Nearly 1,000 marketers and marketing academics converged at American Marketing Association's inaugural Mplanet(TM) (Nov. 29 - Dec. 1) to address the pressing issues facing today's marketers, including how to effectively use new media channels, champion disciplined innovation and make their brands more relevant in the changing marketing environment.

Dennis Dunlap, Chief Executive Officer, American Marketing Association, advised marketers on "Winning Strategies" in this new marketing environment:

1. Start a Fire and Then Carry the Torch: Champion innovation, then lead
the way, enterprise-wide.

2. Wear The Customer's Shoes, Create A Path For Them: Be obsessive about
understanding customers and what influences them.

3. Measure With Precision and Prove Your Mettle: Embrace accountability
and nail marketing metrics.

4. Run A Sprint and A Marathon: Support the short-term (i.e., quarterly
financial targets) and the long-term (big picture initiatives and
goals.)

5. Know Who You Are, Create Who You Want To Be: Build a winning marketing
organization for the 21st century.

Tax Analysts, the publisher of Tax Notes magazine and other print and online tax policy publications, is helping Americans learn whether the Internal Revenue Service owes them money. Want to find out whether you are among the 95,746 taxpayers whose income tax refund checks -- averaging $963 per taxpayer and totaling $92.2 million -- couldn't be delivered? Go to Tax Analysts' Web site, http://www.taxanalysts.com, and click on "$92 Million of IRS Refunds."

Notebook computers have become the business weapon of choice among American entrepreneurs according to a new study of United States small businesses by the non-profit Small Business Technology Institute. Among those surveyed, 41 percent plan to purchase a new notebook in the next six months and the majority (74 percent) plan to refresh their mobile computers at least every three years. The primary factor small businesses cite for moving to notebook computers from desktop computers is the ability to work anywhere, anytime (80 percent).

The 'Snap Insight' study is featured in the new issue of Small Business Technology Magazine. Download the entire free report at http://www.sbtechnologymagazine.org/snap

Readers get insights and advice from Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki this month as these legendary business icons sit down in an interview with Entrepreneur magazine. In the November issue on newsstands today, readers get their approach on how to build wealth as well as an exclusive look at their new book, Why We Want You to Be Rich, through a special chapter excerpt.

Entrepreneur spoke to Trump and Kiyosaki as part of the magazine's mission to offer the most relevant information to entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and build their wealth. Kiyosaki, perhaps best known for his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, is already a regular writer for Entrepreneur, heading a column called "Rich Returns." To learn from his ideas and success, a complete archive of his articles is available at http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/richreturns.

According to a new national survey conducted by Northeastern University's School of Technological Entrepreneurship (STE), sixty-two percent of entrepreneurs in the U.S. claim "innate drive" is the number one motivator in starting their own venture. The survey, comprised of more than 200 U.S. based entrepreneurs, was designed to help answer the long-debated question of whether entrepreneurs are born, or bred through work experiences, education or other factors. Of note, only one percent of entrepreneurs surveyed identify "higher education" as the primary motivator for starting a business. Other motivators given were work experience (21 percent) and the success of entrepreneurial peers within the industry (16 percent). To view complete results, visit: http://www.ste.neu.edu/news.html

Online business owners who want to increase web site traffic face an uphill battle unless they know the keywords their potential customers will use to find them, according to Derek Gehl, CEO of The Internet Marketing Center and author of the best-selling Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet.

Once they do their keyword research, choosing an easy-to-find domain is the first key step to driving traffic: “A keyword-rich domain name is a small investment that really pays off by making your site easy for your potential customers to find and remember.

“From that point, keywords should also be implemented in every facet of web site content,” Gehl says. He cautions against using keywords that aren’t related to the subject of the web site, however: “Search engines penalize users who place keywords in their source or design code that have nothing to do with the content of their site. Relevance is very important.”

Keywords should also be included in original articles that web site owners submit to content distribution services. Gehl explains: “Writing a short, informative article to distribute on the Web is a great way to gain recognition as a valuable industry resource. Make sure that each article contains rare, valuable, or hard-to-find information so other site owners or managers will be motivated post it for their own visitors.”

The articles direct readers back to the author’s web site by including a link in the short biography that is attached.

Gehl concludes: “Keyword-based strategies can help entrepreneurs attract the types of visitors who are most likely to take action, whether they make a purchase, or simply opt in with their personal information.”

For more information on keyword-based traffic strategies that increase web site traffic, visit:
http://www.marketingtips.com/tipsltr.

Author Shahriar Mohammad Saadullah, CPA, sheds some light on the confusing world of small business ownership and operation in his book, "The New Entrepreneur: What Your CPA Wants You to Know" (now available through AuthorHouse).

