Today’s post comes from Doug Spindler of PacITPros. http://www.pacitpros.org/ Thanks for the great information Doug!
For those of you with laptops using security cables with combination locks, stop using them, they are defective. It turns out there is a part in the combination lock gets worn which changes the combination numbers required to open the lock. This happens after 3-9 months of regular use.
The model with the issue is the Targus DEFCON Combination Notebook Cable Lock. Kensington has a similar product called the ComboSaver Combination Notebook Lock – I don’t know if the Kensington product has the same problem.
What happens is you secure your computer with the combination of numbers you know. As you twist the numbers, the worn part changes the combination required to open the lock. (But you can’t tell.) When you try to open the lock with the combination you know you can’t open the lock. The only way to open the lock is to smash it with a hammer or shatter the lock with bolt cutters. (Lucky for my friend we were at a full service hotel that had bolt cutters.)
Turns out the security cable manufacture knows about the defect and will promptly replace it with another (defective?) combination lock security cable if you send them the one with the shattered lock. If you protest loudly you can get them to send you one with a pad lock instead of a combination lock.
One final note. How long did it take open the lock with the bolt cutters? About half the time it takes to dial in the correct combination of numbers to open the lock.
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By Jennifer Bosavage, CRN11:00 AM EST Tue. Nov. 16, 2010
When Dave Sobel, CEO of Evolve Technologies, came up with a five-minute way to load Windows XP onto an Apple iPad, he didn’t issue a press release or create a piece of collateral for the company’s press kit. Instead, he posted a video on his Facebook page showing just how he did it.
Sobel related the story during “Social Media, Separating Fact From Fiction,” an on-demand session at COMDEXvirtual, noting that the response he received was enormously positive. COMDEXvirtual is hosted by CRN parent company Everything Channel. The show takes place November 16 – 17, and sessions are available on-demand until May 17, 2011.
It wasn’t just the amount of attention the video received (50,000 hits and 2,000 additional visitors), but rather, the quality of the responses it brought in for the Fairfax, Va.-based solution provider. “Our Web site is designed to track visitors, so we know exactly who’s visiting us, and those people became instant leads. We knew specifically what they were interested in: Our ability to deliver this application on the iPad.”
Sobel joined Marvin DeJean, director of marketing at United Data Technologies (UDT), Miami, Fla.; Jessica DeVita, owner of UberGeekGirl, Inc. a technology consultant in Santa Monica, Calif.; and Josh Gibbs, assistant director of marketing and social media at Everything Channel, Framingham, Mass., in a discussion of how technology businesses use social media to showcase their expertise — and to track down business leads.
For DeVita, using social media has helped her build a network of like-minded individuals. Recently, she worked on a pro bono project for a Los Angeles school ad used Twitter to raise awareness of her business and the work it was doing.
“It’s because of the work I’ve done in social media, that when folks need help in Los Angeles for a client, whether it’s a celebrity or a business, I know that they’ll think of me.”
The main thrust for businesses using social media tools, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, is to create “Return on Engagement.” UDT uses social media technology to create a feed for the communities it hosts on its Web site — which in turn creates traffic for the company’s Web site and awareness of UDT’s offerings.
NEXT: Picking The Right Platform
DeJean’s goal, was to create a feed for the UDT Web site by putting content on Facebook and Twitter, thereby driving people to communities on the site. UDT has created specific community groups through which participants can share information.
“It lets us really listen to the conversation and know what changes are going on in their industry,” said DeJean. “What are they interested in? What are their thoughts on certain products and solutions?” By plugging in that way, UDT has been able to create sales prospects straight from social media.
Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have offered marketers a powerful means of getting the word out about their products and services. Gibbs coined the term, “cloud marketing,” which refers to the ubiquitous nature of marketing today: “[Taking] everything you have as a marketing resource and putting it out in the cloud.”
Getting employees and customers alike familiar and comfortable with social media is crucial to success, panelists said. “I show them how I use each of these tools, and I give a little demo. What that does is give them a safe way to see how I use these tools … and that really gets them comfortable,” said DeVita. “If they really express an interest, I help them create their own profiles and connect them to people they already know. That gives them a launching pad to see where these tools can take them.”
