kingdom. Authorities place cameras in car parks and on the streets. These camera placements have significantly reduced car crimes. Authorities in the United Kingdom have been pushing for the introduction of even more cameras. CCTV is very good for crime detection and prosecution.

One draw back of security cameras is that many claim that they are an invasion of privacy. Another argument is that CCTV displaces crime instead of reducing it. CCTV has been accused of being an invasion of civil liberties.

The history of CCTV dates back to when the cameras used in public places were very simple and low quality. Today’s cameras have high definition digital rendering and can even track object movement. When cameras are positioned correctly and synched, they can trace an objects movement over a long period of time. Cameras can also have the potential ability to have facial recognition. Currently, high-definition cameras are unable to distinguish faces completely which leads to a plethora of false positives. Critics of facial recognition technology site the potentiality for mass surveillance and the further loss of civil liberties.

Current CCTV technology being developed in the UK and the US aims at creating a computerized monitoring system that would allow security guards and CCTV operators to not have to look at all of the screens. This would allow an operator to run many more CCTV cameras, which could reduce security costs. This type of system does not look at people directly, but rather recognizes certain types of questionable behavior. A drawback of this could be that computers cannot distinguish between normal behavior, such as waiting for someone on a busy street, and suspicious behavior, such as loitering around a car.

Security cameras are very effective for crime conviction and identification, but not as effective for crime prevention. The idea is that security cameras help prevent crime because people are less willing to commit infractions if a camera is in plain sight. The down side to this is that some security cameras are hidden, so criminals have no deterrent. Security camera technology is constantly becoming more advanced, and so security cameras should be able to find criminals, and hopefully prevent more crimes in the future.

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PR expert Thomas R. Cutler, President of Fort Lauderdale based, TR Cutler, Inc. Was profiled as leading advertising executives in a recent column for the Sun-Sentinel and included sage advice. The column was authored Jeff Zbar, the “ChiefHomeOfficer.com,” has worked as a home-based journalist, author and small business advocate since the 1980s. He was named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2001 Small Business Journalist of the Year.

Cutler noted in the feature article, “What is important to a company is not necessarily something an editor or reader has “gotta” read about.” Cutler laments how clients think all news is newsworthy.

Thomas R. Cutler, who founded the Manufacturing Media Consortium in 1999, has grown the participation from 300 journalists to more than two thousands key clients, journalists, editors, trendsetters, and key business leaders worldwide. Cutler has authored more than 1000 articles for a wide range of manufacturing periodicals, industrial publications, and business journals including most of the leading monthly trade publications. Cutler is the author of The Manufacturers’ Public Relations and Media Guide. Cutler was voted #1 Manufacturing Journalist for the third year in a row. The firm has forty-two employees worldwide. TR Cutler, Inc., (www.trcutlerinc.com), is the nation’s largest manufacturing marketing and public relations firm, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As a writer, speaker and consultant, Jeff’s specialties include work-at-home, teleworking, alternative officing and small business marketing, furnishings, technology, security, communications and motivation. His think-tank and consultancy, Goin’ SOHO! (small or home office), works with corporations hoping to target the emerging home office and teleworking markets, and individuals hoping to enter or excel in the home-business, small business and teleworking arena.

Jeff writes for more than a dozen national publications, and is or has been a contributing editor to Home Office Computing, Entrepreneur.com and Writer’s Digest. He writes “Home Base,” the teleworking advice column on Network World’s Net.Worker Web site (www.nwfusion.com/net.worker). Jeff is the weekly marketing columnist and recurring small business feature and technology writer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. His columns also have been featured on Onvia.com (SOHO Corner Office) and FreeAgent.com (Go SOHO!).

TR Cutler, Inc. www.trcutlerinc.com Thomas Cutler 954-486-7562

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Christmas cupcakes are a delicious treat for everyone! This Christmas cupcakes decoration idea is so adorable! These cupcakes look like clever Christmas ball ornaments and they’re easy to put together. Just bake any cupcake recipe and decorate accordingly:

Decorating Steps:

1. Ice cupcakes with red or white frosting. For a stylish look, ice half in red and the other half in white.
2. Place a peanut butter cup candy, upside down, on top of the iced cupcake. Press it into the frosting a bit so that it stays put.
3. For the ornament hook, use pretzels. Break off the rounded part that resembles a “J” shape and insert the pointed side into the candy. You can also use a mini candy cane.

