Twitter Bible: Everything You Need To Know About Twitter - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

How (and Why) to Get Started on Twitter

Don't understand what all the Twitter fuss is about or why you might want to use this social networking tool? You're not alone, but you may be missing out on useful information and professional connections. Check out our guide on how and why to get started with Twitter.

How and Why to Launch a Business Presence on Twitter

From an upstart airline to the cable company some people love to hate, organizations big and small have reaped success in improving customer service, receiving R&D tips, and marketing their products on Twitter. Here's expert advice on how and why your business should tap into Twitter.

Twitter launched a new welcome page that places a greater emphasis on search, to help new users get acclimated. The site also discarded the "what are you doing?" moniker that sold Twitter's mission short.

Twitter Tips: Etiquette, Job Hunting and More

Twitter Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts

Twitter beginners need to understand the rules of etiquette for the service. So before you stick a foot measuring 140-characters-or-less in your mouth, check out our advice on how to follow and un-follow, share politely, direct message appropriately, and more.

How to Safely Blend the Personal and the Professional on Twitter

Twitter can enhance your personal and professional lives, helping you connect more with friends and learn more from colleagues, customers and peers. But can you tweet to both crowds without getting in trouble or offending someone? Here are some good strategies to ensure a smart balance.

Twitter Etiquette: The Polite Way to Take a Break, Ignore or Unfollow

From those who tweet too much to those who tweet too much information, Twitter friends can become trouble. Here are some useful tips on how to manage problem Tweeters without offending them.

How to Use Twitter to Job Hunt

If you're just using LinkedIn to job hunt, you're missing out on the power of Twitter. Here's expert advice on how to tweet your way to new contacts and opportunities.

Twitter Tips: How to Write Better Tweets

Twitter's 140-character message format demands concise, engaging writing, and that's a skill that a lot of people just don't have. Here's advice to help you engage your followers and avoid common tweet writing blunders.

Twitter Tips: How And Why To Use Hashtags (#)

Hashtags, a shorthand system developed by Twitter users to help categorize Tweets, can save you time and keep your tweets organized. Here's a quick guide for finding and using hashtags.

How to Write a Twitter Policy for Your Employees

Twitter makes it easier than ever to share information and interact with your customers and peers. But giving your employees some rules for the road will make it easier for them to tweet freely and without career fear, while protecting your company.

How to Find Job Posts on Twitter

Many recruiters and some employers have begun posting job openings on Twitter. But knowing how to get what you want from Twitter's search tool, and sorting through hashtags (#) assigned to job posts, can be tricky. CIO.com spoke with career experts to get their take on how to find the jobs you want.

How to Catch Up After a Few Days Away

It's good to disconnect from the Twitter-verse for a while, but then how do you reconnect? Clicking "more" at the bottom of your homepage gets old in a hurry. Here are some catch-up strategies.

 

LinkedIn for BlackBerry Smartphones: Details and Images - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Mon, November 09, 2009CIO — It's about time.

BlackBerry smartphone users will soon be able to download and employ a LinkedIn mobile application that will allow them to access the business-oriented social networking service while on the go, via an innovative and good-looking BlackBerry application.

LinkedIn's Adam Nash with RIM's David Yach

LinkedIn's Adam Nash with RIM's David Yach

The news is particularly significant because BlackBerry users, many of whom are businesspeople, represent a large percentage of LinkedIn's target user base. Facebook for BlackBerry, MySpace for BlackBerry and countless BlackBerry applications for popular micro-blogging service Twitter have been around for years. But BlackBerry owners were out of luck when it came to LinkedIn; the LinkedIn mobile website was their best option.

But today, LinkedIn's Adam Nash, VP of search and platform products, along with RIM's Software CTO David Yach, demonstrated the brand new LinkedIn for BlackBerry application in front of more than 1,000 attendees at RIM's second annual BlackBerry Developer Conference in San Francisco.

The application offers all the basic LinkedIn functionality, including messaging and profile viewing. It also displays notification alerts on the BlackBerry home screen "ribbon." And it integrates with a variety of native BlackBerry applications such as the calendar, so you can, say, click on a meeting attendee's name and then view their LinkedIn profile.

Overall, the application looks very impressive, and I'm anxious to finally be able to manage my LinkedIn account via a BlackBerry app.