"Every year about 1 million small businesses open and about 80 percent of them shut down within less than three years," Saadullah says. "One of the primary reasons is that the business owners do not consider all aspects of owning and operating a business. Also, many of them go into the wrong kind of business or choose the wrong advisors. 'The New Entrepreneur' is designed to help the future business owner plan ahead and avoid the traps that 80 percent of new business owners fall into."

Readers get insights and advice from Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki this month as these legendary business icons sit down in an interview with Entrepreneur magazine. In the November issue on newsstands today, readers get their approach on how to build wealth as well as an exclusive look at their new book, Why We Want You to Be Rich, through a special chapter excerpt.

Entrepreneur spoke to Trump and Kiyosaki as part of the magazine's mission to offer the most relevant information to entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses and build their wealth. Kiyosaki, perhaps best known for his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, is already a regular writer for Entrepreneur, heading a column called "Rich Returns." To learn from his ideas and success, a complete archive of his articles is available at http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/richreturns.

The Society for New Communications Research, a nonprofit global think tank dedicated to the advanced study of new media and emerging modes of communication and their effect on media, business and society, will hold its inaugural Research Symposium & Awards Gala on November 1 – 2, 2006 at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston, Mass. The event will feature a keynote presentation by veteran journalist and new media expert Paul Gillin. The event will tackle topics on:

· “Corporate Blogging Policy Best Practices,” moderated by SNCR Research Fellow and Best Practices Chair, Mike Manuel of Voce Communications. Panelists will include executives from IBM, EDS and Novell.

· “The Emergence of Blogging in University Admissions and Recruiting,” moderated by SNCR Research Fellow Dan Karleen of Peterson’s, and Rob Pongsajapan of Georgetown University. Panelists will include representatives from The University of Vermont; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Ball State University.

· “The State of the Art in Social Media,” presented by SNCR Research Fellow and PR veteran Giovanni Rodriguez

· “What’s the Story with Online? How Storytelling is Still Critical to Marketing in Blogosphere 2.0,” presented by SNCR Research Fellow and board member Kathy Klotz-Guest, Powerfully Funny

· “Podcasts: Download or Broadcast – Legal Implications,” presented by SNCR Research Fellow and board member Elizabeth Fairbanks Fletcher, Esq., Law Offices of Elizabeth L. Fairbanks-Fletcher, PLLC

The full event agenda is available at http://www.sncr.org.

GraphicReporter.com Founder and iStockphoto Chief Evangelist Lesa Snider King is hosting a weekly podcast called, “Graphics Secrets for Business” at www.iStockphoto.com/Evangelesa. She offers simple tips and tricks in 5-minute segments that helps users add images and multimedia to their documents.

I often visit her website at http://graphicreporter.com/tutorials/photoshop_tutorials.html and use her Photoshop tutorials. She makes designing in Photoshop easier and much quicker.

According to print-on-demand publisher Lightning Source, the US ISBN Agency will expand ISBN numbers from 10 digits to 13 digits sometime after January 2007. These 13 digits (also referred to as "identifiers") will be made the same way as today's Bookland EAN, except both of the EAN prefixes ('978' and '979') will be used. Existing Bookland EANs will converge into the new ISBN-13. This change improves the bookselling process within North America and worldwide and prevents ISBN numbers from running out.

It took me less than (2) weeks to get the keywords "busy entrepreneur" (with quotes and without quotes) as the #1 listing on Google.com and MSN.com. Yahoo always takes more work to get a #1 position. It's easy to get a #1 position in search engines if the page ranking is low for your keywords and if your domain name includes your keywords.

Sometimes it takes more work and you have to wait a lot longer. My other website, LiteracyNews.com, (keywords: "literacy news" and literacy news) jumped to # 1 on MSN.com within a couple of weeks; about 4-5 weeks to get to # 1 on Yahoo.com; and about four months to get to #1 on Google.com.

My other website, BookCatcher.com (book catcher), of course has #1 position in search engines because no one uses the keywords "book catcher." Instead I focused on the keywords "book publicity" and "free book publicity" and this website gets listed within the top 10-15 position. A #1 position is more difficult to obtain because of the higher page ranking and lots more competition.

According to a new report, nearly three- quarters (72 percent) of incoming high school graduates are viewed as deficient in basic English writing skills, including grammar and spelling.

When asked about readiness with regard to applied skills related to the workplace, the greatest deficiency was reported in written communications (memos, letters, complex technical reports), and in professionalism and work ethic.

Eighty-one percent of survey participants (employers) say their high school graduate hires were deficient in written communications.

Poor writing skills also continued to be a problem among both two-year and four-year college graduates. Nearly half of all survey participants (47 percent) report that two-year college graduates are deficient in this skill.

