There?s plenty you don?t know about Internet promotion. It does not matter your level of expertise in marketing; anyone involved in Internet marketing can learn something that can be useful in boosting their business. The advice in this article will help your internet marketing business to improve.
Press releases can really draw more visitors to your web site. Ensure that your press release is accurate and target the information to a specific audience. Needless to say, a great press release can create a buzz around your business.
TIP! Earning and maintaining your clients? trust is crucial. As you develop your marketing plan, you should only consider facts and statistics that are easily proven and valid.
If you want your PageRank to skyrocket, put a limited-time offer on your site. If you make the deal compelling enough, your PageRank will improve, even if the promotion itself isn?t a big moneymaker for you. Retail stores have used this strategy for years by using ?loss leaders.?
Many people respond to titles. Let them know you?re the boss and this will add a lot of credibility when selling a product. Try labeling yourself as ?CEO? or ?President? of your business.
Use the word ?fast? in your ad campaigns, with strategic placement of it throughout your sales pages. Time is given a monetary value in the minds of consumer, so fast service may allow you to increase your profits.
TIP! Design your banners to be subtle and not annoying to visitors to your website. Rather, try and have them look like links that can be clicked on to get access to more content.
A volume discount for customers who buy a lot from you can be a powerful tool to add to your Internet marketing campaign. You can offer them fifteen percent off if they spend over $100. This helps to get your customers to add products on.
Submit free materials to the various online directories who will list them without charging you. Using multiple directories will increase your exposure and your site traffic. The same can be done with e-books, e-newsletters, articles and more.
To advertise your product, you should create a sort of FAQ. For each issue or question, write a helpful answer, and be sure to mention your products as a solution. Write the questions so that your products are the answers without making it look like obvious product placement.
TIP! Post your customer?s comments in the comments section of your website. Oftentimes, people are interested in see what others buyers have to say about the product and enjoy seeing the experience others had.
Another option is to sell bundled merchandise at a discounted price. Make sure that the terms of what you?re offering are clearly stated and easy to find.
It?s important that you appear to be a user-friendly business to your customers, and this means that you should think about getting the right type of error page (500 page). This happens when a code stops working for you. Genetic error messages just display a message that the connection timed out. Customers will be less frustrated and more understanding if they do not get a generic error message.
Give your customers a price break for buying multiple items. Even the wholesale prices will leave you with some profit, but you will be selling much larger quantities than before.
TIP! Whether you?re writing content for your website or for messages delivered via email, use plenty of headlines. Your headlines should be both informative (sharing news about important new products and offers) and catchy.
Small sellers may be overwhelmed by how competitive the online market is. You can make your business more competitive by frequently resetting the prices of your products, and comparing them against those of your closest competitors. Try to build a store in the marketplace so that clients can access all your items.
Keep in mind that your website?s look and functionality are just as vital to your business as a more traditional in-store shopping experience. To avoid causing problems for your online customers, check all of your site?s links, ads, graphics, and checkout code regularly. If there are problems with the site and the people cannot to where they want to go in a quick manner, there is a good chance you will lose that customer.
Consider creating polls and placing them beside different content on your webpage. This will enable you to understand what your viewers think of your site. This will make your customers feel included in the business, and it will assure that your site will have plenty of content that they will find very appealing.
TIP! Are you ready for an internet marketing tip? When you set up your landing page, make sure it is apparent what the subject and objective is. The landing page should be focused on sales.
One way to build a reputation as a credible business is by selling advertising spaces on your page to other vetted businesses in your market. If potential customers notice that impressive firms are linked with yours, they will gain greater confidence in your offerings. In the future, their larger customer base will think of you when they think of them.
In your email, you must include a call to action which inspires your customers. They could subscribe to your service or visit your site. You will be able to find out how well your emails to your customers are working.
Attention to detail is important when it comes to the pages on your site. Your company name should be placed prominently at the top of every page of your website. Customers may have several tabs or pages open, and they need to see easily which site they?re on at any given time.
TIP! You want to put ads all over the Internet to give yourself as much exposure as possible. Companies such as Google?s AdSense are a popular choice for this.
