Monthly Archives: October 2009

Child Safety, Entertainment, Internet, ISPs, Online, Social Networking

No More Playtime: Children Spend Their Free Time Staring at a Screen Instead

A new generation hooked on digital content is shunning traditional playtime in favour of watching TV and surfing the internet, according to new research from uSwitch.com, the independent comparison and switching service. The report also reveals a high proportion of children using the internet and watching TV unsupervised in their bedrooms after being sent to bed, while an alarming number of parents have yet to set up the necessary control measures to protect them from viewing unsuitable content.

In a typical day, outside of school hours children spend an average of 1.4 hours online and 1.6 hours watching television. Not only does this mean that they are spending 3 hours a day staring at a screen, but it suggests that surfing the internet is set to take over from watching TV as the most popular children’s recreational activity.

But where does this leave old fashioned playtime, and are we creating a new generation of internet addicts? Children today have a plethora of digital distractions whether they are in the form of games consoles such as the Wii, or social networking sites such as Bebo, with traditional playtime all but lost. Worryingly, 29% of children now have a computer in their bedroom and almost two thirds (63%) of these use it before going to sleep. Similarly, nearly half (49%) have a TV in their room and 64% regularly watch this in bed.

Despite nearly a third (30%) of parents worrying about information or images that they have found their child looking at on a website or on TV, just 41% of parents always supervise their children using the internet and 11% never do. Over half of parents (55%) leave it up to their children to decide which websites to visit, based on either guidelines they have set or common sense.

Taking the issue of parental control extremely seriously, all major broadband companies offer filtering facilities in their broadband packages, usually for free, enabling parents to have more control over the information and images viewed by their children. Yet over a third of parents (34%) have not set up any filters or blocks on their home internet: 22% believe that it’s too time consuming, and a further 21% simply haven’t got round to setting it up. A third of parents (32%) are unaware of the parental control features available with their service.

Jason Glynn, communications expert at uSwitch.com, says: “In an age where engaging content such as on-demand TV will only increase the amount of hours our children spend online, we urge parents to contact their internet providers to see what controls are available to them. Speed and price should take second place to safety – but with most broadband services including filtering software for free, there really is no excuse not to take action.

“We fully support the measures being laid out by companies to help families tackle this issue, such as TalkTalk’s plans to classify websites with U, PG, 14 and 18 certificates. Our research shows that 8 out of 10 parents would back such a system.”

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, Affiliate Program, B2b, eCommerce, Internet, Online, Services, Shopping, Traffic, Web, Web Marketing

Network Affiliates Push Clickbooth.com Into Inc. Magazine’s Top 500

The Inc. 500 is a list of the top 500 high growth businesses. It is an entrepreneur’s dream to be on the list. Clickbooth ranked #5 overall and #1 in their business sector, which is advertising and marketing. In an economic climate where many businesses have been simply trying to survive, Clickbooth has grown an amazing 12,000% over the last four years. They have been doing it by providing consistently strong ROI for publishers and advertisers. It is a milestone for the advertising industry as whole, and marks the dawn of a new day for the future of marketing.

The infamous dot-com bubble may have popped but there are still businesses using the Internet in innovative ways to enjoy high growth by providing exceptional customer value. Clickbooth’s industry revolves around a concept known as affiliate marketing. It is a marketing strategy that shares revenue among advertisers and affiliates online. affiliates are traditionally known as publishers and are considered the same in this context.

The network affiliates at Clickbooth are among the best in the business. Some are among the Alexa Top 50 sites. The affiliates network together through Clickbooth to provide premier marketing campaigns for advertisers. The number of worldwide affiliates they use is over 10,000 and many of them are exclusive. The coverage is very broad and encapsulates a number of niche markets. The compensation is based on performance from one or a combination of sales, clicks, and registrations.

Each affiliate is rigorously screened and monitored for performance and integrity. Much of Clickbooth’s success comes from their industry leading compliance team. Their function is to track uploads and downloads among other monitoring functions to ensure that the proper integrity is maintained. Any of the affiliates that are identified as abusing the system are promptly excommunicated. The result is a dependable set of affiliates that are networked together through Clickbooth to be reliable, trustworthy and maximize an advertiser’s time and money.

Clickbooth is an internet marketing business created in September 2002. With their high integrity and high quality affiliates network, they leverage the power of the Internet for businesses looking to maximize their advertising budget. Clickbooth produces benefits for their network affiliates and their clients in need of advertising through a high level of integrity, a careful screening process, and an Internet marketing program that is mutually rewarding.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Dedicated Servers, Domain Names, E-mail, Hosting, Internet, Secure Hosting, Services

Report Says Small Firms Floored By Basic Web Errors

Streamline.net web hosting research finds the majority of consumers using SME websites in the past year experienced usability faults.

The Streamline.net study of 1700 consumers found that 83% faced faults including unfinished web pages, broken URLs and an out-dated design. A further survey of 450 UK firms revealed that whilst half consider their website to look ‘professional’, 1 in 3 owners admit that they are guilty of ‘neglecting’ their sites. There is also a worrying discrepancy between where consumers wish to find web addresses, and where companies are displaying them. For example, 48% of firms still do not make any efforts to optimise their URL on search engines. Whilst 1 in 5 consumers took a web address from the side of a small company’s vehicle, only 10% of small firms currently display theirs in this way.