Read more about this report at LiteracyNews.com

If you want to improve your writing skills, check out LousyWriter.com

Do you ever have one of those days where you don't function properly? For me, it's working in front of my computer for five hours straight and my brain starts to go numb. It's hard to think and see writing errors. When I get those midday "brain farts" reviewing my work, I turn to COMMON ERRORS IN ENGLISH, a free resource at http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html#errors. Run by Paul Brians, Professor of English at Washington State University, it lists hundreds of common and unusual grammar errors. His website has saved me from misusing words plenty of times.

Prof. Paul Brians' website is based on his book, "Common Errors in English Usage: The Book." Buy a copy at http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/book.html

A startup, Infinishare Technologies (http://www.infinishare.net/), has introduced "Web-Plus," a novel technology that allows any PC with an Internet connection to function as a Web-server. Until now, only computers with "real" Internet (IP) addresses could function as Web-servers for web-hosting. The new technology allows home computers or office computers behind firewalls, proxies, NAT routers, etc to web-host irrespective of the type of Internet connection or network settings.

Resources on these computers can now be accessed with HTTP URLs (Unique Resource Locators) just like any other hosted web page today. The technology does not require content readers to have any software or plugin installed other than regular Internet Browsers, and therefore provides advantages over P2P or VPN technologies in use today. Moreover, unlike hosting with web-hosting service providers where the content resides on the storage of the service provider, with Infinishare, it resides on the user computer, and files travel securely end-to-end only when accessed by a reader.

There are potentially many applications where this technology can be leveraged, including Remote Monitoring, CRM, Collaborative Tools, Enterprise Reporting, Publishing, Ecommerce sites, auctions, On-line Communities etc. Infinishare's business model is to be a technology provider, licensing the technology for integration and bundling into other applications.

Every once in a while I come across a brilliant book concept. This time it's "Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Game Careers," written by David Hodgson and Bryan Stratton, two video game industry veterans. Their new book targets the highly lucrative video game industry. According to stats, the video game industry rakes in 7 billion annually, and 42% of Americans have purchased, or plan to purchase, a video game in 2006. "Paid to Play" provides everything readers need to know about working in the video games industry, including details about more than 40 different professions and a peek inside some of the world's top gaming companies.

Paid to Play features exclusive illustrations by popular Web-comic Penny Arcade, interviews with industry professionals, and job descriptions. "A Day in the Life" includes career overviews and anecdotes; "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" provides the ultimate lowdown on jobs, including salaries, hours, and typical days; and "Take This Job and Love It" helps readers prepare to land their dream job with advice on education, gaining experience, and what skills are necessary to get the gig. "Getting a Job" details every job opportunity, from QA tester to company president, and provides job descriptions, self-assessment tools, and a full list of industry resources such as Web sites, video game schools and programs, trade events, resume advice, interview tips, and a complete list of video game companies.

You can find more details at http://www.primagames.com

I've had to stay on top of U.S. laws affecting online gambling since I began researching and writing my book, "Freelance Poker Writing: How to Make Money Writing for the Gaming Industry." Playing poker online for money is illegal in the U.S. -- and supposedly has been illegal since the Internet came along due to the outdated 1961 Wire Wager Act. Yet millions of poker players in the U.S. have been playing poker for money in popular poker rooms.

On Friday, Congress passed a new law aimed at shutting down online gambling (for money) in the U.S. The new law is called the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006." While this new law does not make playing poker online for money illegal, it does prohibit credit card companies and banks from transferring funds from U.S. customers to online gambling sites (all of which operate offshore, outside of the U.S.).

Who knows what the future holds for online gambling in the U.S. The U.S. will be losing approx. 3.3 billion dollars in taxes annually as a result of abolishing online gambling (for money) instead of regulating it.

Online poker (for money) is legal and regulated in many countries, including the United Kingdom and several nations in and around the Caribbean Sea. It is also legal at casinos and licensed barrooms and gambling establishments.

Playing poker online for fun (with fake money) is legal. I play at PartyPoker.net (http://www.partypoker.net) under the screenname "bskcom2006." I usually play at night, after work. Look me up and join my table.

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) has compiled a list of 10 common mistakes made by Web site designers and creators that prevent their message from being clearly delivered and understood. These rules apply to any type of website design, not just health-related websites, in my opinion.

1. Too much distracting and unnecessary information for visitors to review and choose from before they get to the information they came to the site to get. Solution: Understand why visitors are coming to your site, know what they're looking for, and make that information easy to get to. Conduct focus groups and testing if you're not sure. Arrange easy to read choices up front so that visitors can get right to the information they're seeking.

2. Flashing graphics, moving logos, and pictures that do not enhance or explain information are distracting and reduce visitors' ability to focus and navigate effectively. Solution: Stick to easy-to-read text and use illustrations to explain hard to understand concepts. Use graphics to help people understand, never to just decorate.