The word ?guarantee? should be used in your internet promotion ad. Your customers want to know they will not get ripped off if they purchase your product. The only limit to what you can guarantee is what you decide it to be. A lifetime or 90-day guarantee is most common. Look at what you are selling, and select the guarantee that will fit best.
Read up on marketing studies that show what techniques are and are not effective in webpage design and marketing on the internet in general. Some of the psychological factors that effect how you perceive things can impact what you read online and what you click on. If you fully understand the implications of these connections, you can apply that knowledge to drive profits.
Thankfully, there is a wealth of information around that can make you a better Internet marketer. You need not study the topic intensively, either. Tips like these can help you be successful. Across the web, you can find simple, easy-to-use ideas to improve your Internet promotion. Stay alert for ways to keep making improvements in your strategies and techniques.
TIP! One part of your marketing strategy is about your competition. Follow their sites and try to determine what is helping or hindering their efforts.
Jenelle of "Teen Mom 2," Honey Boo Boo, and Conda Britt of "Biggest Loser."
By Anna Chan and Ree Hines, TODAY
Sometimes you just can't script the bizarre things that happen on television. And thanks to reality TV programming -- whether the shows focus on lifestyle or competitions -- the "Oh no they didn't!" moments are seemingly endless. That was certainly the case this year, especially with TLC's introduction to Honey Boo Boo and her clan.?
Though the little tyke and her family generated plenty of talk, they weren't the only ones who left viewers laughing, scratching their heads or fuming.?
'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' Nothing could have fully prepared reality TV audiences for the reality of Honey Boo Boo and her family. But ready or not, when the show premiered in August, it was time to redneckognize the fact the bunch wasn't going away any time soon. For some, the fun-loving family's mere prime-time presence made for one great big jaw-dropper. But for those who watched all of the roadkill-munching and mud-flopping action, there was one simple moment that topped them all: When Mama June taught us all to make "sketti." The ingredients? Topping the pasta and meat is a mixture of a massive glob of butter(-like spread) and ketchup -- microwaved to perfection.
'Teen Mom 2' Amber who? Original "Teen Mom" Amber Portwood made her share of big mistakes prior to putting herself in jail, but rather than that being the end of law-breaking tales for MTV's franchise, "Teen Mom 2's" Jenelle Evans is following in Amber's footsteps and making truly unbelievable decisions when it comes to time behind bars. Some might say she's been even more frustrating to watch than Amber. Case in point? On the Nov. 26 episode, after learning that her probation officer is offering her a 16-day jail sentence instead of a 45-day sentence for violating probation, Jenelle tells her attorney that she can't start serving the day she is supposed to. Her excuse? No, not life-saving surgery. Not child-care issues. What, then? Second row seats for a Ke$ha concert. We kid you not. Jenelle even got "all these feathers" in her hair just to go see her "idol"! (Check out the young mom's 2009 "Tik Tok" video.)
'Toddlers & Tiaras' It seems safe to say that most moms (and dads, for that matter) don't ever want to see their precious little kids puffing on cigarettes. But then again, most moms aren't trying to win a costumed beauty pageant at any cost. Destiny's mom, however, was. "Toddlers & Tiaras" viewers must have been as shocked as the pageant judges were when they heard Lisa Christian tell her tyke, "Don't forget to smoke!" before the wee one took the stage with a prop cigarette to portray Sandy from "Grease." One judge spoke for everyone when she said of Lisa, "What is she thinking?!" And that was nothing compared to what prosecutor-turned-talk-host Nancy Grace had to say when she booked Lisa on her show.
'The Biggest Loser' There was no shortage of gasp-worthy moments on "Biggest Loser" this year. In fact, most of those moments centered on outspoken and outrageous contestant Conda Britt. But the participant some viewers (and fellow contestants) called a bully only played a bit part in real the shocker of the season -- the walkout. Yes, the people who were lucky enough to have landed a coveted spot on the weight-loss ranch decided that the reality show just wasn't "fair" (due to an all-too-common twist in the game) and threatened to walk right off the show if things continued as planned. Even more surprising? Two "Losers" actually made good on that threat and threw away their chances to make it to the finals and compete for the $250,000 grand prize or any other prize -- or even the right to just step up on the scales on finale night.