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Success coaching is a term that has become increasingly popular over the last ten years. The term life coaching first became fashionable in the United States where, together with NLP, it became part of a new excellent wave of profoundly proactive therapy models. Find a Life Coach in London and make the change today.

In many ways both Coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming are an answer against certain aspects of the Humanistic movement, in particular Person-Centred Counselling. A criticism of the humanistic and person centred therapy approach is that it is astonishingly reactive and not awfully proactive. Although all this works spectacular with some customers, with other clients long periods of impasse or low return for time and effort occur. Success coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming are both humanistic in stance, spending effort on improving a customers smiles rather than looking into the depths of childhood, as in traditional psychology. Life coachings emphasis is, however, deliberately proactive and their to resolve your problems.

Success coaching is not about telling the client what to do. This is a common misconception. Some therapists are fairly successful in their business careers and then make the change to personal coaching, thinking that they will at most be required to share their pearls of marvellous wise wisdom with the client. Sharing pearls of wisdom is more like mentoring a person in a specific environment. Lifestyle coaching is instead about life as a whole.

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One of the latest services that is growing steadily is “email to phone”, whereby you can receive email messages by voice over the phone, or send voice messages as emails from any phone – cell phone, satellite phone or a regular land line.

When I first heard of this, I wondered, “Why would I want to listen to my email instead of reading it?” But I soon learned that there are a great many people who can stay in much better touch receiving email messages by phone. Here is a list of the top ten reasons I have complied to use an email to phone service:

Email to phone for busy people on the run

1. You can pick up a message any time, any where, even if you had not planned to. Have you ever had that eerie feeling there was an urgent email waiting for you? Now you can relieve your curiosity, deal with the email and feel 100% assured that landing the sand trap was not a result of email anxiety.

2. Receiving emails by phone is ideal for a busy person on the run. Between the meetings and the restaurant and the cab, a busy person does not always have the time to sit down in front of a computer. But he always has time for his cell phone (You might have noticed this in restaurants, theatre shows, etc.)

3. International travelers have a great use for email to phone services, as they cannot always foretell the availability of a computer or an Internet connection, nor how much time they might have between flights, meetings, etc. This way, they can keep monitoring all their urgent messages wherever they end up, and delayed flights will no longer mean delayed business.

Email to phone for constant access

4. There are some places where you just can’t plug into your computer (or would not want to). On a boat, for instance. With email to phone messaging, you can receive email while you relax on a boat, far from an Internet connection. And yes, it IS relaxing to know you don’t have to fret about a missed email that could bring down the company or cost you your job.

5. On a hunting or fishing trip, you might often find yourself with no Internet connection. And you certainly won’t have a computer with you (I hope!). But you might have cell phone access. And if one of your hunting buddies does drag along his PC from home, you can tell him to get an email to phone service instead.

6. Check in at the cottage, without lugging a computer around. Need I say more. It is indeed relaxing to know you don’t have to fret about a missed email that cost you your job. It is NOT relaxing to have to open your eyes to look at a computer monitor.

7. There are also many countries where Internet access is not reliable, even in parts of well-traveled countries. Who needs Internet for emails, when you can receive them by phone?

8. Indeed, even in your own country, there might be areas you frequent that are outside of the digital coverage area, where SMS and text messaging are unavailable, such as driving through deserts or mountains. Even with analog coverage or a regular phone line, you can keep monitoring your email.

Special monitoring email by phone

9. Some people need instant alerts, and have to be in touch even while in the lunch room or traveling between meetings. IT support people, who subscribe to a web site monitoringservice are a perfect example. If a company’s website goes down, the CEO won’t be pleased if 45 minutes later the IT manager says, “Sorry, I was out to lunch.”

10. Some people have the misfortune of having to communicate with high-tech show-offs like me who use email to communicate. For these unfortunate people who might otherwise be forced to adapt to 21st century technology, email to phone messaging rides to the rescue. “Hah! Now I can listen to email messages on my cell phone. And they thought they could force me to adopt modern technology. Hah! I sure fooled them!”

There you have it – my top ten reasons to use email to phone services. Amazing how new ideas can turn even a stone-aged telephone into a technological leap forward. Imagine what they’ll do with boulders next.