The data from Streamline.net showed that many SMEs are alienating web users through simple web errors. 76% of consumers have now used the website of a small business. Whilst 47% of consumers consider their experiences of such sites to be overall ‘good’, a further 1 in 4 Britons conclude such websites to be ‘barely usable’. In the past year, 83% of online consumers found faults on more than one occasion. Web errors reported included unfinished web pages (54%), broken URLs (52%), outdated email addresses (50%), and missing contact details (31%).

Top design gripe with SME websites is an outdated website design, faced by one third of users in the past year. 1 in 5 online consumers have encountered superfluous descriptions of products and services. 20% have been confused by the use of generic corporate images that bear no relation to specific company’s.

The findings are in contrast to another survey of 450 small firms where 76% felt confident that the language on their website could in no way be perceived negatively, and 84% saw the images on their website as fit for purpose.

Steve Holford, Marketing Director at Streamline.net, said, “As with many areas of business, if the basics of a website are not sound, customers will be deterred from purchasing”.

Almost half of companies (48%) made no attempt at optimise their position on search engines, when 77% of consumers call upon these. Many enterprises are prioritising the display of their URL in places unpopular with online consumers. 43% of companies publish their web address on industry websites whilst only 15% of consumers use this source. Remarkably, only 9% display their web address on signage or windows of their premises, when 1 in 5 Britons have made use of a domain name taken from here in the past year.

Holford added, “Every opportunity to capture online custom must be seized upon, which means promoting a web address in every possible environment – online and off-line”.

Streamline.net provides a comprehensive range of domain registrations. Users can even try free web hosting for 3 months with Streamline.net.

Via EPR Network
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B2C, eCommerce, Free Stuff, Internet, Online, Services, Shopping, Web

Coupon Clipping Has Gone Digital

CouponChief.com is setting a new standard in how one shops online. With the trend toward online shopping growing it is no wonder that more and more Internet merchants are offering special promotions and discounts with the use of special codes. This is in keeping with what consumers have come to expect of all merchants; special offers make shopping a more enticing experience. The development of a digital form of coupons was inevitable. And just like brick and mortar shops that offer coupon shopping, the online merchants have to have a way of distributing the coupons. CouponChief.com is the centralized, one-stop shop for these codes.

The concept is both simple and ingenious. No sign up or log in is required and the entire use of the promotional coupons is free. However, by setting up an account an individual can receive alerts via email announcing new promotions and discounts offered by a favorite store. This is the ultimate in convenience for online customers.

The process of using Online Coupons is not only easy and convenient; it is a great way to save money. Online shoppers have grown accustomed to seeing ‘coupon code’ and ‘promotion code’ fields during the checkout process at Internet shops. The problem has been that few people knew where to find those special savings codes. Fortunately, that is no longer a problem. The numerous Coupon codes available for online shopping have been collected in an organized and quick to access fashion.

When shoppers visit ‘Coupon Chief’ before shopping they are sure to find useful Coupon Codes. Visitors to the site are happy to find that Online Coupons often offer a more substantial savings than the typical paper coupon does. But in order to offer all possible savings to its visitors, CouponChief.com also has a program called ‘Pays-2-Share’.

The ‘Pays-2-Share’ program pays visitors for coupons that they find and add to the site. Once enrolled in the program an individual simply logins and submits new Coupon Codes for participating merchants. When a shopper uses the coupon payment is made to the person that submitted the promotional code. In fact, they earn 2% of the purchase price, which can be substantial in some cases. Surprisingly, this payment is made even on purchases made by the submitter.

CouponChief.com was established to provide an easy way for individuals to find useful Online Coupons for the stores and products they need. The website has collected and organized the promotional codes in an easy to find format, making saving money on Internet purchases trouble-free. Additionally, the site offers a program called ‘Pays-2-Share’, which provides a money making opportunity through submitting coupons found.

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, B2C, Domain Names, E-mail, eCommerce, Events, Hosting, Internet, ISPs, Services, Web

Technology Adoption Fuels Recovery Tipping Point For UK SMEs

According to research from BT Business, supported by the Design Council and Prince’s Trust, small businesses at the forefront of technology adoption have been the least impacted by the recession, with those most reluctant to bring in new technology suffering the most. Companies with a positive attitude to technology adoption had a 69% better than average experience of the recession, whereas technology laggards suffered a 34% worse recession experience than the average.

The survey was conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of BT Business and included responses from more than 7,200 small businesses across the UK.

The 2009 Business Pulse report is the UK’s largest survey of SMEs this year. The survey shows widespread recognition of the importance of technology in reducing costs and increasing efficiency and competitiveness. 30% of businesses said that they have saved money through using technology, 32% use technology to network and obtain advice and 28% have found more customers through its use. Nearly one in five cited the use of technology to support flexible working as having one of the most significant impacts on how they have managed the recession.

The Business Pulse survey identified the positive steps firms have taken to manage the downturn. Nearly twice as many technology innovators have seen an increase in turnover of 10+% compared to those small businesses reluctant to embrace new technology, the majority of which have seen their turnover decrease since the recession began.