'Project Runway' There's usually some griping when "Project Runway" asks its designers to create fab looks for non-model-sized women, but that moaning is generally directed at the task. Not so in season 10. Designer Ven Budhu made his frustration known by making jabs at his size 10 model, Terri Herlihy, who was there because her friend submitted her for a glam makeover. After what seemed like endless comments about her size, Terri was fighting back tears, and angry viewers took to social media to blast the designer hopeful for his behavior. After the show aired, Terri told The Clicker just how horrible the experience was, calling it "adult bullying at its best." The show's mentor, Tim Gunn, was also appalled by Ven. The fashion guru said that the editing was "especially kind" to the designer, adding,?"He was especially atrocious."
'Dancing With the Stars' Boo! Hiss! Those aren't exactly the sounds one expects to hear in the glam and glitz-filled ballroom of "Dancing With the Stars," but for a couple of brief moments in the show's 14th season, that's just what an angry audience delivered all the same. It first happened when head judge Len Goodman and the gang decided to follow up a round of big praise with a round of tiny scores for an excellent team paso doble performance. The in-house crowd let the esteemed panel know just what they thought of that call, as they did again when the judges failed to give Melissa Gilbert and ballroom bad boy Maksim Chmerkovskiy their fair due later in the show.
'Dancing With the Stars' -- again! Some shows just deliver more surprises than a single entry can cover. Case in point? The second "Dancing With the Stars" season of 2012 might just have topped its own previous ballroom boos when the all-star cast had to say so long to former Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan. History repeated itself for the Disney star as she left the bash in week six, following a strong performance, just as she did back season five. Viewers weren't the only ones shocked. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba clutched her gut when the results were announced, while her fellow panelist looked on slack jawed.
Which reality TV moment did you find most shocking in 2012? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
TAMPA, Fla. - A jury has found a Plant City man guilty of second-degree murder.? It took jurors almost six hours to reach a verdict in the trial of Lawrence Dickey.
Dickey, and his wife, Beatrice, attended a Journey concert last September. Investigators say later that night, Dickey attacked his wife with a baseball bat, in their Plant City home, while she slept.
Earlier Wednesday, the prosecution and defense gave closing arguments.
Prosecutors argued Dickey knew what he was doing. Assistant State Attorney Ronald Gale said, "He's not about, at 1:00 in the morning, to go out and play a game of softball.? He has that evil intent.? He's not getting that baseball bat for any other purpose than to use it on his wife."
But the defense claimed the act wasn't premeditated. Robert Fraser, Dickey's attorney, said, "What was he thinking?? Where is the evidence of reflection?? Where is the evidence that he thought about this for a nanosecond?? There isn't any!"
Closing arguments lasted about an hour then Dickey's fate was in the jury's hands.
When jurors later found Dickey guilty, Beatrice's son, Matt Kirkland, was in the courtroom. He said he was hoping for a tougher penalty. Kirkland said, "We'll try to get him at the sentencing hearing. I'll be able to speak and let the judge know what kind of guy he actually is instead of just the little, his crying act on the stand."
Sentencing is scheduled for January 25th. Dickey could get 20 years to life in prison.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Temple researcher shows diabetes, blood pressure link to colon cancer recurrence, survivalPublic release date: 20-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steven Benowitz steven.benowitz@tuhs.temple.edu 215-707-4784 Temple University Health System
(Philadelphia, PA) By all accounts, a combination of colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure can be a recipe for medical disaster. Now, a new study led by a surgical oncologist and researcher at Temple University School of Medicine and Fox Chase Cancer Center has shown just how deadly this mix can be. In a retrospective analysis of more than 36,000 patients with colon cancer, investigators showed that those with early stage disease and diabetes or high blood pressure two components of metabolic syndrome have a greater risk for the cancer returning after treatment and of dying compared to patients with colon cancer who do not have either condition.
"Although metabolic syndrome has been linked to colon cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., previous work looking at its effect on mortality has not adequately accounted for cancer stage or treatment," said senior author Nestor Esnaola, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, Professor of Vice-Chair of Clinical and Academic Affairs in the Department of Surgery at Temple University School of Medicine. "Our results suggest that patients with early stage colon cancer who also have diabetes or hypertension may need to be followed more closely for recurrence and could potentially benefit from broader use of adjuvant chemotherapy." Dr. Esnaola and his team reported their findings December 20, 2012 in an early online publication in the journal CANCER.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that affects one in five American adults and which can include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, low levels of good cholesterol and high amounts of lipids in the blood.
