Universities in Bahrain,

Universities in Bahrain are participating in the CFA Institute Global Investment Research Challenge for the first time.
CFA Bahrain, the association for local investment professionals, consisting of portfolio managers, investment advisers, educators and other financial professionals, hosted the first stage of the national competition.
Over the next few months, five teams of 20 students from four of the country's leading universities and business schools will compete for a place in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regional final in Istanbul in March next year.
The successful team from the EMEA region will then compete in the international final to be held in Hong Kong next April.
The Global Investment Research Challenge is an educational initiative in which leading industry professionals guide business and finance students in researching and reporting on a publicly traded company.
It spans one academic year and consists of analysing a public company, mentoring by a professional research analyst, writing a research report and presenting its results and recommendations to a panel of experts.
"Last year students from Nanyang Technological University from Singapore won the competition, beating stiff opposition from three other teams from Ireland, the United States and Brazil." CFA Bahrain vice-president Lamees Al Baharna said.
"This year's competition will be just as challenging. Our society is very excited to be bringing the event to Bahrain and the GCC for the first time, for giving students the chance to meet some of the finest investment professionals working in the country and to potentially meet their contemporaries from many other countries."
With the cut-off date approaching bankers, financiers, and Islamic banking professionals are rushing to get their votes in for the Islamic Business and Finance Awards.
This year's award ceremony will be hosted by CPI Financial, publisher of Islamic Business & Finance magazine, and will be highlighting the phenomenal performance of the Islamic finance industry, particularly during times of economic instability.
The awards ceremony is set to be held on December 14 under the patronage of Dubai International Financial Centre.
They were first introduced in 2005 in response to the extraordinary growth rate of the Islamic financial institutions, and is currently one of the most distinguished awards within the financial industry.
"Islamic finance proves to be the most promising financial sector today." CPI Financial chief executive officer Nigel Rodrigues said
"Throughout the global economic crisis, the combined assets of Islamic banks continued to soar relative to the private banks worldwide," he added

Supporting business leaders in running,

Supporting business leaders in running for next year's parliamentary elections was one of the plans outlined by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry's new board yesterday.
BCCI chief executive officer Ebrahim Al Lengawi said the chamber Foundation president Kevin O'Malley wanted the business commuity to have more presence in parliament and it was keen to help.
"The chamber is thinking for the business community to have a presence in the parliament and to support one or two in the next elections as a way of supporting the economy," he told the GDN following a Press conference held at the BCCI in Sanabis.
"They will do this by making alliances with societies that are related to the economy and supporting them logistically."
He said other plans for the chamber included supporting the private sector in establishing a company for fish farming, poultry and red meat.
BCCI bureau members Jawad Al Hawaj and BCCI vice-treasurer Sagar Shaheen will spend the next three days visiting the Philippines and Thailand to discuss opportunities for fish farming with Bahrain.
Meetings will be held with their counterparts in each country and business leaders in the field.
Meanwhile, a proposal to add four new committees to the BCCI's existing 18 was announced.
The four committees are: fairs and exhibitions committee, transportation committee (with a focus on heavy vehicles), joint committee with Bahrain Association of Banks and a joint committee with contractors.
The chamber is also considering establishing a fifth committee, which will be a joint committee with Tamkeen.
The committees will be chaired by a board member involved in that particular sector or in some cases by a member outside the board.
The progress of each committee will be reviewed every three to six months.
The board also announced its decision to adopt a 10-point manifesto that had previously been presented by a 14-member bloc in the chamber's elections, which were held on November 16.
In the polls, 13 out 14 members in the bloc, which included BCCI chairman Dr Essam Fakhro, were elected to the new board.
"It will form part of the BCCI's objectives and more will be added because obviously others were elected to the board and they have their individual goals and agenda," said Mr Al Lengawi.
"The board will continue to support the market and focus on activating committees in the BCCI and make sure they deliver, with a special focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to open lots of avenues in the local and international markets."
BCCI's objectives for the next four years include:
l Frame a new strategic vision for the chamber in accordance with Bahrain Vision 2030.
l Enhance the chamber's role in protecting members' interests and bring up existing and emerging issues that members are facing.
l Establish a new centre for upholding the interests of small and medium enterprises.
l Provide support and orientation to young businessmen and women so they can emerge successful in their business ventures and equip them to play an important role in the kingdom's economy
l Set fundamentals for dialogue, discussions and partnership with the chamber and government and carry the private sector's voice to legislative bodies to uphold national interests
l Play a new influential role for the chamber in streamlining procedures, regulations and initiatives for infrastructural facilities pertaining to contracting industries, traders and services.
l Improve administrative systems and create value added services for the members to enhance ties and boost financial resources among them.
l Adopt and encourage initiatives and investments in national projects, research and administration to boost competency for establishments and companies in Bahrain.
l Conduct a viability study to enhance the private sector's role in local and public issues and to increase their role in political movements.
l Enhance the chamber's role for setting up an appropriate legislative and administrative environment to encourage private and commercial sectors.

Oman Air has launched a new three-class services,

Oman Air has launched a new three-class service on its flagship Muscat-London Heathrow route. The service is offered aboard new A330-300 aircraft and features new First Class, Business Class and Economy Class cabins, together with state of the art in-flight entertainment and delicious new menus.
"Oman Air's new three-class service between Muscat and London delivers everything the discerning traveller could want," Oman Air's chief executive officer Peter Hill, who launched the new service, said.
"Our daily, non-stop direct flights between our hub in Muscat and London Heathrow offer a smooth and hassle-free journey and our stunning new aircraft offer more space, comfort and luxury than ever before.
"With lie-flat seats, direct aisle access and a la carte dining for every passenger in First Class and Business Class, together with surprisingly comfortable and spacious Economy Class seats, we now offer an unmatched level of quality for all passengers.
"In addition, our leading-edge in-flight entertainment system, including audio-video on demand and six channels of live TV, wonderful new menus in every class and superb hospitality offered by our specially-trained cabin crew attired in new, Balenciaga-designed uniforms - underline our commitment to ensuring that every one of our passengers reaches their destination relaxed, refreshed and ready to go."
The seats in each class of the new service have been designed to the highest specifications by EADS Sogerma.
The First Class Mini Suite offers the longest lie-flat bed available on any commercial airliner and is set within a massive 87-inch pitch.
Furthermore, with a 25.5-inch wide seat, and eight point massage system built in, stowage for hand luggage, dedicated space to hang a coat and a huge 23-inch video monitor, Oman Air's First Class Mini Suite is in a class of its own.
With just six seats within the first-class cabin, together with a luxurious lounge area, the passenger experience is akin to flying in an exclusive private jet.
The Business Class cabin offers 20 lie-flat seats, each within a pitch of 82 inches and fitted in a four-abreast, on-two-one configuration.
A wide seat, ample stowage space, a privacy screen and a sizeable 17-inch monitor ensure that Oman Air's Business Class seat outshines most other airlines' first-class offering.