I've been asking for LinkedIn BlackBerry for years. I literally penned an open letter to both RIM and LinkedIn. LinkedIn informed me that it certainly heard my pleas--and the pleas of countless other frustrated BlackBerry users. But I was honestly beginning to wonder if LinkedIn would ever make it to the BlackBerry platform.

It's unclear when exactly the application will become publicly available, but the following screen-shots give you can idea of what to expect.

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

LinkedIn for BlackBerry

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Get better use out of your BlackBerry and keep up-to-date on the latest developments. Sign-up »

 

BlackBerry Gets Official craigslist Mobile App: Images, Pricing - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Wed, November 11, 2009CIO — If you're a BlackBerry smartphone owner and craigslist.com user, you've got reason to rejoice today: An official craigslist BlackBerry app is about to hit Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry App World mobile software shop.

craigslist mobile for BlackBerry Home Screen

craigslist mobile for BlackBerry Home Screen

The new app, craigslist mobile from Movela, makers of the popular Movela Netflix Queue Manager, offers all the basic features found on the full craigslist.com website, and its intuitive user interface (UI) makes it simple to browse various site listing and respond to interesting posts immediately from within the app, via e-mail or phone.

BlackBerry users who are familiar with Movela Netflix Queue Manager will immediately recognize the craigslist mobile UI, as it works very much like the company's Netflix app. And craigslist mobile for BlackBerry offers quick, one-click access from the app's home screen to listings on craigslist sections including Community, Personals, Housing, Jobs, For Sale, Services, Gigs and more.

A Preferences tab atop the app home screen lets you quickly swap between cities, states and countries, and you can elect to employ your device's font style within the app to make it feel more your own.

And a basic navigation bar along the bottom lets you quickly return to the home screen; view saved searches and perform new queries; check on bookmarked listings; submit feedback to the app's makers; and send alerts BlackBerry-toting friends who might want to check out craigslist mobile for themselves.

Warning screens popup before you can view any "adult-related" content, and you must agree to specific terms of service to view further pages.

craigslist mobile
craigslist mobile BlackBerry Icon

A "Post on craigslist" menu option opens up the BlackBerry Browser and brings you to the craigslist mobile site, where you can login and post new listings of your own. Ideally, you'd be able to post new listings from the application itself, but that's really the only downside I see to craigslist mobile for BlackBerry...expect for its rather hefty price tag.

craigslist mobile is currently awaiting RIM's approval, and the company expects the app to find its way to BlackBerry App World in the very near future. When it does, it will cost $4.99, which is slightly expensive, in my opinion. If you use craigslist constantly, $5 may seem like an insignificant amount of scratch, but I would've liked to see it priced slightly cheaper, perhaps $2.99 or $3.99.

craigslist mobile is not the only BlackBerry application that provides access to craiglist.com--Viigo, one of my personal favorite BlackBerry apps, also offers very basic craigslist features, for free. But in my mind, Movela's new craigslist mobile is currently the best option for BlackBerry toting craigslist users.

The new craigslist mobile app is also officially supported by craigslist, according to Movela.

Hit the jump for additional screen shots of craigslist mobile for BlackBerry in action.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I've worked with Movela on beta testing apps in the past--though I did not test craigslist mobile. I also communicate frequently with one of the developers who worked on the craigslist app, Matt Haag, via social networks like Twitter.

 

G4S buys systems integration firm Adesta |

Systems integration firm Adesta, which provides security technology services for a variety of large clients including critical infrastructure projects, has been purchased by global security solutions company G4S. The purchase price is $66 million, and was based on annual revenues from Adesta of $92 million in 2008.

"As a leading systems integrator in the design and operation of security systems and command and control centers for Government and Regulated sectors, the Adesta acquisition is an important strategic step to deliver advanced secure solutions combining G4S manpower and technology to U.S. seaports, where Adesta has an impressive market penetration, and extend this to chemical/petrochemical site security and other critical infrastructure," said Keith Whitelock, president of G4S Technology North America.

Adesta is a 20-plus-year business that provides full service systems integration for electronic and physical security, and key markets have been ports, critical infrastructure and petrochemical industries, as well as public safety. Recent contract wins have included a utility firm near Chattanooga, Tenn., and the Stafford County Public Schools in Virgina. The firm's skill sets have include wide-ranging sensor installations, video surveillance and access control. Besides security, the firm has also worked to manage and install communications infrastructures used for non-security communications platforms.

