Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Maintaining your PC by Tony Green

Image of person at computer
If you are like me when you are working on your computer you are not working with one window using one program. In general I use multiple programs with multiple windows open. Why would I need so many windows in use at once? First of all, your email program is a must so you can keep track of any incoming messages that require your immediate attention, your Internet browser which allows you to keep up with any late breaking news, and any other programs you may be using.

Occasionally the performance of your computer slows down to where your ability to get things done without waiting for programs to respond becomes a challenge. As you would expect, this “lockup” always occurs when you are up against a time limit where something needs to get done using your personal computer (PC). More times than not this could all have been avoided by taking these simple steps.

I have found performing these five steps save a good amount of time wrestling with performance issues. The first step is the defragmentation of your hard drive. This process moves the files which are located in various locations on your hard drive to more centralized location. This makes the task files of finding any files which may be stored easier by preventing your computer from searching the entire hard drive. The next step is to from time to time perform virus scans on your computer. These programs check for viruses which can affect files, degrade the performance of the computer.

Another excellent step is to now and then clean the files on your computer. Over time many temporary files can accumulate and removing these can speed up the operation of your computer. Next backing up files every so often is very important in preventing uncommon occurrences from causing you to lose all of your data in the event of a catastrophic failure of your system. Finally, you should start only the programs you intend to use. On many occasions all of the programs that are installed on the computer are automatically launched with the computer starts up. Over time this causes your PC to boot up at a snail's pace due to the time required to start all of the installed software. Start up only the ones you need during a session. This way you prevent wasting large amount of CPU and memory using programs you are not using.

Here is a link, as an example Windows 7 TuneUp ,to a program which I believe is useful in helping me maintain the performance of my computers. Perhaps these programs may help you to increase you unit’s performance as well.

Content Marketing by Tony Green

content management system logo
Through the years several self proclaimed versions of marketing which have caught fire, gained popularity and sold millions of book for their authors. The most famous ones are “Guerilla Marketing” by Jay Conrad Levinson, “Punk Marketing” by Mark Simmons and Richard Laerner, and “Duct Tape Marketing” by John Jantsch. I might define midnight marketing as conducting marketing activities under the radar against management against using the latest technology/techniques to reach customers. I am sure you might name a few or create your own.

When I saw the term “content marketing” on the view projector as I arrived slightly late after the beginning of the breakfast due to the usual Silicon Valley Traffic on Route 101 I was wondering if I would take away something I could use. The reason I came is I knew for the high tech marketer, particularly the Internet marketer, content was the endgame. Any some insight I had the opportunity to take away on topic would a good thing.

Any website manager will tell you we are all in the eyeballs business. Everyone is competing for viewers, page-views, click-through, which are all activities which use our eyeballs. Has anyone ever thought of what draws those eyeballs? That’s right the eyeball magnet is content.

Content provides useful or entertaining information through the preferred delivery medium the reader uses. Additionally, the content and its delivery correspond with the customers buying cycle. Optimizing the process is done by talking, reading, learning the business pains point, getting to customer to engage. The devil is in the
details is determining content which works best.

In my view this sounds like a reasonable take-away over some bacon and coffee. Once breakfast was finished and its participants were beginning to move to the next part of their day I thought to myself. What are my customers looking for and what is the best means to make their requested information available to them when they are most receptive? Alas, that is what content marketing at all about. You heard it now keep your eyes open for content marketing to join the other marketing version at a book store near you.

The idea for this posting came from workshop conducting for the Business Marketing Association BMA by Jon Assilian, CEO of Viewstream Company Website: http://www.viewstream.com

Sunday, April 11, 2010

What is it with this Twitter stuff? By Tony Green

In the last few days I have seen the explosion in terms of Twitter. Seemingly everyone is mentioning Twitter in the same fashion where Facebook became huge and My Space usage exploded.

Just last night on ESPN the sportscasters were commenting after Shaq O’Neal sent a message on Twitter at half time of the game.

So as you would expect what do I do, log on to my Twitter account and signed up to follow him. Perhaps I can catch Shaq ranting’s in real time instead for waiting for SportsCenter to air its report.

Who wants to wait for anything nowadays? Everyone is so busy who wants to sit down and process anything? That is the ultimate reason Twitter is catching on. The format is consistent with real life. Life is a snapshot of small events. Twitter captures those small snapshots in real time. Regardless of where you are and what you may be doing.

Now I can receive Shaq’s updates without waiting for anyone. And I can receive them uncensored. Can you beat the immediate access? (assuming Shaq does writes his own tweets, which may be the subject of another blog).

I’ll check on what you are doing in real time if you do not mind me peeking through the mundane snapshots of your life. Feel free to capture mine, my Twitter profile is Tony_Green. Follow me and I’ll send you a Tweet!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The regulation of Social Media by Tony Green

image of dollars s bills
I read in the latest edition of Smart Money Magazine that the financial industry was making a move towards regulating Social Media.

This, of course, seems odd as the whole point of social media in many respects is to deregulate the communications between a company and its customers allow uninterrupted insights into their desires and wishes. One of these wishes is to receive response to questions in inquiries in a non intrusive manner and in real time.
The financial industry had been using Social Media applications, such Twitter and Facebook, to pass out investment advice. The type of advice includes a full range of services from the most promising stock sectors to pitching the latest benefits of annuities.

The problem is the hyping of stock and the advent of false marketing claims is forcing the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to take action in the same fashion FINRA regulates print advertising and commercials. FINRA regulation apply to brokerages fund companies and their employees. Its function is to govern what information can and cannot say in its communications. If an employee breaks any of the established rules the firm may be subject to fines and bans. The regulations do not cover all of the industry, for instance if the broker works on his/her own and not with a firm the rules do not apply.

Many industries have been late to embrace social media as a legitimate means of communicating to its customer even to the effect is has to change its rules in response to its impact.

It is nice to note Social Media is finally being appreciated for being a part on the conversation spectrum, even if that means regulation.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Distributed grid model? by Tony Green

image of high voltage power lines
When I read about Bloom Energy’s “Bloom Boxes “, I thought,” Wow, is fuel cell technology, at last, on its way?” Fuel cells have been discussed for years as a potential source of energy but the technology was not at a place so it could achieve commercial adoption.

The reason for this, to a certain extent, is the catalysts required to convert hydrogen and oxygen to its by-products of water, heat and electricity are very expensive. The breakthrough Bloom has made to allow using sand as the catalyst which is readily available and therefore much cheaper than the expensive metals which comprises today’s catalysts.

Once I read further I learned EBay, Cypress, and Google were using the fuel cells to save their companies a large amount of money on their electric usage. In a sense the fuel cells are providing a local source of power for their facilities which was renewable.

Then the light came on about the bigger meaning of this announcement. The greater issue is the question of whether this be a new proposed model of a distributed power grid? The idea is instead of today’s model where power is produced in large quantities and transported to the location where electricity is needed the sources might be produced locally in close proximity to where the demand is generated. Will this be a trend of the future?

This potential was affirmed when I heard about the idea of building miniature nuclear power plants, designed not to provide large amount of power but to supply enough for a local grid. These mini nukes, as they were referred, would generate the power, which would be renewable, needed to provide electricity on a local level.

The need to overhaul the transmission grid of electricity to support Smart Grid technology had been discussed and is covered in President Obama's plan. Transmission lines are expensive and will take years to build. In addition the policy and regulation required would mean a decade or so would transpire from the plan to the actual building of the transmission lines.

Is this another option which would allow renewable energy to ease the pressure the oil shortage while making the world a better place? It seems logical to me this is something we should all seriously investigate. What do you think?