Mick Hegarty, strategy director, BT Business said: “The small business community has fought bravely to survive the downturn. Our findings show that many small businesses believe we are now at a tipping point with a recovery almost upon us. We can also see that now more than ever technology has a critical role to play in the future success of these businesses, helping them to find new customers, market themselves more effectively and reduce costs. Investing in better technology is emerging as a measure of success in the future for many businesses.”

In terms of the technologies having the biggest impact, 61% said faster broadband speeds have had a positive impact on their business. Better web sites, better e-commerce and mobile devices were also particularly beneficial. More than 1 in 10 small businesses are looking for more advice and support on using technology to manage their business.

Smaller organisations are also increasingly turning to social media to improve the way they operate with one in five respondents turning to support forums, Twitter and blogs to market their business and attract and retain customers.

Lord Digby Jones, said, “The Business Pulse highlights that optimism is on the rise. Equipping firms with the right technology and support will help tip the economy from recession onto the road to recovery in 2010.”

Full findings of the Business Pulse will be revealed in Small Business Week 2009 and debated by a business leadership panel including business experts Peter Jones and Lord Digby Jones at the launch.

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, Events, Internet, News, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Web Marketing

bigmouthmedia Has Been Named One Of The UK’s Ten Fastest Growing Technology Companies For The Second Year Running

Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency made the list of major winners in the Deloitte Fast 50 2009 following another successful year of exponential expansion. Recording a growth rate of 4111% over the past five years, the company’s top ten listing was cited by the judging panel as evidence of the online sector’s growing influence.

“Trading conditions this year have been challenging to say the least, but the digital marketing sector’s increasing maturity and size has enabled us to pursue an ambitious growth strategy despite the economic situation. Cost-effectiveness and measurable ROI lie at the heart of what we do, and even in the most difficult of times these qualities make for a compelling business argument,” said Lyndsay Menzies, Group Chief Operations Officer at bigmouthmedia.

“We’re delighted to have been ranked so highly and are obviously happy that bigmouthmedia’s continued success across the group has been recognised. It’s a great boost for the entire team and underlines what a talented group of people we have here.”

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50, one of the UK’s foremost technology award programmes, is a ranking of the country’s fastest-growing technology companies based on percentage growth over five years. Now in its 12th year, the programme honours business growth, technological innovation and UK entrepreneurial spirit.

David Halstead, Partner TMT practice and Fast 50 Chairman, Deloitte said: “The large number of software and digital marketing companies in the 2008 Deloitte Fast 50 reflects the growing maturity of online enterprises. The web is approaching the next stage of its evolution, and successful business models are becoming entrenched.”

The complete list of winners is available at: http://www.deloitte.co.uk/fast50/

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, Events, Internet, News, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Web Marketing

Online Accountancy Firm Brookson Has Appointed bigmouthmedia To Handle Its Search Marketing Activity


A leading provider of accountancy, tax advice and support services, Brookson selected bigmouthmedia following an extensive search to identify the ideal partner to lead its digital marketing strategy. An established innovator in the sector, the move comes as the award-winning consultancy moves to establish its Navigator Money Manager portal as the UK’s preeminent suite of online financial tools.

“As a company we have been going through a revolution in recent times. We have fundamentally changed our business model and are going direct to market as we look to continue the company’s expansion, so clearly search engine optimisation is a critical part of that strategy,” said Martin Hesketh, Managing Director at Brookson.

“Together with its status as an industry leader, bigmouthmedia’s unrivalled experience in helping brands make the most of their online activity made the agency the only logical choice for the job.”

Founded in 1995, Brookson was recently shortlisted as a finalist in this year’s Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) awards for ‘Innovation of the Year’. The company’s 150-strong accountancy service now manages the financial affairs of over 9,000 customers, freelance contractors and individuals who work in business for themselves.

Brookson’s Navigator Money Manager portal underpins Brookson’s claim to offer one of the most innovative contractor accountant services available on the UK market. Allowing clients to access their business financial information 24/7, the system has been designed to helps customers run their businesses more effectively by providing up to date financial information at their finger tips.

Currently, ninety nine per cent of Brookson’s customers used the online tool to complete their last year-end accounts and each week the online portal records an average of 4500 unique visits.

“We’re delighted to be welcoming Brookson as a client. The company’s focus on innovation and invention is one that we share at bigmouthmedia, and this promises to be both an exciting and challenging campaign,” said Phil Acton, Head of Business Development at bigmouthmedia.

Via EPR Network
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B2C, Entertainment, Internet, News, Online, Search, Services, Social Networking

New Black Dating Service By Lovetropolis.com

A Bowie, Maryland online dating service owned by The Lombard Company, Inc. issued a statement today inviting African Americans to try their new Black Dating Service. Lovetropolis.com, an online dating service that was launched in February 2009, is rolling out Black Dating along with four other ethnic and religion targeted dating services.

“Our goal here is to provide people with what they are looking for in a partner,” said a company spokesperson. “Members of the African American community who have used our general dating service have been requesting that we add something more specific to race, culture and religious beliefs to make it easier to find a more perfect match. Black Dating is our response to that plea.”