About the Author

David Leonhardt is a web site marketing strategies consultant and a freelance copy editor. Read more information at an email to phone web site or read the email to phone FAQ

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A working understanding of temperament styles (personality types) will have a profound impact on the way you perceive yourself and will greatly enhance all of your relationships. If you are a salesperson, this information will significantly increase your sales effectiveness by enabling you to build trust and rapport quickly with your prospects and customers. Business owners and managers find this knowledge invaluable. It can improve the way you supervise your employees and allow you to recruit more effectively. As a parent, it can dramatically improve the way you relate to your children. If you are single, it can provide you insight into selecting a compatible mate.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, has been credited with originating the basic theory of temperament styles twenty-four hundred years ago. Hippocrates believed that we are born with a combination of four genetic influences that he called humors; Choleric (Worker), Sanguine (Talker), Phlegmatic (Watcher), and Melancholy (Thinker). He observed that these four styles have a direct influence on our physiology, character traits and outlook on life. In fact, the word temperament which is commonly used to describe personality types is a Latin term which means, “a mixing in due portion.” While we are each born with a primary temperament, our personality is comprised of all four styles. My temperament training system gives you the tools and knowledge to recognize a person’s primary temperament style through observation. Each primary temperament style exhibits a body language preference and has distinctive physical features and characteristics that are neither gender, race, nor age specific. This is a significant breakthrough in the study of temperament understanding because it is a practical system that can be used with everyone you meet. My temperament-training program allows you to put this information to use in your day-to-day encounters from the boardroom to the kitchen table. This article showcases the Sanguine/Talker temperament style.

The Talker temperament style is the I, or Influencer, in the D.I.S.C. temperament profiling system. The Talker is extroverted and persuasive by nature, they are known to possess the “gift of gab.” Talkers will normally be the one to initiate a conversation and they seek to get the last word in as well. Due to their enthusiastic and expressive nature they are inclined to interrupt others. They are often referred to as natural born salespeople and it is said that they can sell ice to Eskimos. They have the ability to think quickly on their feet and are very articulate. A Talker prefers to be around people and when alone will usually have a radio or TV playing in the background for company. The Talker enjoys a change of pace and dislikes routine or structure. They require freedom to express their ideas and they enjoy recognition for their accomplishments. They are “big picture” people and don’t like dealing in detail work. They get bored sitting still for long periods of time and need the freedom to move around.

Talkers love an audience and seek to be the center of attention. Others often view this need for approval and attention as egotistical and self-centered. The typical Talker’s motto is, “Enough about me – what do you think about me?” Talkers are friendly, enthusiastic, impulsive and social. They tend to be emotional and demonstrative and as a result wear their feelings on their sleeve. Under pressure, they will talk faster than normal and may deny reality. The impulsive Talker likes status things and are known as power shoppers. It is not uncommon for them to go shopping in order to lift their spirits. The Talker/Thinker profile enjoys the latest gadgets and is usually interested in science fiction.

Physically, Talkers tend to have a barrel chest, stocky build and a large head. Talkers are typically “couch potatoes” and need routine exercise to stay in shape. Due to their sedentary life style they are prone to gain weight and find it difficult to keep off. It is not unusual for the Talker to have bags under their eyes and a recessed chin. When you think of a Talker think of Bill Clinton, Drew Carey, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O’Donnell, Dolly Pardon, Bill Cosby, Ronald Reagan, John Candy, Cybill Shepherd, Mohammed Ali, Phil Donahue, John Belushi, Richard Dreyfuss, and Newt Gingretch. While not all Talkers will have a dimple in their chin, it has been my observation that anyone that does have a dimple is automatically the Talker/Thinker/Worker/Watcher profile. Of the six primary Talker profiles, this profile is the most dramatic, expressive, creative, formal and moody. Some well-known Talkers with a dimple in their chin are; John Trivolta, Terry Bradshaw, Jesse Ventura, Chevy Chase, Joe Namath, and Kirk Douglas.

Talker’s Positive Traits

Sociable – Generous – Optimistic – Enthusiastic – Persuasive – Articulate

Talker’s Negative Traits

Unorganized – Egotistical – Impulsive – Self-Absorbed – Emotional – Lazy

Talker Behaviors

1. Exhibits a carefree demeanor.
2. Interrupts others while they are speaking.
3. Easily distracted.
4. Dislike for dealing with details.
5. Can juggle numerous tasks at once.
6. Extremely creative and spontaneous.
7. Needs excitement, adventure and thrills.

How Talkers Can Improve

1. Don’t try so hard to be liked.
2. Be cheerful without overdoing it.
3. Talk less and listen more – don’t interrupt.
4. Follow directions carefully.
5. Be more accurate.
6. Don’t make promises that you can’t keep.
7. Develop a more serious work ethic.