City surveillance: Crime deterrent or invasion of privacy?


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City surveillance: Crime deterrent or invasion of privacy?
November 11th, 2009 @ 10:30pm
By John Daley

SANDY -- High-tech surveillance networks are providing police and government with the ability to monitor streets, parks and businesses like never before. Police in Sandy have such a system and call it a deterrent to crime. Still, others say it's an invasion of privacy.

The skate facility at Lone Peak Park is an outlet for youthful energy. But sometimes it is also the site of problems like bullying, trespassing, and drugs and alcohol. Recently, Sandy City added something new to help keep watch.

Cameras installed at a skate park have helped police catch underage drinkers, trespassers and bullies

"Just extra eyes and ears, like we ask the public to be," explained Sandy police Sgt. Justin Chapman.

Those "eyes" caught a skater taking a beer from his trunk, pouring it into a container and heading off to skate. An officer was called, and the skater was busted.

Later, a man was cuffed for interfering with the police interview. The whole scene was captured on tape.

"It gives the opportunity, again, to cover a lot of area rather quickly; to cover spots that may be problematic," Chapman said.

Sandy now covers a quarter of its public spaces with a new state-of-the-art, $400,000, wireless video network. Most of it is paid for by a federal grant.

The cameras are installed in high-traffic locations around the city of Sandy

There are 15 cameras; six of them movable. Much of the time, the system is monitored by citizen volunteers like Bill Dunlap, who says more cameras add police presence, limiting crime.

"You take away their anonymity and their ability to do something without being watched," Dunlap said.

Police said the system has helped them solve who was at fault in a car accident, corroborate the whereabouts of a runaway and nab a man who staked out a parking lot at Jordan Commons and stole something from an SUV. An officer arrived to find him hiding behind a car.

"It's a very good workforce multiplier for us to have that many cameras," Chapman said.

Still, watchdog groups worry about the public's right to privacy and wonder if the system, despite assurances, could be abused.

Marina Lowe, staff attorney for the ACLU, said she has concerns about profiling, training, how the video is used, and about cameras doing things like tracking perfectly legal protests.

Camera's helped police catch a burglary suspect hiding behind a car at Jordan Commons

"Americans value their privacy; and while we don't enjoy the same privacy out on the public streets as we do in our own homes, there's a feeling that that's not the way that we live in this country -- to have ‘Big Brother' always following us," Lowe said.

She was surprised by the quality and power of Sandy's cameras, which can zoom in to see people up close. The video can then be saved for two months.

The manufacturer says private homes can be masked out so they're not seen.

"Our basic goal is to make the public a safer place," said Andy Schreyer, sales manager for Firetide, Inc.

Sandy police say the cameras will also be used to do things like monitor streets and plows during storms.

"It's not a tool we use for spying or other activities; they're all in public locations," Chapman said.

Firetide, Inc. said the networks are being used for security at big events like political conventions, the Super Bowl and the Olympics. The company also told KSL News the Utah Transit Authority UTA is considering such a system for TRAX stops and parking lots.

E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com

Fla. No. 2 for mortgage delinquency - South Florida Business Journal:

Florida ranked second among states with the highest mortgage delinquency rates in the third quarter, at 13.3 percent, according to

TransUnion.com, a credit and information management company. At 14.5 percent, Nevada was No. 1.

Nationwide, the ratio of borrowers who were 60 days or more past due on their mortgages increased for the 11th straight quarter, hitting an all-time high of 6.25 percent in the quarter, up from 5.81 percent the previous quarter.

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There is some good news, however. TransUnion found that while the rate is up, it’s not going up as much as in previous months.

For example, the delinquency rate increased almost 14 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008 to first quarter of 2009, while the percent change from first quarter to second quarter of 2009 increased by just 11.3 percent.

"While it continues to be a positive sign that the increase in mortgage borrower delinquency rates has slowed for three consecutive quarters, we have to keep things in perspective,” said FJ Guarrera, vice president of TransUnion's financial services division, in a news release. “Delinquency rates are rising and expected to peak at record levels. Until the housing market can consistently demonstrate several months of home value appreciation and the unemployment rate improves, mortgage delinquency will likely continue to rise."

