Google+ gets a major update, simpler UI and heavier focus on Hangouts (video)

Google isn't quite calling it version 2.0, but today's update to its flagship social product is just that. As with most Mountain View projects, the new Google+ will rollout gradually, but as it does it may just lure back some of those who jumped ship early on. The UI has been greatly streamlined with a customizable ribbon of shortcuts on the left and your buddy list moved to the right. The main interface has been tidied up quite a bit and a new focus has been placed on one of the universally beloved features of the beleaguered social network -- Hangouts. The video chat party lines will be getting their own dedicated home page too, allowing you to quickly peruse any Hangouts that are available to you. Even profiles are getting a dramatic facelift with larger photos and Sparks have officially been retired in favor of an Explore tab. Perhaps most welcome though is the enhanced multimedia sharing. To see all the fancy new features in action check out the videos after the break.

Continue reading Google+ gets a major update, simpler UI and heavier focus on Hangouts (video)

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10 Reasons Why My Internet Business Failed Is Revealed - PDF

10 Reasons Why My Internet Business Failed Is Revealed

You hear it all the time, "Why did my internet business fail?" The reality is that running an internet
business is just as tough as running a traditional brick and mortar. By no means is it easy to be
successful at either. Driving traffic, generating leads, challenging competition, and marketing strategy
are just as prevalent online as it is offline. Based on a recent study, we know that over 80% of the
population by the year 2010 will be running a for-profit business online or have some kind of internet
presence [Resource: Oneupweb Research]. It's clear that as internet marketers, we have to challenge
ourselves to find the reasons why businesses fail in order to succeed.
Finding a systematic approach for an online business is key to your success. Trisha Ahlman, CEO of
Augment Marketing Group recently released a poll of nearly 35 unsuccessful internet businesses and
why they failed. Research indicated that most internet businesses failed due to 10 very important and
common reasons. When marketing an internet business, marketers have to clearly devise a plan of
action and take these reasons serious if wanting to succeed with an online business model.
"The 10 Reasons My Internet Business Failed is Revealed" [print it out and study]:
1)Commitment - Some people are starters but never really finish anything. They are people who
want to succeed but never really quite get there. It boils down to commitment. When running a home-
based or internet business, you have to be committed and disciplined. According to one success
story, "I learned when marketing my internet business that commitment is a real key component.
Having action plans, calendar of events, step-by-step instruction, and check lists have really helped
with marketing my internet business successfully".
2)Budget - Internet business that failed did so because they lacked budget. The rule of thumb is 10%
to 20% of sales, in most cases, depending on how aggressive you intend to be with marketing your
internet business. The question consultants face, "How do I develop a budget from sales when I first
start?" The answer is that you have to have the mindset that you will spend a specific amount each
month in marketing. Sure, there are grassroots internet marketing techniques just like there are
offline, but you still need a budget in mind to get started. The research indicated that most who failed
had little if any budget.
3)Resources - Lack of resources was a clear reason for failure based on the poll; including time,
money, hardware, software, and manpower to name a few. An important point to remember when
marketing an internet business is that you should treat it just like any other business. If you lack
resources in one area, you have to make up for it in another area. If you lack money, for instance, put
more time into marketing the internet business. There are tons of free trials, low monthly
subscriptions, and/or automated marketing software that can help multiply your marketing efforts.
4)Support - Lack of support from family members, team members or customer support depending on
your business played a huge role in failure based on statistics. Running a business offline or online is
really no different. As an entrepreneur you are working long hours, you are committed and you are
determined to succeed, then when you need to rely on a source for support, perhaps it's not there.
Forget selling to consumers, your first sales job is to your inner circle of support. Make sure you have