3. Hard to use navigational tools, such as pull-down menus, mouse-overs (graphic elements that only reveal their purpose when the cursor is placed over them), and the need to scroll below the active window can challenge low literate readers' skill levels and reduce success on the visit. Solution: Place only as much information as can appear in a window at a standard screen resolution. Keep navigational tool usage to hyperlinks, and clearly label them as Click Here. Never use mouse-overs to reveal other purposes.

4. Requiring additional "plug-in" software in order for the Web site to work. Although software such as Flash, Java, Acrobat Reader are free and easy to download for those who have these skills, for those with limited computer skills they represent a barrier that will send them to another site for information. Solution: Use simple text and, where appropriate, explanatory graphics in standard HTML format.

5. Using multi-syllable words and medical jargon to explain information. Half of U.S. adults are unable to read above a 5th grade level, whereas most patient information is written at a 10th grade level or higher. Solution: Use simple, one- or two-syllable words as much as possible. Keep materials between 3rd and 5th grade levels where possible, and never more than 8th grade. Test your copy to determine its grade level. Simple tests include the Fry Readability Formula, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula (available as a utility in Microsoft Word, although there is controversy regarding its accuracy), SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook).

6. Home pages that are densely packed with graphics or text, which while attempting to help low-literate readers, actually present multiple barriers to users' goals of getting information. Solution: Visitors want to find their information quickly, so do the hierarchical work of categorizing information into easy to find clusters ahead of time. Don't make your visitors do it.

7. Not using easy to identify hyperlinks that are clearly labeled to go directly to specific information. Solution: Blue-highlighted, clearly identified words in a block of text, particularly those using such indicators as Click Here, are easier for low literate adults to use than random words or graphic links that require the user to click on pictures to navigate to information.

8. Requiring visitors to type precise information into a search engine or enter a specific URL in order to get to the information they need. Solution: Once visitors reach your site, keep navigation to a minimum by providing easy to follow links. Rather than a search engine, provide short lists of commonly accessed information. Use Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide information.

9. Lack of authoritative information for visitors to trust. Solution: Present only information that is verifiable and claims that can be supported by research. Adhere to strict ethical guidelines in presentation.

10. Pop-up windows that confuse the viewer about the next action to take. Solution: Stay consistent with whether a link takes visitors to that page within the current window or launches a newer window. Keep in mind many computers have pop-up blockers that prevent additional windows from opening, which can confuse and thwart visitor efforts to access information. Use visual cues to remind visitors where they are in terms of hierarchy, page x of 3, etc. Always provide a simple, highly visible way to get back to the results list or home page.

Source: http://www.iha4health.org

Google (tm) doesn't like you using its trademarked name as a verb. It is wrong to write "Google (this)" or "Google (that)." The correct way is to write "Go to Google.com and search for (this)." The same is true with Xerox, the company that invented the photocopy machine. It is incorrect to use its name as a verb "to xerox a piece of paper." The correct way is to use generic words, such as "to photocopy a piece of paper." Google.com is trying to stop journalists, ad agencies and news sources from using its name as a verb.

You can read an interesting article on this subject at http://business.maktoob.com/report.asp?id=20060927152121

This is the first time I have heard about "click-to-call" technology. Click-to-call services are one of the latest marketing and services tool to be built on VOIP applications. One such company, www.getClickToCall.com, offers a click to call platform which connects prospects directly to your telephone when they are visiting your website or reading your blog, pod cast, video blog, press release or article. The biggest advantage to using this service is customers get called back when a live person is ready to talk to them. No more busy signals or having the customer re-dial, which is a big annoyance.

I recently stumbled across a press release for Boink, a national adult magazine made by and for college students. The founder and editor-in-chief, Alecia Oleyourryk, is just 22 years old. If you go to the magazine's website (http://www.boinkmagazine.com), you can see the topnotch design, marketing and publicity she has generated for the magazine. I think she has come up with a good idea for the magazine, especially targeting that age group. Not many publishers would ever consider publishing a sex magazine (whoops! I meant "lifestyle" magazine) for college students. I'm sure she has received a lot of flak and verbal knuckle-smacking from the public. What I am most impressed about is her determination to succeed at such a young age. Good luck with your magazine! You are a busy entrepreneur!

I am a control freak. I like having complete control over scripts hosted on my server; this includes blogging software. I usually install my own blogging software and configure it with my SQL databases. Finally, I got fed up with all of the extra maintenance work, like updating spam lists, emptying my hitlog daily, and removing old posts. I'm glad I went with Blogger.com for this website. All I do is post and publish, and nothing more. Less maintenance means more free time for me.