Lovetropolis.com would like to point out that Black Dating is not limited to strictly African Americans, but they are issuing an open invitation to all members of the black community to come and visit their new service. They are even offering free lifetime membership for anyone who signs up now and pays the $17.95 profile approval and activation fee. As a dating service still within its first year, Lovetropolis.com is offering a number of incentives to all in order to build their customer base.

“Right now the price is very low, and memberships are virtually free,” our spokesperson tells us. “We are growing fast though, so I’d suggest that anyone who wants to try our service should sign up now. With the social network platform we’re using, we’ll have to start charging at some point. Anyone who joins at this stage will never have to pay membership fees.”

The other four ethnic and religion targeted dating services offered by Lovetropolis.com are Latin Dating, Asian Dating, Jewish Dating, and Christian Dating. Their social networking tools include webcam dating, instant messages, internal secure emails, Favorites menus, YouTube upload capability, and a variety of apps and custom features to improve the look of a profile page.

Via EPR Network
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B2C, Entertainment, Internet, News, Online, Search, Services, Social Networking

Lovetropolis.com and Couturemoda.com Announce Co-Brand Partnership

Lovetropolis.com and Couturemoda.com announced they are joining forces in an inventive partnership to market online dating services and contemporary fashion. The venture will make available Lovetropolis.com’s full range of dating and social networking services to Couturemoda.com’s savvy shoppers. The campaign will focus on looking your best to feel your best and put your best effort toward your love life. Couturemoda will be able to market its swank designer clothing to Lovetropolis.com’s upwardly mobile user base of over five million. The co-branding campaign will offer the most current trends in fashion and the most compelling range of online dating services in the marketplace.

lovetropolisimage3.jpg (376×298)

Lovetropolis.com will feature Couturemoda clothing in multiple ways, including on a special content page, and drive traffic to the Couturemoda website. Couturemoda will promote the dating website to its single clientele and develop best deals and special packages to be extended only to Lovetropolis.com’s users. To celebrate the campaign’s launch, Lovetropolis.com members are being offered a special discount when they shop Couturemoda.com.

Couturemoda’s owner said, “We are very excited to enter into this agreement with Lovetropolis.com. Lovetropolis.com’s current reach represents a huge market for our designer fashions and today’s most exclusive style trends. We’re confident our partnership with Lovetropolis will drive new users and increased sales to Couturemoda.com.” According to the CEO of Lovetropolis.com, the partnership with Couturemoda will be mutually beneficial. He said, “Couturemoda has always focused on bringing superlative style and unrivaled fashion to its shoppers. With this collaboration, we can also bring Couturemoda clientele unmatched online dating opportunities through exclusive, innovative dating services they can take advantage of only when they join Lovetropolis.com.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Internet, Online, Services, Software, Web

Finding the Right Content Management Solutions

With vast amounts of continual information creation, many businesses find it difficult to fully leverage, manage, and distribute their information effectively. Implementing new technology in-house can be an expensive and problematic situation resulting in excess time and cost overruns. This is due to the innate learning curve required for successful integration, the inevitable distraction due to the overlap of daily duties, and a host of other externalities that can restrain progress.

Many businesses prefer an information technology consulting company that can assist them in tailoring and implementing data content management solutions. The goal of many businesses is to reduce the cycle-time involved with the continual loop of content creation, content enrichment, content management and content delivery. Since this loop is recurring, there is great value in designing a solution that, for instance; publishes content to the web, to print, or to wireless media in an efficient and effective fashion. Trying to manage all of this manually can be exhausting and trying to implement an in-house solution can be painful and risky resulting in an uncertain level of quality and reliability.

It is often difficult to find consulting businesses that not only guide businesses toward the right solutions, but also implement the solutions with candor and integrity. Ideally, it is good to start at the beginning using a business’s current technology and current processes. Then systematically choose the right out-of-the-box product(s) that can be customized to fit the business’s requirements.

Whether a business is looking for improved web content management, digital asset management, multi-channel systems, work flow management, or any combination thereof; a solid content management consultant would have the experience, the passion, the maturity and innovation required to arrive at a solution adapted to the business.

DPCI is a content management consultation business that not only has the high-level of requirements necessary for consulting, tailoring and implementing quality content management systems, but they also do it with integrity. They have a ten year track record of delivering content management solutions for many notable businesses in a wide range of industries. DPCI has the experience to help maximize the value of a business’s information content in both print and digital forms.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Dedicated Servers, Domain Names, E-mail, Hosting, Internet, Secure Hosting, Services

Fasthosts and Microsoft launch WebsiteSpark

Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading web hosting provider, has announced its work with Microsoft to promote the new Microsoft WebsiteSpark program for web professionals. The initiative assists smaller web design and development companies in launching or growing their business by providing better access to the Microsoft web platform. The scheme delivers free Microsoft Server OS, free licenses for Microsoft Expression and Visual Studio software, as well as training and access to MSDN newsgroups.

Eligible Fasthosts customers can save over £240 a year in server licensing costs as well as valuable software licences direct from Microsoft. The scheme is an example of how businesses can gain significantly from discussing their technical requirements and business needs with Fasthosts. Fasthosts has been selected by Microsoft to promote the program benefits and guide eligible Windows Server customers through enrolment.