---

ultimate buy-in from family, friends, and key support players.
5)Systems in Place - A systematic approach to marketing an online business includes developing an
organizational chart, setting time lines when to launch products, services and PR campaigns.
Developing an online business model, setting up a merchant account, marketing plan, and all other
systems that should be considered to run a successful online business is still necessary. Those
businesses that started marketing an internet business without systems in place or, at the very least,
set it up on the front-end of their business --simply failed.
6)Planning - Writing down goals for sales, budgets, projections, campaign tracking strategies, as well
as target audience, keywords, etc... Were a huge role in failure across the board. When asked,
businesses polled did not understand the power of goal setting and planning. Most didn't even have
plans for (3) three months out much less 12 months or (3) three years out. While the internet changes
quickly, planning is still important to success when marketing your internet business.
7)Strategy - "What do you mean long-term strategy? This is a home-based or internet business. Why
would I need to think of strategy? ", commented one business. Long-term vision is important to every
business. Companies that failed did not take strategy into consideration when developing concepts
for their brand. There's a simple solution for online marketers. If you are marketing your internet
business with success in mind, write down your vision, mission, and at least three to five core values.
Begin creating a strong foundation for what you provide consumers even when marketing an internet
business.
8)Motivation - Attitude is everything and internet marketers were consistently discouraged easily for
those internet businesses that failed. Implementing core beliefs when starting an internet business is
just as critical for online marketing. It's highly recommended to get a dose of motivational inspiration
on a daily basis or at least every other day when starting an internet business. Getting easily
discouraged is not an option.
9)Mentorship - The number #1 reason that internet businesses failed was due to lack of mentorship.
Most off line franchises are successful because they are team-centric and offer a ton of support,
mentorship, and coaching. In order to sell more franchises, success is critical; therefore, it's in their
best interest to offer help. If you have an internet business that does not have some sort of
mentorship program, team support, or coaching plan, you either need to begin developing your own
or research services that have mentorship programs.
10)Training - The number #2 reason that marketing an internet business failed was due to lack of
training through either mentors or through the chosen internet business franchise. Staying abreast
marketing trends and techniques can only be achieved through training and instruction. Those who
failed simply did not understand all the facets of marketing online. If the internet marketer is
committed to marketing their internet business then they will seek training resources to support their
success. If not, like the 35 polled internet businesses, they will fail.
In educating internet marketers how to develop strong brands on the internet, those who sought
professional training, advice, and mentorship were the first to see success online. Many consultants
today are taking a proactive, educational approach in working with beginners. "Marketing your

---

internet business doesn't have to be hard if each of these 10 key concepts are thought out
thoroughly", according to expert Trisha Ahlman.

Online Marketing For Small Businesses

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500px Debuts ?Plus? Paid Membership Plan To Go Head-To-Head Against Flickr

500px, the photo sharing website that has become the new darling of the photo buff set, today rolled out a new $19.95/year 'Plus' membership plan, putting it more squarely in competition with Flickr. Up until now, 500px's premium offering has catered mostly to the "power user" and professional photographer set, with a $49.95/year "Awesome" plan offering unlimited uploads along with a personalized online portfolio. The new "Plus" offering is meant to address more middle market users -- it offers the same unlimited uploads and detailed user analytics provided by the "Awesome" plan, but without the personal portfolio feature. The site also has a free membership that allows for 10 photo uploads per week.

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(04/08) Craig Anderson, Chadd Konig and friends explore Lakshadweep Islands, India

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Wildfires threaten homes and insurance

RUIDOSO, N.M. (KRQE) - New Mexico's fire season is fast approaching and it's expected to be a bad one.

While fire officials are trying to figure out how to best protect people and property, some insurance companies say they might drop coverage for people who chose to live in those high-risk areas.

Local, state, and federal officials partnered up in Ruidoso Wednesday to discuss plans for this year's fire season.

Last year much of the state was ravaged by fires. This year, the risk is high with severe drought conditions and little moisture.

It's a risk that's also affecting insurance.

"As we see this increasing wildfire threat move into a dangerous active season, insurance companies really do expect homeowners that live in these higher-risk areas to share that risk," explained Carole Walker, Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association .

By sharing the risk, homeowners are urged to learn what their insurance companies require to stay affordable and insured.

Officials say preparing property will help it withstand a wildfire with minimal intervention. It'll also help save the homeowners money.

"It's that pocket-book incentive of getting and keeping affordable insurance that's really going to get people oftentimes to do the right thing and protect their property," Walker said.

While fire officials are preparing themselves for another dry season, Ruidoso Fire Chief Harlan Vincent said he wants the community to be prepared as well. He said there's a new tool to keep everyone on the same page.

This year's new emergency notification system is called Call Me Ruidoso , and it's a system designed to be the lifeline for evacuation alerts.

"If there's a fire in the area, and we make sure that our community knows if there's smoke anywhere in the area, they are for sure going to know about it," Vincent said. He wants everyone in Ruidoso to sign up for it.

The message fire officials and insurance agencies are sending is for people not just to be aware of risks but also to take action.

"If you're unwilling to make a defensible space, you're living in a high-risk area, you're too high of a risk for us to insure," said Walker.

Walker explained that with more insurance companies taking this perspective.