The eGovernment National Portal,

The importance of Bahrain's National Portal in boosting business and trade ties were highlighted at a major forum. The eGovernment Authority in Bahrain shared its expertise with delegates from across the GCC and the region at the event.
The two-day third Gulf eCommerce Forum 2009 opened yesterday at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro.
The theme of the forum was 'Electronic Portals: A Future Look'.
The eGovernment National Portal , launched in November last year, was a landmark event, being the first of the four main service delivery channels in the eGovernment strategy, the other three being the mobile gateway, common service centres, and national contact centres.
The story of the National Portal was chronicled by eGovernment Authority chief executive officer Mohammed Al Qaed during the forum's opening ceremony.
This included major milestones and challenges faced before and after the portal's launch, as well as the importance of such portals to e-commerce.
"Well-developed comprehensive electronic national portals are a significant factor in the progress of nations when it comes to simplifying processes." he said.
"Such portals are a key reason why nations such as the US and Singapore sit amongst the top countries in important UN rankings reports such as eReadiness and business friendliness.
"Bahrain, guided by Vision 2030, is setting the necessary groundwork to become a player in the regional and international scene through various eGovernment programmes and initiatives," he said.
"We have recently completed upgrading the portal's infrastructure platform to accommodate its growing number of visitors and integrated e-services the ministries plan on launching through the site."
National portals help shift the focus to the end users, thereby elevating the level of service, Al Qaed said.
In addition, they present a convenient one-stop-shop to access all government services and information for users, and even enables direct interaction between the public and government ministries and departments.
eGovernment Authority head of eService Delivery Mohammed Abdulaziz gave an in-depth presentation during the forum's first session, using the National Portal to illustrate the important role partnerships can play in creating world-class electronic portals.
The presentation, entitled 'Effective Partnerships in eServices', revolved around the role of public-private partnerships and the eGovernment Authority's experience in this regard.
The presentation included case studies of current partnerships between the eGovernment Authority and various private sector enterprises, and how these joint efforts optimise eService delivery to citizens, residents, visitors, and businessmen.

Everybody loves a bargain,

Everybody loves a bargain, right? Well, what's true in flush times is even more so in lean years, and the holiday season of 2009 is certainly going to cap off one of those.
With the economy only beginning to lurch its way back from the precipice, some research firms have already offered preliminary analyses projecting a bearish holiday retail season, even for the online sector.
Despite reporting encouraging results from an early November e-commerce sales report, comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni today was quick to temper his optimism. "Nonetheless, online spending this holiday season will likely be tempered by the stark reality of 10-percent unemployment and less disposable income in many consumers’ wallets," Fulgoni said of the strong start.
So with online retailers looking to make hay in a cloud cover, this year's e-commerce season could be a bargain bonanza, if you know where to look. The importance of bargains is certainly not lost among the giants of the online retail sector.
On Tuesday, eBay unveiled a new "Deals" app for the iPhone that promises to funnel users a steady stream of bargain listings from the site.
This Friday, known in the retail world as "Black Friday," eBay is kicking off its "12 Days of Deals" promotion, featuring exclusive mystery deals the e-commerce giant has arranged with vendors. The promotion opens with the Samsung Netbook N120-12GBK and runs through Dec. 8.
In concert with the release of the new Deals app, eBay updated its regular iPhone app and redesigned its mobile Web page, which it expects to rake in more than $500 million in sales by the end of the year.
Not to be outdone, rival e-commerce titan Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has stocked its own Black Friday deals page with markdowns geared for the onset of the holiday shopping season.
Apple also has some markdowns in store for shoppers on Black Friday. Late Tuesday afternoon, the consumer electronics juggernaut posted this promotion online store, advertising a one-day shopping event for the day after Thanksgiving.
To help navigate through the blizzard of promotions and merchandise available on the Web, the search engines are getting in on the game. On Monday, Google rolled out some updates to its Product Search service, now offering a high-resolution gallery view and summaries of reviews to speed the research process.
Microsoft's Bing, which is working assiduously to lure Web users away from Google, is increasing the percentage it's offering to pay back to shoppers through its cash-back program.
Even though for many, online holiday shopping might begin with the biggest, best-known names on the Web, savvy bargain hunters are wont to neglect the long tail, and that long tail is becoming an increasingly social place.
"Customers are increasingly using a variety of social web platforms to connect with one another on a multitude of topics," said Shari Gunn, vice president of advertising and business development at Kaboodle.com, a social shopping hub. "In the biggest shopping season of the year, we're seeing shopping and product related activity/conversations pop up all over the place -- and in more types of places than ever before."
Gunn explained that the rise of sites like Kaboodle, as well as social media powerhouses like Facebook and Twitter, has carried the social side of shopping well beyond user-generated product reviews and created tremendous opportunities for brands to spread the word virally.
"The key shift in consumer behavior is that consumers now expect to be well-informed and expect to be able to find product information, brand information, deals and discounts," she told InternetNews.com.
In recent years, a bevy of sites have emerged that position themselves as hubs for Black Friday promotions. To name a few, these include BlackFriday.info, BlackFriday2009.com, BFAds.net and special Black Friday sections on Dealighted.com and GottaDeal.com.
These sites can be valuable resources for shoppers working out their Black Friday game plan, since they often offer previews of deals retailers were trying to keep mum but leaked.
In a sign that consumers are taking notice, research firm Experian Hitwise today reported an 87 percent spike in traffic to its category of Black Friday referral sites over the past week.
Those sites couple with the litany of online coupon hubs that have become a mainstay in the online retail sector. These include Coupons.com, CouponSherpa.com and RetailMeNot, whose Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions were recently profiled by InternetNews.com.
"With the economy still slow and many Americans on a strict budget, retailers are going to be offering a lot of great deals this holiday season," said CouponSherpa co-founder Luke Knowles. "Black Friday is an ideal time to take advantage of deep discounts."
Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving so-named for the untold hours office workers log shopping online after the holiday break, figures to be an even bigger e-commerce extravaganza than Black Friday, according to marketing firm Responsys.
"Cyber Monday is well on its way to living up to its claim as the biggest online shopping day of the year," said Responsys Research Director Chad White, noting the glut of direct response e-mails retailers typically send out that day.
"This year, folks seem to be sending more of their offers even earlier than previous years," agreed Kaboodle's Gunn. "There is a higher volume this year of retailers offering 'sneak peaks' and 'VIP previews' of their Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals."
Have some other suggestions for great bargain sites? Tell us about them in the comments, but please, no spam this space is moderated.

SEO mindset E-book,

The premier provider of robust e-commerce platforms and services, today announces the findings from a six month year-over-year organic search engine revenue comparison for 2009 vs. 2008. The results:A 72% increase in FREE revenue!Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and content exposure are core to the architecture and page construction of Warp 9’s Internet Commerce System (ICS) customer sites. SEO is both an art and a science. Warp 9’s ICS platform, along with its in-house technical and marketing talent, are helping clients see dramatic results.The Warp 9 ICS open platform architecture allows us to integrate best-of-breed technologies and changes that we feel will give our clients a competitive advantage. It is always a great feeling to watch our clients grow and be more successful knowing that we played a role,” commented Harinder Dhillon, Warp 9’s CEO.Looks like American Express Guide did not understand or was not aware of SEO. In one of its small business guides, OPEN it had mentioned not to waste money on SEO and search engines penalize optimizers. These PDF statements by OPEN clearly demonstrates how illiterate or unaware the authors of the book had been.
OPEN a part of American Express Business Gold Rewards Card program, it releases books and meet-ups in several cities. The book is also called “A practical guide for business growth”. The following is an extract from the book.
Search engines, like Yahoo! and Google, are usually the first place people will look for you. Make it easier for them to find you. Yahoo! and Google offer tools to let them know the site map structure of your Web site.
Also, using clean U.R.L.’s like yourdomain.com/store/widgets instead of your pksml5@yahoo.com,widgets will increase your chances of getting indexed in a search engine.
Finally, don’t waste money on so-called Search Engine Optimization (S.E.O.) specialists. Search engines are very quick to penalize sites that try to trick their filtering techniques, and once your site has been put on Google’s blacklist, it will take forever to get off.
This statement has a contradiction to another document hosted by the same OPEn Meetups page which promotes the idea of search engine optimization.
Today’s Internet market needs SEO to survive especially small business companies. Websites which have not done basic optimization are considered bad sites to refer by search engines. This note by American Express Guide can just be ridiculed as a book written by inexperienced editors.There are many SEO Mindset Reviews and great Marketing websites on SEO Mindset e-book available online. Please be careful as 90% of these are affiliate websites and they earn every time you purchase a book. The better they describe about the book the more money they get. This review is not one of their affiliate programs.
SEO Mindset is the latest popular e-book on SEO in the market. A 128 page e-book has various strategies explained for attaining and staying on to top search engine rankings. The book provides good insights on SEO and SEM for both beginners and experienced individuals.Some of the helpful resources found in SEO Mindset include:
Several links and information on free programs found online and also created by Brad Callen.
Excellent information on how to work on Keyword Research
A 3 page master plan which provides a good tutorial and guide on how a basic optimization is done.
Tips on launching your own site
Though there are a large number of content available, the book is more of a beginners guide and a 2 year old SEO expert would not find all the chapters to be interesting and worth reading.
Brad Callen is a 29 year old Marketing Expert from Indiana and has many software’s, websites and e-books to his credit. The e-book currently costs $45. SEO Mindset is available through various affiliate websites.