The Microsoft WebsiteSpark program offers new support for web design and development agencies with up to 10 employees. Eligible Fasthosts customers gain an immediate financial benefit – saving £240 per year with a free Windows Server license and saving even more with a free MSSQL license. Upon enrolment, members gain access to free Windows Expression Studio 2 (1 user license), Expression Web 2 (2 user licenses), Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition (3 user licenses) and DotNetPanel control panel.

A great number of professionals and enterprises can achieve cost savings by discussing their server and software needs with a long-standing expert like Fasthosts. The company’s advisers are trained to identify and leverage the efficiencies that hosted technologies can deliver. By working-through requirements with Fasthosts, synergies between software and hardware can often be identified.

Steve Holford, CMO Fasthosts Internet Ltd., said: “WebsiteSpark is an excellent opportunity for smaller web agencies. It delivers exactly what they need most – free tools and practical help. As hosting partner to thousands of web pros, Fasthosts is well qualified to advise participants on how to apply Windows hardware and development tools to best effect.”

Simon Pryce, Director of Skylight Media, is a Fasthosts customer who enrolled in the WebsiteSpark program to help boost the web design side of the business. Pryce commented: “We had discovered WebsiteSpark through our business network, and our successful enrolment in the scheme led to us setting up additional dedicated servers with Fasthosts at the same time. The WebsiteSpark scheme is an ideal way for us to update our use of Windows Server technology, enabling us to save a significant sum of money on license fees. We were also delighted to find during our consultation with the ever-reliable Fasthosts, that these new server resources will save us money too, so we’re very pleased all round.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, B2C, Database, eCommerce, Online, Search, Searching, Services, Tracing, Web Marketing

Data Cleansing Specialists Unveil New-Look Corporate Website

Tracesmart Corporate, data cleansing specialists and leading providers of consumer information services, have launched their new look corporate website. The redesign is not just skin-deep however, as it also includes an updated appearance to their intuitive online services, employed by a growing legion of operators to trace people and conduct identity checks. The redesign project was initiated following discussion with clients and prospects about site functionality.

Following in-depth market research with staff, customers and potential clients, the company embarked on a strategic overhaul of their business website to reflect the requirements and observations made by visitors during the research. The new look website and service portal was developed to portray Tracesmart Corporate as a modern and progressive organisation with a more welcoming and easier to understand user interface.

Owen Roberts, Tracesmart’s Communications Manager commented, “Putting into practice the feedback we received during market research has paid dividends. We believe our new look corporate website presents a more customer focused and user friendly search facility. Our in-house web developers and design team have responded to the challenge and delivered a fresh, contemporary design that I’m sure our customers will greatly appreciate.”

The Tracesmart Corporate website provides access to a variety of data intelligence services such as self-key consumer tracing, existence checks anti money-laundering and know your customer identity verification. Users of these services come from a broad and growing range of industries that include, amongst others, the financial sector, professional services and the media.

Paul Weathersby, Tracesmart’s Technical Director added just before its launch, “Following exhaustive examination of our previous site and listening to visitors and our customers, we were keen to improve the user experience and design. The website has gone through more than just a face lift and early indication from those consulted on the project suggests a more than favourable reaction. We are extremely delighted with the new design.”

Via EPR Network
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B2C, Entertainment, Internet, News, Online, Search, Services, Social Networking

Christian Dating Service by Lovetropolis.com

Responding to market research and industry needs, Lovetropolis.com, a Bowie, Maryland-based online dating service owned by The Lombard Company, Inc., introduced a new Christian Dating service today as part of their push to attain a larger market share of the lucrative online dating niche market. They are hoping to match the success of their general dating service which was launched in February, 2009, and has already become a major player in the online dating business.

“Christians generally look for other Christians when entering the dating pool. A shared belief system is essential for a happy, long term relationship; and the closer we can match couples up, the more successful their dating experience will be,” said a spokesperson for Lovetropolis.com. “Our ethnic and religion-specific dating services are simply another way we can make sure that our customers meet the person they will be truly happy with.”

Specific niches in the online dating industry have become necessary with the explosion of multiple sites going up in recent years. The success of companies like Match.com and EHarmony has paved the way for others who want a piece of this lucrative pool. Lovetropolis.com though is claiming to have distinct advantages over the others that set them apart.

“Our service utilizes more of the social networking tools that are available today,” our spokesperson tells us. “We have video profiles, live chat features, YouTube uploads, Favorites menus, and applications to spice up a profile. The technology to do all of this is out there for the taking now, and we use all of it to improve user experience. Anyone can claim to be a Christian just to date someone whose photo they like; but when you have multiple conversations via webcam dating and spend some time getting to know someone on an intimate level before meeting, the truth comes out.”

In addition to Christian dating, Lovetropolis.com is also now offering Latin Dating, Asian Dating, Black Dating and Jewish Dating. “Be prepared,” our spokesperson tells us. “There’s a lot more where that came from. Our designers and marketing people are working day and night to crank out more sites very soon. We’ll keep you posted.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, B2C, Cloud Hosting, Hosting, Internet, Secure Hosting

NoMoreServers.com, a site dedicated to the emergence of Computing-as-a-Service models

Rackspace Hosting (NYSE:RAX) has announced the launch of NoMoreServers.com, a site dedicated to the emergence of Computing-as-a-Service models (like hosting, cloud computing and SaaS) to power corporate computing.