"It's not going to be a matter of paying higher rates because of no mitigation steps," she said.? "It will affect your ability to get and keep insurance."

Some things homeowners can do to keep their area safe is making sure they thin trees and vegetation on their properties. Another is having clear access for emergency crews.

Keith Worley, advisor for the federal Firewise Communities Program , said their mantra is to keep landscape lean, clean and green. He also said homeowners should keep a Class A roof and a high level of maintenance including cleaning gutters and decks and around foundation.

The U.S. Forest Service Sacramento Ranger District also has scheduled a lecture on April 12 in Cloudcroft to discuss the effect of drought and insect infestations on the forest and fire hazard particularly in the area around High Rolls.

The RMIIA also offers materials that can be downloaded from its website: ?

Online from KRQE News 13: Fire coverage, official updates and preparedness resources in the KRQE.com Wildfires section .

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Strong U.S. job growth expected for March

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Enhancing Communications with CAS Members | The Casualty ...

As the CAS Vice President-Marketing and Communications, my duties include evaluating the effectiveness of CAS communications with members and improving our efforts to communicate where necessary. Last year, the CAS Executive Council identified several areas of potential improvement as we considered input on how well we are communicating from the Task Force on Improving Communications within the CAS, the CAS Board of Directors, and other areas of the CAS.

One of our tenets in reviewing our communications is that communications is not a one-way process. Just as we need to build our ability to share information with members, we need to make channels available that allow members to communicate with each other and CAS leadership.

My goal with this blog post is to provide an update on recent efforts to enhance communications with CAS members, ask for feedback on our current initiatives, and invite additional suggestions for areas for improvement.

Recent initiatives include:

• The CAS Roundtable. This blog is an example of a new communication vehicle that we introduced to improve communications with members. Here, we can provide short, informal updates on current topics important to members while at the same time inviting feedback. That?s the inspiration for the name of the blog ? the CAS Roundtable is intended to serve as an interactive forum for the discussion and exchange of views on important issues within the CAS and casualty actuarial profession.
• Social Media. The CAS has made a conscious effort to build its presence on the social networks, and the number of CAS followers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn continues to grow. We have over 1,000 fans/followers on both Facebook and Twitter, and over 2,000 individuals in our LinkedIn group. While the social networks provide an additional channel for executing our communication plans, they also allow the CAS to share member and industry news, which is the essence of social networking. CAS staff members subscribe to Google Alerts that inform them when Casualty Actuarial Society appears in an online article or blog. These articles are redistributed to CAS followers. We are seeing a growing number of people responding to what we share and sharing items of interest themselves.
• Regional Affiliate Presentations. For many years, CAS leadership has accepted invitations to give presentations on current CAS issues that have been extended by our Regional Affiliates. We have found the Regional Affiliate meetings to be one of the best ways for leadership to interact with members ? not only do the formal presentations provide an opportunity for questions and answers, but networking breaks allow for informal interaction that allow leaders to get feedback and input from members. The Board recently agreed to formalize its outreach to Regional Affiliates to include at least annual contact with each affiliate and a report back to the Board after a CAS leadership presentation on CAS issues.
• Town Hall Meetings and Webinars. During the 2011 Annual Meeting, the Board held an open Town Hall Meeting to share news on actions taken at the Board meeting held two days prior, and to invite comments from members. Another Town Hall will be held at the 2012 Spring Meeting in Phoenix. The recent complimentary webinar titled ?A Conversation with CAS Leaders? similarly provided a forum for the CAS President and President-Elect to interact with CAS members, and additional webinars are being planned.

In addition to these initiatives already underway, other projects are in the planning stages such as:

• Increasing the publication frequency of The Actuarial Review. Because The Actuarial Review is the most widely-read CAS publication and one of the best vehicles for communicating to members, the Board agreed to increase the publication frequency from quarterly to six issues per year, beginning in FY 2013. Along with the increase in frequency, it is envisioned that the newsletter will transition to color and a magazine-like format.
• Incorporating Video in our Communication Plans. Did you know that YouTube is the second most popular online search engine, behind only Google? The CAS currently makes limited use of video as a communication vehicle, but we are excited about the opportunity to utilize video and believe it will be an effective medium for certain communication initiatives.

Organizational communications should not be monologues, that is, a one-way exchange. Between the CAS and its members, there should be a two-way flow of information, and we encourage members to engage in this exchange. I think that we?ve made a lot of progress in our efforts to communicate with members, and to invite members to participate in a dialogue with CAS leadership. But what do you think? Please leave a reply below!

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