Recourse from International Financial,

Recourse from International Financial, although the August data show poor performance of exports, but most research institutions are still very confident to future export prospects of China. When many traditional international trade enterprises got serious effect from the financial crisis, however, the e-commerce industry is not only unbeaten by the financial crisis, but also many enterprises are still able to grow in adversity. Judging from the recent Alibaba.com, Dhgate.com nets and other domestic e-commerce leaders’ performance in the medium-term can be seen that trend. Alibaba.com daily news shows, the total operating income reached 1.715 billion Yuan. Nevertheless, as a representative of lesser foreign trade platform Dhgate.com, achieves nearly 10 billion Yuan in the first half of2009 in online transactions. Though the whole e-commerce industry avoided "the storm's eye" of the financial crisis, changing trends in international trade is a test for the every major e-commerce service provider. Insiders express, the general trend in international trade is trade flow steadily shortened, the bulk of foreign trade gradually decline, and lesser line rise rapidlyGlobal Sources’ latest financial report show that the typical large B2B trade platform, got revenues of 54.2 million U.S. dollars in the second quarter 2009, down 14.89%; net profits of 5.1 million U.S. dollars, down 39.29%. ecoogle, data recovery, iphone 3gThe lesser typical export platform Dhgate.com network’s data showed that from 2006 to 2008 these three years, Dhgate.com reach a rapid speed growth to the annual growth rate of 2561%, in which nearly 14 billion Yuan from transaction volume in 2008, and in 2009, will likely exceed 2.5 billion. It is understood that, Dhgate.com is the first B2B e-commerce site making integrated online trading and supply chain services, mainly to help overseas buyers find the small supply in China. In addition, Dhgate.com profit model is not to charge membership fees from domestic sellers, but to allow buyers and sellers use the site for free registration, and charge overseas buyers after completing transaction. Lesser foreign trade trend seems to have been accepted by the industry; recently, Alibaba.com has also launched a small wholesale and retail trade platform. For this platform, epathchina.com (www.epathchina.com) thinks services of Ali-express has no essential difference from EBay.com andDhgate.com; only in the seller access and charging method have subtle differences in transaction process, it essentially can be considered as foreign version of Taobao.com. The platform will become a new profit growth point of Alibaba.com, and compete with Dhgate.com and EBay, etc.As a lesser foreign trader, epathchina.com (www.epathchina.com) considers the trend a perfect commercial opportunity for its self-progressing. Based on its own featured marketing mode, utilizing other excellent major traders, epathchina.com hope to get a high stable development.

Google Buys Mobile Ad Firm AdMob for $750M,

When Google reported a better-than-expected financial performance in the third quarter, the company's executives proclaimed that the worst of the economic downturn had passed, and projected an aggressive acquisition strategy at the rate of roughly one company a month.
Today the search giant made good on that commitment, announcing an agreement to purchase mobile ad firm AdMob for about $750 million.
"Despite the tremendous growth in mobile usage and the substantial investment by many businesses in the space, the mobile web is still in its early stages," Google Vice Presidents Susan Wojcick and Vic Gundotra wrote in a company blog post. "We believe that great mobile advertising products can encourage even more growth in the mobile ecosystem. That's what has us excited about this deal."
The acquisition comes amid an aggressive push for Google into the mobile sector, as its Android operating system is powering a host of smartphones that are either on the market or on carriers' product roadmaps to debut this year and next.Google is also rumored to be developing its own branded handset independent of carrier subsidies.
AdMob, founded in 2006, specializes in display advertising for mobile sites as well as serving ads within the third-party applications that are proliferating in smartphones such as Android-powered devices and Apple's iPhone.
Google said the acquisition would complement its in-house mobile advertising technology, which has primarily focused on search ads.
The recent glut of Android-powered devices, which are now supported by three of the four largest domestic carriers (with the lone holdout, AT&T, rumored to be developing its own), has led many industry observers to see the smartphone market taking on a binary character, defined by a titanic rivalry between the iPhone and handsets powered by Google's operating system.Google set up a Web site to explain the deal, seeking in part to defuse the concerns that arise anytime Google buys a company -- namely that it's too big and exerts too much control over the digital advertising sector.
"The mobile advertising space will remain highly competitive, with more than a dozen mobile ad networks," the company said. "The deal is similar to mobile advertising acquisitions that AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo have made in the past two years."

Facebook Wins $711M in 'Spam King' Lawsuit,

Facebook last month was awarded $711.2 million in damages last month by a Northern California judge who found that self-proclaimed "Spam King" Sanford Wallace violated the Federal Trade Commission's Can-Spam Act.
The default judgment, issued on Sept. 18 in a U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., found that Wallace "willfully violated" a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction issued in the case and referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecution of criminal contempt.
Facebook originally filed this latest lawsuit against Sanford in February, alleging his spamming operation accessed Facebook accounts without users' permission to send bogus e-mails and posts to the users' public message walls.
"The record demonstrates that Wallace willfully violated the statutes in question with blatant disregard for the rights of Facebook and the thousands of Facebook users whose accounts were compromised by his conduct," Fogel wrote in his judgment order.The order also permanently prohibits Wallace from accessing the Facebook Web site or creating a Facebook account, among other restrictions.
Wallace, who has been the subject of multiple lawsuits filed by companies and the FTC since the 1990s, and another defendant were ordered to pay MySpace $234 million in another default judgment issued in May 2008.
Facebook is no stranger to aggressive, illegal spamming and phishing attacks. In November 2008, a federal judge also in San Jose, Calif. ordered Adam Guerbuez and Atlantis Blue Capital to pay more than $873 million in damages.
While the onslaught of spam scams will undoubtedly continue, Facebook hopes this latest judgment will deter others from following suit.We're very pleased with this significant judgment, the second largest in history for an action brought under Can-Spam," a Facebook spokesperson said in an e-mail to InternetNews.com." We're confident that the ruling will act as a powerful deterrent against those who would abuse Facebook and its users, especially since the judge also referred Wallace for prosecution for criminal contempt of court, which means that he now faces possible jail time."
Attempts to contact Wallace and his attorney for comment were not immediately successful.
Wallace earned the nicknames "Spamford" and "Spam King" for his past role as head of CyberPromotions, a company responsible for sending as many as 30 million junk e-mails a day in the 1990s.
In May 2006, Wallace and his company Smartbot.net were ordered by a federal court to turn over $4.1 million.
"This ruling is the result of tireless effort by our legal and security teams, which work to find, expose, and prosecute the sources of spam attacks," Facebook added in its statement. "These efforts complement the sophisticated technical systems we continue to develop to limit the impact of these attacks, and where possible, block them altogether."
Facebook claims to have more than 300 million registered users and more than half of those active users log onto their accounts everyday.