The average national mortgage debt per borrower dropped 0.36 percent, to $193,121 from the previous quarter's $193,811. The third quarter average represents a 0.43 percent increase over the average mortgage debt per borrower level of $192,287 for the prior-year period.

The area with the highest average mortgage debt per borrower was the District of Columbia, at $359,788, followed by California, at $354,510, and Hawaii at $312,844. The lowest average mortgage debt per borrower was in West Virginia, at $97,265.

Information for the report was culled from 27 million anonymous, randomly sampled, individual credit files, representing about 10 percent of credit-active U.S. consumers.

Sights are set on rise in Pre-Paid Legal’s era

Sights are set on rise in Pre-Paid Legal’s era
No. 4The business is facing another SEC investigation with same optimism

BY STEVE LACKMEYER    Comments Comment on this article

0

Published: November 15, 2009

ADA — The economy is still in the doldrums, people are losing their jobs — and conditions couldn’t be better for Ada-based Pre-Paid Legal.

Multimedia

At least that’s the outlook for CEO Harland Stonecipher, whose company saw net income rise 6 percent the first half of 2009 with cash flow of $35 million, up 28 percent.

"It’s just our business model,” Stonecipher said. "We’ve reported positive net income for the past 10 years. We’re an Oklahoma company, we’ve got offices in Ada, Antlers and Duncan and we’re still rural America. You get a good work ethic, attitude and lesser cost of operations.”

Tulsa financial analyst Jake Dollarhide sees the depressed economy, however, as yet another strength for Pre-Paid Legal: people need attorneys more than ever, and the company’s "pre-paid” approach is more appealing than a hefty $2,000 retainer.

"The thing about Pre-Paid is some might consider it to be a luxury item, much like Starbucks coffee,” Dollarhide said. "But it does cater to middle income or lower income level, or anybody who finds it distasteful to pay a $2,000 retainer.”

Stonecipher agrees.

"The economic downtown has not affected our company, but it has affected our Pre-Paid members,” Stonecipher said. "They need our services more now than at any other time. Foreclosures are at record highs, and, in fact, we’re told in 2010 and 2011, more than 50 percent of mortgages will be under water. Those people will need lawyers.”

Stonecipher said Pre-Paid members are already getting good use of their service, consulting with attorneys about foreclosures and having a better shot at working out an agreement to keep their homes.

"A lot of people who get into this situation can’t afford $300 to $500 an hour,” Stonecipher said. "But with Pre-Paid, they get unlimited access.”

Pre-Paid Legal is continuing with the programs it has had for years but is adding programs designed to help small businesses deal with unions and debt collection.

"Some of these small businesses are very concerned about being unionized. They know there’s a major press in that area, but they don’t know how to respond or what to do about it,” Stonecipher said. "And our lawyers can help them with that. They can also help on debt collection — these businesses need help in tough times to collect every dollar they can.”

Dollarhide said that when the economy recovers, Pre-Paid is in good position to do even better — if it can survive a recently launched Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of Pre-Paid’s marketing practices and stock repurchase program.

Pre-Paid has had a mixed bag in its dealings with the SEC. Several years ago, the company restated its earnings steeply downward after regulators disagreed with the way it booked its sales staff’s commissions. But the last time the SEC came around Ada, the end was nothing but a hit on the stock price.

"Investors hate bad headlines,” Dollarhide said. "Obviously a subpoena casts a cloud. How dark that cloud is remains to be seen. The sooner they can get through that, the better.”

Stonecipher said he was surprised, but not shocked, by the latest investigation. He suspects the probe is related to his company’s repurchase program, in which Pre-Paid has spent $421 million buying back 14 million of 24 million shares the past several years.

"We’re a public company, and that’s the price you pay when you’re a public company. It’s not the best use of our resources, not best for shareholders. It’s only in the interest of the short-sellers. The shorts don’t like our stock buyback program.”

Stonecipher’s response makes sense to Dollarhide.

"The executive founder of a company will always put something in a good light,” Dollarhide said. "And I’m sure the short-sellers don’t like it or anything that might limit them. Some blame short-sellers for the entire crash.”

Could Pre-Paid go private?

"We don’t really need to be public anymore, we don’t need the cash,” Stonecipher said. "We’re buying back one day at a time.”