Finally, a level of commitment is necessary to reap the benefits of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Gibbs advised executives to check in frequently, much as they might look at e-mail. Blog posts and comments need to be shared generally on a regular basis, whether that’s daily or weekly. Also, some campaigns work better on certain platforms.
“Talking to professional organizations, it’s definitely LinkedIn,” said Gibbs. “Twitter is really good for brand recognition. You’re able to push out ideas and establish yourself as an opinion leader. There’s what I call the 80/20 rule on Twitter: 80 percent of the time, you need to push out content that’s interesting. The other 20 percent you can promote yourself … If you want to talk to your customers on a really casual level, use Facebook. You can make a blog, anything you want.”
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Today we were working with a client who has been battling credit card and identity theft.
I felt their frustration as they struggled not only to staunch the bleeding but to regain some sort of control. Additionally they wonder how this could have happened. From an I.T. perspective, I thought of a few things they might do differently. Please note that no one is really safe in my opinion and these are simply a few ideas to make you NOT the easy target. Note that I use almost all of these myself ever since my card was used fraudulently a few months ago.
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I belong to a great organization called LA Entrepreneurs and yesterday we had the opportunity to hear Zappos.com CEO and author of Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh, speak with Jason Calcanis of Mahalo.com about the culture building process at Zappos.com
I really enjoyed this event because having happy employees and customers is a concept that seems so foreign here in Los Angeles but is near and dear to my heart.
Delivering personalized IT service to ÜberGeekGirl clients and leaving them completely satisfied and thrilled with the service is my passion and calling. In fact, finding and working with happy people who enjoy “happiness” and strive for it in their daily lives is a huge concept and part of the culture at ÜberGeekGirl. It was great to meet Tony and tell him about ÜberGeekGirl.
I am still reading the book, but I am thrilled so far. I encourage you to get a copy and find out what Tony has to say.
The visionary CEO of Zappos explains how an emphasis on corporate culture can lead to unprecedented success.
Pay new employees $2000 to quit. Make customer service the entire company, not just a department. Focus on company culture as the #1 priority. Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business. Help employees grow both personally and professionally. Seek to change the world. Oh, and make money too.
Sound crazy? It’s all standard operating procedure at Zappos.com, the online retailer that’s doing over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales every year.
In 2009, Zappos was listed as one of Fortune magazine’s top 25 companies to work for, and was acquired by Amazon later that year in a deal valued at over $1.2 billion on the day of closing.
In his first book, Tony shares the different business lessons he learned in life, from a lemonade stand and pizza business through LinkExchange, Zappos, and more. Ultimately, he shows how using happiness as a framework can produce profits, passion, and purpose both in business and in life.
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We are excited to announce our acceptance by OpenDNS for their Managed Service Providers Program! OpenDNS Enterprise, the leading solution for cloud-based Web content filtering and security, is now immediately available from ÜberGeekGirl
• OpenDNS is provider of the world’s leading Internet navigation and security services that make networks safer, faster, smarter and more reliable.
• OpenDNS Enterprise is a cloud-based service; there is no appliance to purchase or software to install on each machine.
• OpenDNS provides comprehensive security for your organization’s network through botnet and malware site protection. OpenDNS blocks known malicious or infected sites from resolving on your network. Since infected sites are prevented from resolving, malicious content is blocked from reaching your network. Fortune 100 companies have chosen OpenDNS Enterprise specifically for its Malware protection.
• In addition to blocking botnets and malware, OpenDNS also protects users from being phished. Phishing websites are sites that spoof well-known brands, in an attempt to gain your sensitive information.
• OpenDNS Enterprise provides more than 50 categories of Web content filtering. Categories include Adult, Social Networking, Proxies/Anonymizers, P2P/Filesharing and more.
• With OpenDNS Enterprise, you can gain insight into Internet activity and usage on your network — both at the DNS and content fi ltering levels. OpenDNS enables you to receive daily detailed reports by email on traffic, blocked sites, and categories of traffic that you can easily forward to colleagues or management.
To receive more information about this service and to signup, just send an email to support AT theubergeekgirl.com with OpenDNS Inquiry as your subject line.
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