IBM on Wednesday debuted WebSphere Commerce 7,

IBM on Wednesday debuted WebSphere Commerce 7, a new version of its e-commerce software platform which incorporates mobile and social commerce features that let retailers provide a convenient and communal shopping experience for their customers.
IBM WebSphere Commerce 7 is a fully integrated, single-platform application suite designed to bring the best elements of social networks—particularly reviews, pricing comparisons, etc.—to the mobile devices and smartphones that have essentially become an indispensable appendage for online shoppers.
The goal—beyond selling more software—is to provide customers with a new level of shopping intelligence just in time for the holiday shopping season and to build brand loyalty for retailers willing to pony up for the applications.
Typically, customers hop around from site to site and blog to blog to do research, review and compare products, making life difficult for retailers looking to track buying trends. More often than not, researchers say, customers will research products online before visiting a store and then eventually end up purchasing the product from a catalog or through a retailer's call center.

Commerce 7 is the first fruit borne from Big Blue's five-year, $100 million investment announced in June to develop new services for mobile phones.
IBM, along with a slew of venture capitalists and competing software developers, have come to realize that the mobile phone—not the PC—is the device of choice for customers whether they're buying products online or at brick-and-mortar store locations.
"Mobile devices are gradually becoming ubiquitous and helping us transcend many boundaries—geographical, economic, and social, among others," Guruduth Banavar, global leader of the mobile communications focus for IBM Research and director of IBM Research India said in a statement at the time announcing $100 million investment pool.
One component of Commerce 7, the IBM Mobile Store Model, lets customers use their mobile phones to browse the online store, conduct side-by-side comparisons, receive marketing messages, check store locations and inventories and buy the products in one location.For retailers, the application suite lets companies establish an ongoing dialogue with existing and prospective customers through microblogs, online reviews and ratings delivered directly to their mobile devices.
IBM officials said the software lets retailers drill down to an individual's shopping behavior, preferences and purchase history to help facilitate one-to-one "precision marketing" marketing campaigns. This feature means a retailer can send a coupon offer through e-mail or SMS text messaging for the specific item the customer was viewing as an incentive to complete the purchase.
Those companies that primarily or exclusively sell to other businesses can opt for the Web 2.0 Starter Store that includes a fast product finders, drag and drop shopping and the ability to manage multiple purchasing windows in an out-of-the-box package.
According to Forrester Research, 77 percent of online shoppers use ratings and reviews before making any purchases, and more than 5.8 billion people will use mobile phones as their device of choice for communications, navigation and information services by 2013.
At this time last year, an IBM survey of 600 desktop PC users in the U.S., China and the UK found that more than half would trade in their computer for a smartphone.
This affinity—or perhaps necessity—for mobile devices is particularly pronounced in Asia. IBM said about 25 percent of China's 123 million Internet users are regularly engaging in online shopping with their mobile devices—up 50 percent from last year.
According to IBM researchers, 45.1 percent of customers in Shanghai and 38.9 percent in Beijing make all their online purchases with a mobile phone.

Business travel is coming under closer scrutiny,

In Germany alone, companies spendapproximately 50 billion euros on business travel every year.To partially offset this expense, many companies are replacing business trips with onlinemeetings. With this technology, customers and partners are able to communicate with images and audio over the Internet, while special presentation functions reinforce the personal aspects of a meeting. Software licenses, Webcams, and headsets are worth the investments. Companies that use Web meetings discover new methods of collaboration and reduce their own output of greenhouse gases.Online-only retailers dominated the top of the charts in a recent survey by Lycos-owned shopping portal Pangora. Consumers were quizzed about their experiences with on- and offline retailers and, with the exception of one category, online-only etailers came out on top.
Amazon, ASOS (As Seen On Screen), Lastminute.com and Dell all took top places ahead of their bricks-and-mortar cousins.
Best online grocer was the only category in which a multi-channel company won. Tesco came out on top followed by Asda and Sainsbury’s.
"With a greater consumer choice and the technology to pick and choose the best deals and offers, each retailer must keep up with the competition. If they fail to deliver against ever-higher customer expectations, they face being left behind in the online retail race," said Rob Staunton, head of Pangora UK.
Retailers were selected across several product categories including gadgets, entertainment and computing. Voters were asked to rate each retailer on price, range, customer service and speed of delivery and were also asked whether they would recommend them to a friend.

American online media ,

American online media is starting now to exposé the European shopping club phenomenon which now beginning to get a foothold in the US market. The shopping concept is growing in importance in the US, whereby in Europe there are dozens of such “Vente-Privée” (private sales, member-only shopping club) services in countries like France, Italy, Spain or Germany.
Several US media companies are now simultaneously reporting on the member-only shopping clubs on the web. One example: ABC.com is currently airing an introductory video report, where they explain how internet users can get in on the designer fashion sales.
To score a deal on coveted designer goods you no longer have to battle the crowds, at least not in person. Luxury items without the luxury price tag are just a click away. Online shopping clubs like Ideeli.com, RueLaLa.com, and Gilt.com are slashing prices on designer clothing and accessories and selling them through their members-only websites."
NBC also recently released an article on the US shopping clubs ("Sample Sales have gone online"). The post delivers a first time overview of all the active US clubs, although new starter TheTopSecret is missing from the list.
"Traditionally, VIPs rely on word of mouth to gain access to exclusive sale events. These happenings often occur in a back alley, without signage, and well after closing hours. Now, thanks to the Internet, there is no need to peek down darkened streets."
While the big online media players are focusing on explanatory introductions for consumers, the e-commerce bloggers are going one step further.
For example, B2B blog Snow Patrol have identified two e-commerce strategies that brand-name companies can use to profit from the shopping club trend.
"1. Depending on your product, you can use one of the growing number of online private sale services - Vente Privee is arguably the most famous of all of these in Europe but more seem to be springing up.
2. Set up private sales as part of your own website - Koodos offers a fairly simple private sales service, for example."
The comparison to Koodos.com is a bit weak though, because although they offer deals on designer products, all offerings – including pricing – are accessible to the public. So Koodos.com isn’t really a private shopping club, and has therefore up till now only been of peripheral interest to us.
The Snow Patrol posting isn’t the only evidence of minor misunderstandings. To see that some e-commerce experts haven’t really understood the member-only principle, just take a look at a current posting on Internet Retailing:
"I’d go as far as agreeing that Private Sales are an alternative to eBay but really I don’t buy it, and I’m sure that neither will anyone else. Why as a retailer would you want to do a private sale on a site that’s unknown, and numbers its visitors in hundreds, rather than hundreds of millions?
Yes there’s the chance to get a higher price than you would on eBay, but is the extra work involved in inviting people to the sale and the cost of publicising the sale really worth that effort? Lets’ not forget this is old stock, or it’s overstock, isn’t it better to just get rid of it and concentrate on your current stock?"
Here we see that Internet Retailing sees private shopping clubs only as an extra revenue stream, to be used to clear out old or overstock products as quickly and as cost effectively as possible. Therefore the comparison to eBay.
But, private shopping clubs are for brand-name companies an alternative to traditional sales methods which are intended to move out-of-season product to selected customers, in order to avoid price competition with its own retail distribution network.

