Making Social Media Work for Your Business

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

Are you looking to for a cost-effective way to grow your business?  Do you want to break the demoralizing cycle of cold-call, sales pitch, and call-back, while attracting the attention, respect and recognition of prospects and clients the world over?

The good news is that accomplishing this task is easier than you might think.  What I’m talking about is using social networking as a business tool.  When it comes to social networking, there are two schools:

1.  Registering with a social network
2. Using a social network

Why You Should Be Gaga for Google+

By Carl Weiss

English: Google plus one (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It has been called everything from an online ghost town to one of the best social networks ever invented for small businesses.  But there is one thing that neither pundits nor detractors can deny.  That is, Google+ is the only social network in the world directly operated by the world’s most popular search engine.

Social Equity - Businesses Use it, Here’s How to Get Some

Courtesy of  www.nrpa.org

By Hector Cisneros

Most people know what equity is. For a business, it's the net difference between the assets and liabilities a company has. We've also heard of sweat equity, where a person does a portion or all of the work when fixing up their home, business or other projects. So then, what is social equity? In the word-of-mouth world, social equity refers to the notion, which people often feel a need to reciprocate for the help received. It’s when they believe they were befriended by someone and have a feeling of indebtedness.  It’s a psychological debt that they feel they need to return the favor.  You’ve heard people say “I owe you one,” right?  

Google’s Secret Ranking System - Harder for You, More Profits for Them

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Anyone that advertises on the internet today is aware that Google has changed it's search ranking algorithms several times this year. In April many website owners found that they had suddenly lost their page one ranking. Many fell off the first four pages altogether. Google’s Penguin and Panda updates altered search so that you could no longer get page one position with black hat techniques alone. Google announced that they were doing this because they want page listing to be decided based on the value provided by the page’s content, not by gaming the system with technical tricks. Google wants a true popularity contest based on good content.

Their new algorithms make it much harder to use black hat tricks to get on page one. Keyword relevance, content relevance plus timely and consistency are now king. Positive feedback and social media usage now denote "more meaningful value." What this all means to the average business owner is that it’s much harder to get on page one than ever before.

Praise the Borg and Pass the Ammunition

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

In a take right out of one of those late night sci-fi movies the race is currently on to determine who is going to conquer the world first: autonomous robots or cybernetically enhanced humans.  If you have been paying any attention to the newsfeeds recently, there have been a number of articles and videos that have clearly demonstrated that a major shift in the way we look at and deal with technology is now under way.

When most people think about robots today, they either get a picture in their heads of the industrial automatons that now assemble things like cars and vacuum cleaners, or they think of mama’s little helper the Roomba.  But what most folks don’t appreciate is that everyone from Google to the Dept. of Defense is on the verge of creating robotic systems that are capable of doing everything from fighting fires to driving on California’s interstates with little or no input or oversight from anyone.

Is Too Much Technology Bad for Business?

Courtesy of Flickr

By Carl Weiss

Having worked the web professionally since 1995, I can remember a time when we weren't so hardwired to technology.  Sure a lot of the elements of online life that we take for granted today were already in vogue back then, like Apple vs PC, inkjet printers, zines (the forerunner of blogs), and even cellphones had already made the scene.  The chief difference between then and now was the way in which the public viewed the wired world.  Back then going online was more of a convenience than a way of life.  While some people (particularly the young) were addicted to certain aspects of technology, more teenagers were hooked on video games then the Internet in 95.

Working the Web - Is There a Cyber Attack in Your Future?

by Carl Weiss

computer security (Photo credit: justonlysteve)

When your head hits the pillow at night, do you fall asleep feeling secure that your online data, your identity and your financials are safe?  Do you feel bulletproof behind your Windows Firewall and Norton Antivirus?  Are you in the habit of downloading freeware on your PC and free apps on your Smartphone?  Do you use public wifi hotspots such as coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and airports? 

If your answer to any of the above was “Yes” then I have news for you.   It isn’t a matter of if you are going to be hacked, cracked or cyber attacked.  It’s just a matter of when.  Because the habits exposed above are an invitation for hackers and cyber criminals to gain access to your most sensitive information, hijack your computer and Smartphone and in short turn your life into a living hell where your identity, your financial data and intellectual property can be bought and sold like a commodity.

Are Online Hitchhikers Taking Your Computer for a Ride?

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

Nobody likes freeloaders, particularly on their computers.  The problem is every time you upload a free game or trial program you can also upload other applets and toolbars that you don’t necessarily want.  Not only do these unwanted hitchhikers take up valuable space on your computer, but they can also cause conflicts with other programs, slowing down or even causing your system to crash.  Below are a number of ways to clean up and speed up your system.