To support this campaign, the hosting company has hired renowned hosting industry strategist Andrew Schroepfer. In his role, Schroepfer will cover the trend in depth from how providers are evolving to how real businesses are making this trend pay off.

“A new way to run business computing is emerging,” said Lanham Napier, president and CEO of Rackspace. “We have countless business customers tell us they are finished buying servers and are looking for a computing partner. People don’t want to buy standalone computing, they want computing as a service with Fanatical Support. This trend will have major implications on the entire IT industry, and there is no one more qualified to cover it day-to-day than Andy.”

NoMoreServers.com will feature daily and unique commentary explaining the next era in computing. In addition to filtering and reviewing interesting developments and third-party content about the NoMoreServers computing era, the site will feature daily commentary and a live community portal for visitors to engage on the topic and offers a white paper on the subject for community members.

Schroepfer has been a key analyst in the hosting industry since its inception in the late 1990s. From his beginnings at Piper Jaffray where he developed and managed the VoIP (Voice-over-Internet-Protocol) industry’s primary market statistics, Schroepfer published a 270-page report on the dis-aggregation of communications which sparked his coverage of the Web hosting industry. He then joined Goldman Sachs as VP and senior equity analyst on the Internet Infrastructure Services industry during the time when Equinix, Loudcloud (now HP), and Webex (now Cisco) were executing their IPOs (Initial Public Offerings). In late 2000, Schroepfer founded, led, and later sold Tier1 Research, the leading specialist research firm on the hosting and data centre industry whose insights and data remain highly relevant.

“Having covered the hosting industry since its inception, and having strongly recommended Rackspace since 2001, I am excited to now become a Racker,” said Andy Schroepfer. “I have always said Rackspace will be more than just a leader in hosting, and I am honoured to join the 2,700-strong Fanatical Support team tasked with sustaining and evolving our leadership role as the IT value chain is recast.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, B2C, Database, eCommerce, Online, Search, Searching, Services, Tracing

Tracesmart Bolster Their Database

Tracesmart, the online people search providers, have announced the addition of 100,000 rolling register updates for their tracing website. The new records will further assist customers when performing their online searches, delivering added accuracy to the Tracesmart facility. The new electoral roll data consists of individuals who have moved home or changed other details during the past month and have contacted their local authority to register their change of circumstance. The annual canvas of the UK population is undertaken during October every year, offering households the choice to opt out of the electoral roll if they wish. The option has given people the freedom to decide if their information is to be kept in the public domain, or only made available to those within local authority or credit reference agencies.

The number of people choosing to opt-out has risen since the opportunity was introduced in 2003, however the electoral roll continues to document millions of people and in 2009 the total amassed was 25 million records. Paul Weathersby, Tracesmart’s Technical Director, explains that although this number is lower than previous years, he is confident that the company’s unique Tracesmart Register fills in the gaps, strengthening the database. Weathersby commented, “We were the first website to publish the monthly updates, and we know from listening to customers that this has benefited them greatly. The fresh data we upload monthly is in addition to the Tracesmart Register, which is a database of data compliant sources.”

The Tracesmart Register has 250,000 new record uploads every month, and the extra rolling register monthly additions bolster the websites positioning as the premium name search facility.

“We pride ourselves on the information we hold, and invest in the most current data available to us. This provides our customers with the best possible chance of a successful address search to find relatives or friends,” said Owen Roberts, Tracesmart’s Communications Manager.

Anyone who moves or changes their details is encouraged to contact their local authority or visit the website About My Vote to register or update their details.

Via EPR Network
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B2C, Entertainment, Events, Free Stuff, Internet, Online, Services, Video, Web

Collection Of Online Video Greetings For Diwali 2009

Indiavideo presents you a fascinating collection of online video greetings for Diwali 2009. Besides videos on Diwali celebrations, there are video clips featuring the Indian classical art forms like Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Baul music performance and many more.

The video greetings on art forms feature some of the master performers like Anita Ratnam, Dr Deepthi Omcherry Bhalla, Manju Bhargavee, Pali Chandra, Sujata Mohapatra, Bimbavati Devi, Dr. Neena Prasad, Rajashree Warrier and Parvati Baul. Click here to send Diwali Video Greetings The greetings facility is user-friendly, less time-consuming and the option to send a video greeting to multiple recipients is also available.

The online video greetings facility is also available on our branded channel on YouTube:www.youtube.com/indiavideodotorg.

www.indiavideo.org is the first website to offer online video greeting facility and it was introduced in 2007.

www.indiavideo.org is the first of its kind website portraying the geographical, and cultural marvels of a country. The portal is envisaged as an online video encyclopaedia on India.

The site has hundreds of videos from almost all Indian States and Union Territories. Videos on places and events of historical importance, colourful festivals and celebrations from different parts of the country, tourist attractions and wildlife are included. A rare feature of the website is exclusive galleries on topics like Ayurveda, Yoga and Indian cuisine.

The website, currently maintained by Invis Multimedia, was developed in association with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) New Delhi Office. Only professional video clips are included in the website.