school phone mast emissions low,

A study of electromagnetic emissions from mobile phone masts near 100 schools in the UK has shown that they are all way below international maximum recommended exposure guidelines.
The study was set up by the government two years ago, on the recommendation of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones chaired by Sir William Stewart.
It was carried out by the Radiocommunications Agency, part of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The first results, published on Monday, showed that the level of emissions ranged from several hundred to many thousands of times below exposure guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Testing is to continue, at another 100 sites this year. Locations of the base stations being tested will be widened to those other than schools.
Economic importance
The E-commerce Minister, Douglas Alexander, said: "It is important that the public have all the information available to them, in an open and accessible way.
"Mobile phones are changing the way we live and work. I am committed to continuing this programme as mobile communications remain important in the development of our society and economy.
"The mobile phone industry has the responsibility to work closely with communities when putting up masts and base stations. They should work together to lessen any impact on communities.
"Building public confidence is essential to building a strong future for the industry."
Fractional emissions
The Minister for Young People and Learning, Ivan Lewis, said base stations near schools could be a cause of real concern.
"The audit results are an important step in reassuring the public that base stations do operate within the relevant international guidelines," he said.
The audit of the 100 base stations near schools was carried out between December 2000 and December 2001.
The findings showed that levels were between 1/279th and 1/825764th of the ICNIRP's international exposure guidelines.
Mike Dolan, director of the MTAG mobile phone industry group, said: "The mobile phone operators understand the concerns some people have raised regarding mobile phone base stations and health, and are committed to addressing these concerns openly and transparently.
"The audit provides independent information for parents who can see that mobile phone base stations operate at small fractions of the guidelines."
Sceptical
A campaigner against a phone mast next to a school in Essex, Danny McLaughlin, said: "This audit has nothing to do with the main reason why many people are opposed to siting of masts near schools: We still do not know what effect such low-level RF radiation may have on the long-term health of children."
Dr McLaughlin, a lecturer in neuropathology at Bart's and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, said he was beginning to think that until the proper studies had been carried out - which would take years - there should be a complete ban on placing masts within a 200m radius of school grounds.
"I say this because it would seem that the 'precautionary' approach advised in the Stewart Report does not go far enough," he added.
Earlier findings
The Stewart Group said the evidence did not suggest that mobile phone technologies put the health of the general population at risk.
But it said there was evidence to suggest that there might be biological effects at exposures below the guidelines and that children would absorb more energy than adults.
It said there ought to be a precautionary approach.
Schools were invited to register for Radiocommunications Agency audits.
Details of the findings on each site have been published on the agency's website.

Michuki Rules’ costing economy billions of shillings,

Nairobi residents could go back to standing in buses, a minister has said.
They may also no longer have to fasten seatbelts in public transport.
This follows an observation the measures, introduced as part of regulations to reduce chaos in public transport, are a burden on the economy.
Kenya loses Sh29 billion a year due to traffic jams, Nairobi Metropolitan Development Minister Njeru Githae says.
The billions are lost through wasted vehicle fuel, time, environmental degradation and economic opportunity costs.
Githae argued the problem is made worse by some of the ‘Michuki Rules’ and that changes are in the offing.
"The poor transport mobility and connectivity is a cumulative result of an poor transport system, inadequate transportation plans, investment, development and maintenance of infrastructure," said Mr Githae.
He, however, said the Government had embarked on strategies to improve transport.
In a speech read by Metropolitan PS Philip Sika during the 2009 World Town Planning Day Celebrations on Monday, Githae said some ‘Michuki Rules’ are to blame for poor mobility and accessibility within the Nairobi Central Business District.
He said changes in regulations that would allow passengers to stand in public transport buses are underway.
The ‘Michuki Rules’ forbid passengers to stand in public service vehicles and require them to fasten seat belts.
"This has the net effect of increasing passenger embarking and disembarking time as well as reducing the number of those transiting in high-capacity carriers within the CBD," said Githae.
The Metropolitan Development and Transport ministries are in talks with a view to change the rules to allow high capacity public service vehicles carry standing passengers.
However, the vehicles would have wide entry and exit doors and other requirements approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Time spent
Githae said the Government intends to reduce time spent in travel due to congestion by 50 per cent and reduce road fatalities by 75 per cent.
Nairobi has an inadequate transport network and mushrooming slums due to poor planning.
"My ministry has in place the Nairobi Metro 2030 Strategy and has sponsored a spatial planning competition to ensure we receive the best concepts for translating the plan into a spatial format," said Githae.
Nairobi is yet to have a new master plan after one designed in the 1970s expired in 2000.

The Dubai Judicial Institute (DJI),

The Dubai Judicial Institute (DJI), a leading centre of law studies and judicial training in Dubai, is organising a three-day judicial training program in co-ordination with University of Georgia for aspiring judges, lawyers and district attorneys.
The International Judiciary Training Program (IJTP) is being held at the Institute’s Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hasher Hall and will run up to November 12.
To be held under the theme ‘Caseflow Management – USA Experience,’ the training sessions mark the first time that IJTP is partnering with a foreign organisation (DJI) and providing training outside the US.
The program will share the US experience in caseflow management and judicial leadership to assist in the development of the Emirates’ judiciary.
Prominent speakers will include judge Doris Downs, chief judge, Fulton County Superior Court, Atlanta Judicial Circuit; judge David Emerson, current member of the Georgia Supreme Court Technology Advisory Committee and member of the Judicial Counsel of Georgia; and Mark Beer, registrar of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts.
"This landmark event will usher in a new age in the UAE’s judicial system, bringing to the fore the best technologies and techniques for optimising and expediting the dispensation of justice."
"Our partnership with the University of Georgia brings us a step closer to establishing the DJI as a premier regional and international education and training institution for aspiring judges and public prosecutors. We have seen rapid growth in our judicature over the years, so IJTP provides us with the perfect opportunity to properly direct our efforts in our field," said Dr Jamal Alsumaiti, director general of Dubai Judicial Institute.
"Organising this training program is in line with our vision and strategy to implement the best judicial practices and reinforce the position of Dubai Judicial Institute as a regional center for excellence in judicial and legal studies."
"DJI is the first institute in Middle East to offer such a specialised training program in judicial studies, and the participation of director generals of UAE courts and the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs in Bahrain reflects the significance of this training program to further enhance the quality of judiciary in the region," Dr Alsumaiti added.
Speakers at the training program will explain the management of routine and complex civil or criminal cases; particular considerations when handling the routine criminal case and implementing knowledge economy principles through judicial practices.
They will also discuss the use of case count data in trial case management and judicial administration; building and managing the finances for local court operations; and the role of the chief administrative judge.
Other topics to be discussed include the integration of technology into the judicial practice; the judge’s ethical duties; judicial values; and caseflow management and policies.-TradeArabia News Service.

Teachers training by INTEL,

The Meghalaya government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Intel, a global leader in information technology, to provide computer training to teachers inselect government schools.
The memorandum was signed at an educational seminar last evening as part of the government’s initiative to extend the benefits of technology to education in the Northeast.
On the occasion, the Intel announced the launch of its “World Ahead Program”, the first in the Northeast, in the presence of commissioner and secretary, education, L. Roy, North East Council member P.P. Shrivastav and president, Intel India, Praveen Vishakantaiah.
The programme underlines the advantages of organised ICT (information and communication technologies) adoption by providing access to personal computers, enabling broadband Internet connectivity, educating teachers and students on the application of technology in day-to-day life, empowering citizens to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities and access to better healthcare.
Speaking on the occasion, Roy said the partnership with Intel would strengthen the commitment to improve the ICT education scenario in Meghalaya.
“The training provided by Intel will help the teachers and students in Meghalaya to avail of the benefits of technology and develop their competence with 21st century skills,” Roy added.
Intel India president Vishakantaiah said the company was happy to tie up with the Meghalaya government to demonstrate and impart the value of information and communication technology in the schools of the state.
“We will create an enhanced learning experience for teachers and students by integrating technology into school education methods. This partnership is a continued effort towards Intel’s goal of spreading ICT skills to students and teachers in India, particularly in the Northeast,” he added.
NEC member Shrivastav said that given the difficult terrain in the Northeast, technology would help the citizens of the region to be on a par with their counterparts worldwide.