About the Author

John Boe, based in Monterey, CA, helps companies recruit, train and motivate top-quality people. To view his online Video Demo or to have John Boe speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call (831) 375-3668.

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If you’ve been publishing for a while, your newsletter content mix may be static. Maybe each issue includes the same tired content: one press release, one “Top Ten Tips” article, and one “News From Headquarters” feature. Or maybe your newsletter is still relatively new, but in the hectic days of launching it you concentrated on building your subscriber list and graphic design, not content. If so, now is the time to take a hard look at your newsletter content.

Maybe your newsletter content has been “same old, same old” because you haven’t really thought about the range of information your subscribers might like or new formats for presenting information. If your in-house experts have been the source of information, maybe a guest editor would add spice. Or perhaps presenting information in the form of a case study would enliven dull data or make the theoretical more practical.

What else could you include in your newsletter? Here’s a list of 26 content ideas to get you started.

1. Editorial. Subscribers welcome columns written by an in-house or industry expert.

2. Case study. Readers love real-life how-to’s that they can apply to their own business. Case studies provide valuable specifics: How much did it cost? What problems did they encounter? What was the ROI?

3. Photographs. Don’t forget that all content doesn’t have to be text. Choose photos that are worth a thousand words. If you are using “people” photos, a close-up of a speaker works better than a wide-angle shot of a roomful of attendees.

4. Product review. Readers will appreciate your informed opinion and unbiased reviews of everything from software to computer equipment to packing materials.

5. Interview with an expert. Spend 15 minutes talking to an expert and you’ll come up with a heap of valuable information and insights you can write up for one or even two newsletter articles.

6. Profile. Write about a subscriber or a partner in each issue of your newsletter. Profiles enable your subscribers to connect with your company on a personal level.

7. Behind-the-scenes spotlight. Give your subscribers a behind-the-scenes look at the people responsible for your latest product. Or how about explaining your company’s fulfillment or manufacturing process?

8. Advice column. Write a “Dear Abby” column, with an expert who solves a subscriber’s problem. Use actual questions from subscribers. If necessary, get the column started with a question you are often asked.

9. Resource list. Let subscribers know about useful websites, white papers, books, or training opportunities.

10. Tales from the trenches. Publish reader anecdotes about real-life events, such as convincing a skeptical client to sign a contract or staffing a nursing home during a flu epidemic.

11. “Winner’s circle.” Recognize the success of a subscriber, a partner, or someone in your industry or community.

12. How-to’s. Give easy-to-follow instructions for completing a task, such as writing a marketing e-mail, or a project such as purchasing a content management system.

13. Account-specific information. If your subscribers can “self-serve” at your web site, let them know of any system enhancements: “Did you know you can now track your order online?”

14. Instant information. Provide easily downloadable information: a white paper, a PowerPoint presentation, a demo.

15. Calendar of events. Include your speaking engagements, conference presentations, and product demos on your calendar as well as other events of interest to your subscribers.

16. Conference coverage. Report on noteworthy conference sessions, keynote speakers, and any goodies you received.

17. Networking. Invite your subscribers to respond to blog posts, attend real or online meetings, or join discussion groups.

18. Legal update. Let your subscribers know about any changes in laws or regulations that affect them.

19. Time-sensitive reminders. Tell subscribers about important deadlines for grant applications or proposals, etc.

20. Survey. Ask subscribers to participate in a survey or poll, then publish and interpret the survey results in the next issue

21. Coupon. Give subscribers a printable coupon for a product, service, or consulting session.

22. Industry update. Post industry-related news feed on your site to provide breaking news.

23. Trend spotting. Give subscribers a heads-up on new trends that will affect their business or lifestyle.

24. Giveaway or sweepstake. Offer a premium for responding, subscribing, or purchasing
something from you. Give away a book, a special report, a digital camera, or another gift.

25. Testimonial. Share the praise your customers shower on your company. Not only will you build business, you’ll help subscribers understand all the ways they might work with you.

26. Successful project feature. Write a short summary of a current project that went well. Tell what you accomplished and how you did it. This list will get you thinking about your newsletter content in a new way.

No doubt your newsletter team will come up with other content ideas. But beware! Perhaps novelist John Steinbeck was thinking of ideas for newsletter content when he said: “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”

About the Author

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