To better understand the effect of metabolic syndrome on colon cancer outcomes, Dr. Esnaola and his team linked data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, a large population-based database, to Medicare data from 1998 to 2006 on 36,079 patients with colon cancer, including 7,024 patients (19.5 percent) who were identified as having metabolic syndrome. They analyzed the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on colon cancer recurrence and overall survival, controlling for various sociodemographic factors, tumor factors, other medical conditions and cancer treatment received.
"Metabolic syndrome as a whole had no apparent effect on colon cancer recurrence or survival," said Dr. Esnaola, who is also an attending surgeon at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "When we teased out and analyzed the effect of each of its components, however, the data told a different story."
The researchers found that among patients with early stage disease, patients with diabetes or high blood pressure had a significantly greater risk of cancer recurrence rate and death after treatment. For example, 47.7 percent of patients who did not have diabetes were still alive five years after diagnosis compared to only 41.3 percent of patients with diabetes. When the researchers looked more closely, they also found that cancer recurrence rates at five years were approximately 8 percent higher in patients with diabetes or hypertension.
In contrast, the analysis showed that patients with abnormally high levels of lipids in the blood had a lower risk of recurrence and death from colon cancer. Overall, 39 percent of patients with normal lipid levels were still alive after five years, compared to 52.7 percent of patients with abnormal levels. Cancer recurrence rates were approximately 11 percentage points lower in patients with abnormal lipid levels.
"Although we did not have data on medication for these patients, we suspect that the higher survival and lower recurrence rates observed in patients with high lipid levels in our study group were likely due to the protective effects of statins," Dr. Esnaola said. Statins are drugs that are widely used to lower cholesterol and lipid levels and have been shown to lower the risk of developing colon cancer in people.
"To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date controlling for cancer stage and treatment that has analyzed the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on colon cancer recurrence and survival," said Dr. Esnaola. "The adverse effects of diabetes and hypertension in early stage patients and apparent protective effect of high blood lipids observed in our cohort suggest that when it comes to metabolic syndrome and cancer outcomes, the devil is in the details."
Dr. Esnaola currently is investigating the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on other cancer types, and plans to confirm these results in a larger set of data that contains information on cancer stage, treatment and medication. "In the interim, our results underscore the need for clinical trials to define the true benefits of (the diabetes drug) metformin and statins in patients with early stage colon cancer," he said.
###
Other investigators contributing to this research include: Yang Yang and Baorui Liu, Comprehensive Cancer Center of Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; and Patrick D. Mauldin, Myla Ebeling, Thomas C. Hulsey, Melanie B. Thomas, and E. Ramsey Camp, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
This research was supported in part by the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Health, Education, and Research Foundation.
About Temple Health
Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System and by Temple University School of Medicine.
Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $1.4 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH), ranked among the "Best Hospitals" in the region by U.S. News & World Report; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Jeanes Hospital, a community-based hospital offering medical, surgical and emergency services; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. TUHS is affiliated with Temple University School of Medicine.
Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), established in 1901, is one of the nation's leading medical schools. Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 720 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Temple University School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to U.S. News & World Report, TUSM is among the top 10 most applied-to medical schools in the nation.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Temple researcher shows diabetes, blood pressure link to colon cancer recurrence, survivalPublic release date: 20-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steven Benowitz steven.benowitz@tuhs.temple.edu 215-707-4784 Temple University Health System
(Philadelphia, PA) By all accounts, a combination of colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure can be a recipe for medical disaster. Now, a new study led by a surgical oncologist and researcher at Temple University School of Medicine and Fox Chase Cancer Center has shown just how deadly this mix can be. In a retrospective analysis of more than 36,000 patients with colon cancer, investigators showed that those with early stage disease and diabetes or high blood pressure two components of metabolic syndrome have a greater risk for the cancer returning after treatment and of dying compared to patients with colon cancer who do not have either condition.