In a meeting held on 22 May,

E-commerce represents an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), but despite significant progress in deploying information and communication technologies in many regions of the world, there is still an e-commerce gap between developed and developing countries. In a meeting held on 22 May, government experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations and international organizations joined members of the Action Line on e-business, established following the World Summit on the Information Society in 2005, to find solutions to help e-commerce prosper in developing countries. Cross-border e-commerce, they recognized, can only thrive through effective partnerships, harmonized national laws and clear standards. The UPU agreed to organize a conference on public-private partnerships for e-business standards in September 2008 in Geneva along with the International Organization for Standardization and other international organizations. The UPU, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Labour Organization lead the Action Line on e-business. High-level executives from UNCTAD and ITC, as well as the UPU Deputy Director General, Guozhong HUANG, highlighted the opportunities offered by the rapid progress in the use of new technologies around the world. The UPU led the session about challenges, opportunities and concrete solutions for SMEs wanting to start e-commerce activities. A presentation of the Alibaba.com e-marketplace, for business to business (B2B) e-commerce, showed how this platform has helped several small businesses expand their online activities. China Post also described its e-commerce activities and strategic partnership with Alibaba.com in the areas of logistics and online payments. ITC experts also stressed the importance of making proper use of information and communication technology for enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized businesses. They also highlighted the new opportunities provided by "m-commerce" (or commerce through a mobile phone) as a starting point for e-commerce activities, particularly because mobile technologies facilitate access to information and its distribution.

As a business owner or marketer,

As a business owner or marketer, you need to be informed of what is happening on your website, and what analytics tools you need to measure this activity. Seminars for Success provides an ideal opportunity to familiarize yourself with all aspects of Google Analytics, including the recently announced Google Analytics Enterprise features. Choose one or two days to customize your learning, and invite your team. From marketing and management decision-making to the technical skills required to put these plans into action for you, attend these in-person seminars to make the most out of your investment in Analytics.Whether you're just getting started using Google Analytics or a seasoned veteran ready to take your website performance to the next level, Seminars For Success: Google Analytics will help you make the most out of your online efforts. If you: Wish you knew when, where, and how people were finding your website Seek account management tips from an industry professional Have Troubleshooting questions, from installation to advanced queries Desire to boost your ROI by capitalizing on visitors to your site Want to learn to make Google Analytics perform at the highest levels for you Justin Cutroni, Director of Analytics and Testing for EpikOne, has consulted with hundreds of organizations around the globe to optimize their use of Google Analytics. An analytics industry leader, widely read blogger and author of Google Analytics Shortcuts from O'Reilly, Justin will provide best practices for analyzing and optimizing your implementation and marketing initiatives with Google Analytics. As an analyst, Justin draws on a wealth of experience managing and executing web analytics projects for clients to optimize their online presence using data. In his position at EpikOne, Justin is responsible for enterprise class Google Analytics consulting, managing web analytics consulting projects, designing and executing website optimizations tests, designing internal methodologies to deliver web analytics solutions, and evangelizing web analytics and Google Analytics.Alex Broussard is responsible for overseeing all technology operations and planning at EpikOne. He is involved in product development of EpikOne's Software Services group, strategic planning for EpikOne's on-demand technology infrastructure, technical processes for our Consulting Solutions group and employee development. Alex is also a Google Analytics product expert. He has lead EpikOne client organizations through Google Analytics deployments and developed enterprise level analytics strategies. His deep analytics and technology experience has helped EpikOne maintain a leadership role in the analytics industry.. Prior to co-founding EpikOne Alex was the Lead Developer at an interactive agency responsible for online development, application development and technical operations. Before that he was part of the software development team at IXI Corporation which provides market segmentation, targeting, and tracking solutions for financial services companies. His experience includes data modeling and analysis, web application development and architecture. Alex graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Economics and Computer Science.All Google Authorized Consultants have reached a level of training and expertise that allows them "expert" status within their field. For your investment in Google Analytics education, Why choose EpikOne? since the program's inception in 2005, EpikOne was selected as one of only five original Google Analytics Authorized Consultants (GAAC's). EpikOne has since expanded its relationship with Google and is also a Google Enterprise Professional, Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant and AdWords Qualified Company. We are a mix of an ad agency, search marketer, data analyst, web developer, and usability expert all rolled into one powerhouse, metrics-driven online marketing firm. As a team, EpikOne has successfully propelled client accounts ranging from start-up status to multi-million dollar international conglomerates.In the event there is insufficient enrollment in the course, you will be notified by email and refunded your full registration fee. Cancellations must be made within 15 days of the scheduled event. There will be no refunds for cancellations with less than 15 days notice, or no-shows. When canceling, please provide written notification via email, including attendee name, to info@epikone.com. Refunds will be issued to the credit card that was used to make the original purchase.

6 Facts to Know Before Renting an Email List,

he Internet has made our lives easier, more productive and knowledge more easily attainable since its inception. It is an important part of our daily business and personal lives. When our Internet connection goes down it seems all business and communication comes to a halt. When we have a question about a product or service we immediately search the Internet for quick answers and solutions. It seems we are all rushing around because we have limited time so these quick low cost solutions appeal to us. Logic and comparing options have taken a backseat to speed and convenience. We need a list to prospect. Here’s one! It amazes me how many experienced and inexperienced professionals turn to the web to find a cheap list. Why would you commit all your marketing dollars just to one list when there are over 73,000 postal, email and telemarketing list on the market today? Not all lists are created equally. How do you know you’re getting accurate information? How can you tell if the list you just rented or bought is CAN SPAM compliant? Yes, we all want quick solutions and results to our marketing challenges, but your list choice accounts for 75-85 percent of your success or failure. It is the one process that should not be rushed.
Six facts you should know before renting a list online:

1) Many new to direct marketing flock to the Internet and sign up for one of those low monthly self serve services or share your leads programs. Most, if not all are from compiled sources or up load your contact database. Why would you limit your marketing efforts to only one list source when they’re so many to choose from? You quiet frankly should not be selecting your own data unless you understand data intimately. Each list source or service has strengths and weaknesses. Do you know them? Certain selects are a waste of money since they are derived from inferred data. Does the list match your existing customer base? One rule in direct marketing is that your next customer will look a lot like your last. If your friend broke his or her leg, would you look on the Internet for a cheap doctor or use every resource to find the best?
2) Many compilers set up wholesale arrangements with other list companies. Some run their counts and order off an online system set up by the compiler. In many cases these vendors resell the data on lower margins than the compiler. This allows for lower costs on small orders that are not profitable for the compiler to serve directly. Where this gets really scary is when the vendor negotiates a data install and sells the data really cheap. Sometimes they pay for updates, but when things are slow, well your renting data that can be more than a year old. The USPS has Move Update regulations in place that have to be followed or mailing costs will increase. Since you want to save on postage and who doesn’t, you mail 3rd class bulk. You want to increase your response rates so you start calling after your mailing only to find that 30%+ never received your mail piece. Why? 20% of consumers change their address each year on average. For B2B when you combined openings, closings and moving the percentage is even higher. None of your mail comes back undeliverable because it is 3rd class and is tossed out. Can you tell who is taking an install of data and not updating it as frequently as the actual compiler? You will not find that on the Internet!
3) A big problem today and the main reason for writing this article is email marketing. Is email really cheaper than postal and can you really send out a million names for only $19.95? The fact is not everyone should be renting 3rd party email files and you certainly should not be selecting your own list here either. There are many companies claiming they can reach every audience with their email file. This is absolutely not true. Many are harvesting names off the Internet (via web crawling or spidering) or setting up registration sites for the sole purpose of collect email addresses. Any company willing to provide the email addresses directly to you is not CAN SPAM compliant. I don’t know any legitimate email source that will provide you with their data out right. Anyone who releases their e-mail list is basically giving away their bread and butter with out any way of policing the use of it, would you give away your client file to just anyone?? If they are selling the actual addresses to many different companies then who is taking care of the opt-outs or unsubscribed?
Ask for the source of the data. Where can you go to register? Remember, you want a file that matches your best prospect from your customer database. Look for focused publications or focused legitimate websites that offer real content to subscribers that offer an email option. If you don’t have good brand recognition within your target market, email may not be for you. If you want to be black listed or have your ISP shut down due to SPAM or damage your brand don’t hire a list broker who will avoid these traps.
4) Keys to successful direct marketing: Postal, email and telemarketing