DIWALI
 Diwali, the ‘festival of lights’ is time for celebrations in India. Diwali or Deepavali, as it is known in South India, literally means a row of lights or lamps. This festival symbolizing the victory of ‘good over evil’ and ‘light over darkness’ is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the country, known for its multi-lingual and multi-cultural existence.

Via EPR Network
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Advertising, B2b, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, SEM, SEO, Web Marketing

National SEO , Global SEO – Mirror, Mirror on the Web, Who’s the Fairest of Them All?

That’s what we say everyday, when peering into our looking glass of this information age: our computer monitors: “Who’s the fairest of them all?” In other words, whose website is #1, or at least on Page 1 of Google, the juggernaut of the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) world? One of the technologies used by one of the leaders in National SEOand Global SEO and in their own backyard, Denver SEO, USWebCentral has one of the highest technologies available these days: Video SpokesPerson on your website. Another aspect is how to obtain more “square footage” high on search engine results pages.

What is a Video SpokesPerson? It is a filmed person, walking and talking on your website, in a 30 second commercial/ introduction, superimposed right onto the homepage of a website, or on any webpage. The SpokesPerson discusses the most important aspects of a company’s mission, presenting it in a compelling manner that is hopefully interesting to potential clients. The desire is that the SpokesPerson’s presentation will create a Call To Action, resulting in the potential client phoning or e-mailing the owner of the website to do business.

Having a Video SpokesPerson is one of the coolest technologies you can have these days. “Seeing their Video SpokesModel on their Denver web design site, immediately convinced me we had the right website and SEO consultant,” said Rand Soellner AIA, of Rand Soellner Home Architect, a leading custom home architect that engaged USWebCentral’s services earlier this year, “Actually seeing something different and cutting edge that works, that actually sets your website on a higher level of professionalism, now that’s the sort of thing that helps your website elevate in people’s minds and creates more clicks and therefore a higher ranking on search engines.”

Also, as an architect, Rand Soellner Architect deals in square footage of buildings and used this to describe the recent success of his revamped website with USWebCentral’s help: “We have a series of press releases about various hot topics and speak to those issues in which we are recognized leaders of the industry, like Green Home Architects, for instance. I have noticed that when I type in certain search terms, that not only do 1, 2 or 3 of my press releases pop up on page 1 or page 2 of Yahoo or Google, so does my main website, quite often. In other words, I own from 20% to 30% square footage of the organically searched results on page 1 and /or page 2, which is huge in SEO circles, I am told.”

Scott Carvin of USWebCentral agrees, getting a kick out of the term “Page 1 square footage percentage ownership” to describe what he is doing for his clients. “I started this trend of the Video SpokesPerson to make a difference, and it’s working. We are leaders in this technology. We actually digitally film everything right here in our own high-tech studio, and we have about 50 professional actors and anchor people and models on call, all of whom present themselves and our clients well. We allow our clients to pick the talent they want, or they can personally be the star of their own show, right there on their own website.”

Creating as much square footage ownership of Page 1 is Carvin’s mission, which he talks about like an impassioned evangelist, “I want my clients to succeed. If they do, they keep paying me to help their websites rank high, and I get new clients who want that kind of success, so that’s a win-win for all of us. We also provide a multi-pronged press release service that allows us to launch multiple press releases for clients, which will help accomplish the obtaining of the additional square footage on page1 and page 2 search engine results. If possible, we want our client to own the entire first page of Google search results, meaning that our clients, in their industry, are most of what people see, when searching for what our clients do.”

Carvin knows that owning an entire page on search results is a Nirvana-like utopian result that is not likely, but he has seen something near this with some of his clients’ search results. He is a client advocate whose desire is to place them on a pedestal for the whole world to see. Check out the Denver search engine optimization company online!

Via EPR Network
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B2b, B2C, Database, eCommerce, Online, Search, Searching, Services, Tracing

HSBC Division Employ Tracesmart’s Proprietary Existence System

Tracesmart Corporate has been appointed by HSBC Actuaries and Consultants Limited (HACL) to provide their proprietary existence and tracing services. The facility will allow the verification of customer data against vital consumer information, including key UK mortality records; permitting the HSBC employee benefit consultancy to continuously and confidently monitor their client database in order to maintain contact with existing customers and highlight possible fraudulent activity.

HACL is part of the HSBC Group and a market leader in the UK specialising in actuarial and employee benefits consultancy, providing opinion, advice and services to pension scheme trustees, employers and individuals. It has become one of the leading employee benefits and actuarial consultancies in the UK.

Following stringent examination amongst stiff competition, including the incumbent, Tracesmart was recently awarded the three year preferred supplier contract. Mike Trezise, Tracesmart’s Managing Director commented, “Our meticulous procedures and thorough understanding of our customers’ requirements has successfully delivered yet another major account. Our existence facility and unique multi-tiered tracing solutions are currently delivering significant benefits to our clients. We look forward to working with HACL to deliver the best possible and most cost effective service available.”