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    What’s Working, What’s Not Working

    First off, thank you to each one of you who’ve email the office, posted on Facebook, or responded to my first email. It’s amazing that when you reveal something in your life that is painful and potentially embarrasing, others share their experiences. I’ve realized that my challanges health wise have been faced by others and I’m not alone.

    Now, let’s talk about some reality in today’s market. It doesn’t matter if you are online or offline. Virtual or have a physical store.

    We had the blessing of working in multiple markets, with diverse clients, and diverse product/service offerings.

    We also have our personal network of colleagues that we keep in communication with as well (people like Perry Marshall).

    You might be exception to the rules we state here.  All I am sharing is what I’ve seen and experienced.

    What’s working well:
    - Businesses that offer tangible solutions to problems, or tangible products with real value
    - Products/Services that people are actively searching online for
    - Patience in the sales cycle - willing to warm leads from cold visitor to warm lead to hot prospect
    - Closing sales using the phone
    - Multi-page websites versus landing pages
    - Facebook fan pages
    - Direct Mail
    - Local business promotion using Google (Paid and Organic)
    - Appointments

    What’s not working well (some things are not working at all, some things are very difficult)
    - Selling programs/membership online (we’ve tried inexpensive programs up to high-fee programs) and getting them to stick in brutal. My friend and co-worker Matt has done a ton of research on this and the stick rate by month is about 4 months for these kind of programs.
    - Getting people to attend and stay for an entire webinar
    - Launching new ideas and getting quick traction
    - Traditional squeeze pages
    - Point of purchase sales for anything other than inexpensive, common items
    - Email deliverability
    - Traditional SEO

    This is a short list of what we’re personally experiencing.  Perhaps you’ve seen the same, or bucked the trend in one of these cases.  I’d love to hear your thoughts. Post your comments below.

    In the next few emails, I’ll go into some detail on these points as to why they aren’t working.

    Stay tuned.

    Bob Regnerus.

    Florida foreclosures slow in October - South Florida Business Journal:

    Florida experienced the first year-over-year decrease in foreclosure activity since July 2006 – down 4 percent, year-over-year, in October, according to

    RealtyTrac.

    Still, the state posted the third-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, with one in every 168 housing units going into default.

    October saw 51,911 Florida properties file for foreclosure, down nearly 6 percent from the previous month, according to the Irvine, Calif.-based online marketplace for foreclosures.

    “It’s not that the economy is so much better and that everyone is getting jobs, it’s that the banks are more willing to work things out,” said Scott Coloney, who leads the

    Foreclosure Response Team in Fort Lauderdale. “I don’t think the banks want the houses back, and that’s probably why it’s going down. It’s like hot potato.”

    Coloney said his company has been working with lenders’ loss mitigation departments, which are granting extensions, giving homeowners who face foreclosure the time to conduct a short sale.

    And, while at first blush it might appear that the foreclosure tide is turning, RealtyTrac CEO James J. Saccacio said in a news release that “the fundamental forces driving foreclosure activity in this housing downturn – high-risk mortgages, negative equity and unemployment – continue to loom over any nascent recovery.”

    In the tri-county area, Miami-Dade County saw 7,741 homes, or one in every 126, fall into foreclosure last month. In Broward, there were 6,797 homes, or one in every 118, going into default. Palm Beach fared best, with 3,350 homes, or one in every 191, going into foreclosure.

    Only Nevada – which experienced a 26 percent decline in foreclosure activity month over month – and California – which experienced just a 1 percent month-over-month decline – had higher foreclosure rates than Florida.

    Nationwide, 332,292 homes fell into foreclosure in October, down 3 percent from the previous month, but up nearly 19 percent from October 2008.

    The decline in foreclosure rates follows Tuesday’s news that sales of existing homes and condos rose in the third quarter, both in Florida and nationwide.

    Still, prices remain significantly depressed. A report released Monday by Zillow found that South Florida homeowners continued to drown in negative equity, with more than 46 percent, or 387,157 of all single-family homes, under water at the end of the third quarter.

    Even there, however, was a glimmer of hope, as the number was down slightly from the 47 percent, or 393,473 homes, under water in the second quarter.

    Last week, President Barack Obama extended the first-time homebuyer credit, leading to speculation that it will help to push more potential homebuyers off the fence, stimulating home sales even further.