Your Best Customers,
Take a hard look at your existing customer base. This applies to both consumer and B2B. Find out their age, income, title, industry, married, single, children, geography etc. You will know have profile of who your best customers are and where they come from. This will not only make it easier to find a list of best customer prospect, but where to spend your marketing dollars in other channels such as, traditional media, radio, etc... with less waste.

5) When your marketing to only a few zip codes compiled data is usually your only option. There is only a hand full of national compilers for consumer and B2B. Each has their strengths and weaknesses so knowing when to use one over the other is key. Compiled data should not be considered as a last resort list source. Most of the direct response lists on the market use compiled files for data over lays to enhance the demographic selects on their files. The key is to know which compiler to use for your offer and which selects or omits to choose that will increase response rates. When you have a larger geographic area to work with your list choices increase dramatically. Since you now have a profile of your best customer prospects matching a direct response list(s) is simplified. In many cases your lists choices are numerous and can be quiet confusing. Hire a professional who has experience in your industry!
6) Here is why your list broker should be your new best friend.
A list brokers guides you towards the best list(s) for your offer based on past client experiences and industry knowledge. A broker will steer you away from non-performing lists and selections. The list owner pays a list broker a standard commission only when an order is placed. What that means is the list brokers service to you is free and their primary goal is to make your direct marketing experience as successful as possible.
As you can see there is more than meets the eye when selecting lists. Knowing how data is gathered, updated, and strengths and weakness of data sources is a full time job. This is not something you can learn on the Internet quickly because it takes years of experience working with mailers and many different list sources. Unlike other mediums, direct marketing is 100% tractable and when treated as a science predictable over time.

The conference room of building 14 at the Googleplex

As I sat in the conference room of building 14 at the Googleplex last week, my excitement about what Google was doing to improve its analytics and testing platforms went through the roof. At the 2009 Partner Summit, Google gave a preview of the new Website Optimizer (GWO) features as well as soon-to-be-launched, feature-packed version 4 of Google Analytics.
So what’s new with GWO? Well, there is not a lot, but the few features Google added to its testing platform are HUGE! For me, two of the most notable updates are:
Management API for the creation and management of experiments outside of the Website Optimizer interface
Daily conversion tracking
The GWO API will allow you to much more easily set up tests and record stats, especially if you are using a content management system or a third-party shopping cart. Basically, you will be able to do almost anything you can do in GWO, but with your own interface.
As for the daily conversion tracking, I have always been one of those people who like to see test results to the minutest detail. Until now, Google has only allowed you to see aggregated stats for the entire testing period.Now, I am even more excited about a couple of new features Google Analytics has included in its newest version. My favorites are:
20 Goals, including brand new engagement goals
Custom alerts
Advanced filters built into report interface
I’m sure many of you have shared my frustration when trying to track more than four goals for one website. Before, we would have to create a duplicate profile of our website just to add goal five, six, seven….
Well, that’s all changed! Google has announced 20 goals for each profile. These will be grouped into four sets of five, but you will be allowed to use the 20 slots however you want.But it doesn’t stop there. Add on top of that the fact that you will now have the ability to set user engagement goals. And you are no longer limited by a goal being attributed only to a pre-defined conversion page. The new engagement Analytics goals are:
1.Time on page
2.Pageviews per visit

You will also be able to set custom alerts to be emailed to you. By “custom,” I mean you set the variables however you want. So if I want to know if my website’s New York PPC traffic drops 15%, Google will let me know and I can act accordingly.Finally, they have added custom filters to the report interface. Sure you could export the data to Excel then sort, filter, and do whatever you wanted to make the data make sense to you. But now, Google has added the flexibility to get a clear and intelligent picture of what’s going on with your website without having to go back and forth between its interface and Excel.Say I’m looking at my Top Content report and I want to sort by bounce rate to see which pages are performing poorly so I can dedicate new resources for improvements to be made. Previously, I would see many pages with a bounce rate of 100% simply because they just had one or two visits.
Now, I can set the filter to only look at pages with a minimum of 100 visits and a bounce rate of less than 70%. This will allow me to make much more sense out of the heaps of data that Analytics is collecting.
You should be seeing all of these new features and many more appear in your Analytics and Website Optimizer interfaces over the next few weeks. We will be taking advantage of them right away with our research partners.
Check back next month after we’ve tested some of these new features, we’ll offer suggestions on how you can make the most out of them.

BASF and e-business,

E-business is of great importance to the BASF Group: The electronic performance of business processes is regarded as a decisive success factor.
Virtual commerce continues to grow in significance in today's globalized world, and e-business opens up new perspectives above and beyond communication. It guarantees customers competent advice, transparent, secure communication processes and information available at anytime, anywhere in the world. This increases the efficiency of business relationships. Both for our customers and for BASF, this means: Faster, more cost-efficient value-added processes.
As early as 2001 a unit was founded within the BASF Information Services department exclusively dedicated to the topic of e-business. For procurement and sales processes, i.e. for both customers and vendors, the team standardized processes, developed user-friendly tools such as "World Account" and industry-specific portals and was one of the founding members behind the initiation of ELEMICA, the platform of the chemical industry. The renaming of the e-business unit as "E-Solutions" in 2006 is a clear indicator: Expansion of the range of information for BASF products, E-Marketing and more than anything the development of an optimum e-business strategy are all promising measures for success taken above and beyond the level of the pure transaction. The e-solutions brochure gives you an overview of the offered tools and services.
The e-business team supports customers worldwide with current trends and innovative technologies in the context of e-business. In this way companies can standardize business processes of increasing complexity quickly and flexibly and can react to new developments: An important investment in the long-term satisfaction and retention of the customer.
The figures for 2006 already demonstrate how successful e-business has become at BASF. For the first time, more than a third of corporate revenues were generated through electronic commerce. This makes the BASF Group the world's leading chemical company in the area of e-business as well.