Tracesmart, the Cardiff based data intelligence company, provides a comprehensive and unique facility to trace people, delivered by a team of in-house tracing agents, the service offers a tiered search solution to a growing number of companies. Tracesmart is also one of a small number of organisations to receive a weekly update of the UK Death Registration Information f r o m the General Register Office (GRO) to enhance its mortality screening facility. Approximately 12,000 deaths are recorded weekly in the UK, and this amassed information, combined with Tracesmart’s vast consumer database, drives the company’s proprietary service ‘Existence Alert’. The service is in essence a data cleansing process, which provides a continuous screening facility that identifies deceased individuals and ‘gone aways’ (people that move home without notifying a change of address) at the earliest possible moment, allowing appropriate action to be taken to minimise risk and combat escalating fraud such as the impersonation of the deceased.

Via EPR Network
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Internet, ISPs, Online, Social Networking

Research: Brits Spend 30 Hours a Week Online

Brits just can’t get enough of the internet when it comes to both their professional and personal lives, according to new research from uSwitch.com, the independent price comparison and switching service. By using the web for work, rest and play, they are clocking up an astonishing 30 hours a week online, with every indication that this is set to soar even higher.

On a typical working day, the average person now spends 5 hours online – 2 hours for professional or work purposes and 3 hours for pleasure and leisure, including online shopping, managing their finances, socialising and emailing family and friends.

Brits are also addicted to the web at the weekends too, spending an average of 3 hours a day online during their ‘down time’. And this looks set to grow in the future as younger age groups come to the fore. 18 – 24 year olds already spend 7 hours a day online during the week, but they supplement this with 5 hours a day at the weekend too. However, almost two in ten 18 – 24 year olds (19%) now spend more than 8 hours a day online at the weekend – barely leaving time for anything else and possibly contributing to rising obesity levels amongst the young.

The social networking boom is one of the main reasons why Brits now spend so much time online. A quarter (25%) of adults say they need to use sites such as Facebook and Twitter at least once a day and almost a third of 18 – 24 year olds (30%) spend more than 5 hours a week on them. People even have to log in while on holiday with over a third of under 25s (36%) admitting to checking these sites while away.

But, while the influence of these sites cannot be under estimated, only 27% of people think that social networking is a good thing – almost half (46%) are still weighing it up saying that for them, at least, the jury is still out. Social networking has also led to a new generation gap – while 41% of over 65s agree that social networking is the future and they should get used to it, over two thirds (67%) aren’t joining in, preferring not to socialise online.

With the recession pushing people to hunt for bargains and people keen to save both time and money, 93% of the population now shops on the internet. Over 38 million people (79%) spend up to two hours a week doing so. Brits are also spending time managing their money online – just 18% say they don’t use their bank’s online services. Over a quarter (28%) spend between one and two hours a week banking online while nearly half (44%) spend up to an hour a week.

Jason Glynn, communications expert at uSwitch.com, says: “This research shows the huge impact that the internet is having on British life. Broadband is rapidly becoming a necessity – as important to our quality of life as gas or electricity. Our reliance looks set to increase dramatically over the coming years as younger generations come to the fore, putting the Government under even more pressure to deliver universal broadband access across the whole country.

“However, we are also seeing growing signs of a ‘digital divide’ and the risk of social exclusion for those who are unable or unwilling to go online. As we move towards ‘Digital Britain’ some groups, such as the elderly, are in danger of being left behind – more work needs to be done to encourage greater take-up amongst these groups, who could otherwise be left disadvantaged.

“As usage increases it is going to become even more important that consumers fully understand broadband packages so that they are able to choose one that is cost-effective and right for their needs – at the moment this could save them up to£140 a year. Ofcom should be pushing suppliers to ditch the small print, tell people exactly what they are getting for their money and be upfront about any limits to their service – unlimited broadband should be exactly that.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Blogs, Free Stuff, Internet, Security, Services, Web

Free PDF Protection Tool

While some companies struggle to protect their PDF eBooks and PDF documents from unauthorized access, many are protecting their PDF documents and files easily and inexpensively. Largely because they have mastered the proven (but little-known) process of protecting their PDF documents with quick and efficient PDF protection methods.

That’s the opinion of BookGuard Pro, PDF eBook security company, and designer of this new free tool, the PDF Protection Analyzer.

“Small and medium sized businesses and individual PDF publishers today need solid, reliable information on what works in PDF security- and what doesn’t,” says Roger Hall, PDF security specialist. “As a freelance online author and PDF security specialist, I have hundreds of people contacting me asking questions such as:

– How can I structure my PDF security process to protect my PDF so my new PDF eBook won’t be copied?
– How can I get more cost-effective results from PDF security?

“I designed the free PDF Protection Analyzer, to give these folks some of the answers. What makes this PDF tool different is this: it’s not based upon theories or untested ideas. Each of the methods built into the PDF tool has been thoroughly tested, and proven in real-world online book and PDF document launches.”

Unlike many of today’s PDF services, Hall points out, this new PDF process tool has been released at no charge. “A lot of companies and individuals can’t afford to hire online security consultants. And it takes time to read an entire security book, listen to a CD or attend an online security seminar,” notes Hall. “This free PDF Protection Analyzer has been created for them, and takes less than 2 minutes to get.”

PDF protection methods analyzed in the free PDF tool include:

– how PDF passwords may be easily compromised
– why PDF security, PDF wrapping and live monitoring of PDF access is essential for most commercial PDF documents
– where to get effective, free help on boosting your PDF protection

Via EPR Network
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