Vice President of Sales at Nexternal Solutions explains further,

A leading provider of ecommerce software is proud to announce the release of Direct Checkout. This groundbreaking tool allows customers to order a specific product from a single screen, providing the fastest checkout possible. Direct Checkout greatly increases conversion of customers who are shopping for a specific product. This happens frequently when a customer has run a query on a Search Engine, has used an online marketplace like Shopping.com, or is responding to an offer email from a merchant.
As an example, a merchant might run an ad on a search engine for a specific product. Instead of taking the customer to a landing page or the products page within an online store (the best option previously available) the customer is now treated to the Direct Checkout for that specific product. On this single page, the customer picks attribute information for the product if applicable and enters their shipping and payment information. The customer experience is as simple as possible and greatly reduces the steps of a traditional store experience, even stores that have a “one page checkout”. Direct Checkout is effective in pay-per-click ads, online marketplaces, email marketing campaigns, search engine optimized product landing pages, and online video ads.
Craig Ross, Vice President of Sales at Nexternal Solutions explains further, “There are two primary types of shopping experiences online. The first is what I call the Gap experience. In this case the customer is shopping a specific retailer’s site (in this case the Gap) and they want browse and compare many products. The customer is not looking for a specific product; they are shopping at the brand for certain type of product. For this type of experience the traditional online store concept is the best.”
“However, it is often the case that a customer knows exactly the product that they are looking for. I call this the Google experience. In this case the customer will execute a product search in Google. The customer simply wants to click on a link to buy the product in question. In essence, they have told Google that they want to buy the product by clicking on the appropriate ad. Most orders that originate from this type of source are for one product.”
“While the Gap shopping experience is very different from the Google shopping experience, every ecommerce system that I am aware off treats the customer exactly the same and their conversion suffers. Why should a customer have to select ‘Add to Cart’ once they already told Google that they intend to purchase the product? Why should they have to navigate through a store when they just want to purchase the intended product? Direct Checkout solves this problem.”
Steve Barbour of the Barre Army Navy Store has already used Direct Checkout to increase conversion for his Google Product Search listings. “While feed conversion was very strong in my online store, Direct Checkout increased it even further. Having an easy and quick shopping experience is critical for my customers and this new tool redefines the experience a customer can have online.”
Steve Barbour of the Barre Army Navy Store has already used Direct Checkout to increase conversion for his Google Product Search listings. “While feed conversion was very strong in my online store, Direct Checkout increased it even further. Having an easy and quick shopping experience is critical for my customers and this new tool redefines the experience a customer can have online.”
Any merchant who advertises online knows the importance of customer conversion and can calculate the sales increase they will have when they improve that figure. Nexternal now offers a tool to merchant of all sizes that specifically addresses this issue in a way that was previously unavailable from any ecommerce provider. To see an example of Nexternal’s Direct Checkout, follow this link.About Nexternal Solutions Nexternal Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of web based e-commerce software. Founded in 1999, the company's unique e-commerce system is used by hundreds of clients in many diverse industries. Nexternal's software features an always-on screen shopping cart with integrated marketing and fulfillment tools allowing merchants to maximize revenue while minimizing operating costs. Nexternal's software was rated five out of five stars by Internet.com and is a three time SIIA Codie awards finalist for Best E-Commerce Software. Winery clients include Paul Hobbs Winery, Bonnydoon Vineyard, Whitehall Lane Winery, Duckhorn Wine Company, Peter Michael Winery and Lewis Cellars. With locations in Carlsbad, CA and New Canaan, CT, Nexternal provides industry leading customer service. For more information, contact Nexternal Solutions, Inc. 800.914.6161. Web: www.nexternal.com

Nexternal Solutions,

A leading provider of ecommerce software is pleased to announce that it now offers a Preferred Delivery Date feature. This tool allows online shoppers to specify a preferred delivery date when checking out. It also allows merchants to easily manage current and future delivery date shipments. Any merchant selling products that are event driven will find this tool much appreciated by online shoppers. Like all updates to the Nexternal’s ecommerce software, this enhancement is provided at no charge and does not require the merchant to install any software.
The Preferred Delivery Date feature has many configuration options to handle different scenarios merchants encounter. This tool takes into account time-in-transit information which is calculated in real-time from the various shipping carriers. It also allows merchants to specify a lead time with a cutoff component for maximum accuracy when processing orders.
Susan Boling, owner of Honeyham.com said, “The preferred delivery date feature is a boon for our business. Many of our customers are selecting to have their turkeys and hams delivered the day before Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving orders are up tremendously this year and I sincerely believe it is because our customers feel confident in knowing that their main course will arrive fresh. We have also already started taking orders that will be delivered near Christmas. This provides us the additional advantage of having plenty of time to prepare for those orders and get ahead of the holiday crunch. This new feature definitely gives us a leg up on our competition.”
“Although this tool has tremendous benefits for companies that ship gift items, it also provides a competitive advantage to all merchants that use it. When shopping online, it’s a great convenience to specify a preferred delivery date. People may go out of town or simply want a gift to arrive on the recipient’s birthday,” said Ty Nunez, Director of Business Development at Nexternal Solutions. “Orders are tagged and color coded in a way that allows merchants to see which order must go out on a given day. They can even batch process today’s shipments without fear of including a future shipment request.”
Enabling Preferred Delivery Date increases conversion by allowing the customer to select the delivery date that is ideal for them or a gift recipient. Nexternal Solutions continuously adds new tools to its software that help merchants increase their profits by improving customer conversion, website traffic, and business management efficiency. About Nexternal Solutions Nexternal Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of web based e-commerce software. Founded in 1999, the company's unique e-commerce system is used by hundreds of clients in many diverse industries. Nexternal's software features an always-on screen shopping cart with integrated marketing and fulfillment tools allowing merchants to maximize revenue while minimizing operating costs. Nexternal's software was rated five out of five stars by Internet.com and is a three time SIIA Codie awards finalist for Best E-Commerce Software. Clients include Alcoa, USA Today, Oxfam America, K2 Sports and Hershey. With locations in Carlsbad, CA and New Canaan, CT, Nexternal provides industry leading customer service. For more information, contact Nexternal Solutions, Inc. 800.914.6161. Web: www.nexternal.com

twitter list and business,

The latest feature rolled out by Twitter is lists. This new offering by Twitter allows users to create lists of specific Twitter users. Believe it or not, Twitter lists can be helpful to the business web site owner. After all, social media has been proven to be a boon to the online business owner.
How Twitter works for business
As social media outlets go, Twitter is quickly becoming one of the more popular micro-blogging sites around. The list of businesses currently using Twitter in one fashion or another is constantly growing. Comcast, JetBlue, and Dell are just a few companies that realized early on that Twitter has great potential to help them get in contact with and support their customers. Comcast is a perfect example of how a business can use a micro-blogging service to give fast and courteous service to their existing customers as well as garner new business by word of mouth from happy and support customers.
How Twitter lists work for business
Once a business has set up their Twitter account, it is very easy to start racking up the number of users being followed. At last count, the official support Twitter account for Comcast has over 32,000 users it’s following. Trying to keep track of that many conversations at once is completely impossible. So, what is the solution?
Simple – Twitter lists. Creating a list is a very quick and easy process. Log into Twitter and click on the “New list” link found on the right-hand side of the web site. A new window will open up where a name can be typed in as well as the type of list it should be (private or public). Once the list is created, it’s then a simple matter of going through the “following” list of the account and adding members to the newly created list.
One great example for a business use for a Twitter list is a company that has offices and customers across the states. If this business wished to group its customers by area, lists such as “northwest_customers” or “Oregon_clients” could be created. Then, support teams could have direct access to specific customers based on geographic location.
Taking it one step further
Twitter has made it convenient to include user lists within web sites. By going to the Goodies – Widgets area, one can find the easy to customize Twitter list widget. Once customized, the code then can be grabbed and integrated easily within a business web site. This widget provides a quick way to keep tabs on customers and makes it very simple for new customers to join in on the conversation. The list widget can be placed on a front page of a web site or even within a support section. Either way, including this bit of coding is a perfect way to generate more business.
Conclusion
Including Twitter within a social media campaign is a smart move. Twitter is continuously adding new features to make the experience of micro-blogging easier. The latest addition of Twitter lists is a splendid way to monitor topics and people who matter most and a great way to keep in contact with and give support to customers and clients.