"Although metabolic syndrome has been linked to colon cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., previous work looking at its effect on mortality has not adequately accounted for cancer stage or treatment," said senior author Nestor Esnaola, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, Professor of Vice-Chair of Clinical and Academic Affairs in the Department of Surgery at Temple University School of Medicine. "Our results suggest that patients with early stage colon cancer who also have diabetes or hypertension may need to be followed more closely for recurrence and could potentially benefit from broader use of adjuvant chemotherapy." Dr. Esnaola and his team reported their findings December 20, 2012 in an early online publication in the journal CANCER.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that affects one in five American adults and which can include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, low levels of good cholesterol and high amounts of lipids in the blood.
To better understand the effect of metabolic syndrome on colon cancer outcomes, Dr. Esnaola and his team linked data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program, a large population-based database, to Medicare data from 1998 to 2006 on 36,079 patients with colon cancer, including 7,024 patients (19.5 percent) who were identified as having metabolic syndrome. They analyzed the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on colon cancer recurrence and overall survival, controlling for various sociodemographic factors, tumor factors, other medical conditions and cancer treatment received.
"Metabolic syndrome as a whole had no apparent effect on colon cancer recurrence or survival," said Dr. Esnaola, who is also an attending surgeon at Fox Chase Cancer Center. "When we teased out and analyzed the effect of each of its components, however, the data told a different story."
The researchers found that among patients with early stage disease, patients with diabetes or high blood pressure had a significantly greater risk of cancer recurrence rate and death after treatment. For example, 47.7 percent of patients who did not have diabetes were still alive five years after diagnosis compared to only 41.3 percent of patients with diabetes. When the researchers looked more closely, they also found that cancer recurrence rates at five years were approximately 8 percent higher in patients with diabetes or hypertension.
In contrast, the analysis showed that patients with abnormally high levels of lipids in the blood had a lower risk of recurrence and death from colon cancer. Overall, 39 percent of patients with normal lipid levels were still alive after five years, compared to 52.7 percent of patients with abnormal levels. Cancer recurrence rates were approximately 11 percentage points lower in patients with abnormal lipid levels.
"Although we did not have data on medication for these patients, we suspect that the higher survival and lower recurrence rates observed in patients with high lipid levels in our study group were likely due to the protective effects of statins," Dr. Esnaola said. Statins are drugs that are widely used to lower cholesterol and lipid levels and have been shown to lower the risk of developing colon cancer in people.
"To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date controlling for cancer stage and treatment that has analyzed the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on colon cancer recurrence and survival," said Dr. Esnaola. "The adverse effects of diabetes and hypertension in early stage patients and apparent protective effect of high blood lipids observed in our cohort suggest that when it comes to metabolic syndrome and cancer outcomes, the devil is in the details."
Dr. Esnaola currently is investigating the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on other cancer types, and plans to confirm these results in a larger set of data that contains information on cancer stage, treatment and medication. "In the interim, our results underscore the need for clinical trials to define the true benefits of (the diabetes drug) metformin and statins in patients with early stage colon cancer," he said.
###
Other investigators contributing to this research include: Yang Yang and Baorui Liu, Comprehensive Cancer Center of Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; and Patrick D. Mauldin, Myla Ebeling, Thomas C. Hulsey, Melanie B. Thomas, and E. Ramsey Camp, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
This research was supported in part by the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Health, Education, and Research Foundation.
About Temple Health
Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System and by Temple University School of Medicine.
Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $1.4 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH), ranked among the "Best Hospitals" in the region by U.S. News & World Report; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Fox Chase Cancer Center, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Jeanes Hospital, a community-based hospital offering medical, surgical and emergency services; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; and Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices. TUHS is affiliated with Temple University School of Medicine.
Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), established in 1901, is one of the nation's leading medical schools. Each year, the School of Medicine educates approximately 720 medical students and 140 graduate students. Based on its level of funding from the National Institutes of Health, Temple University School of Medicine is the second-highest ranked medical school in Philadelphia and the third-highest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to U.S. News & World Report, TUSM is among the top 10 most applied-to medical schools in the nation.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened slightly against its U.S. counterpart in early trade on Monday as commodity-linked currencies dipped after the Reserve Bank of Australia said mining investment had likely peaked.
While the euro strengthened against the greenback and global shares approached a three-month high on signs of compromise in U.S. talks to stop automatic tax hikes and spending cuts hurting the economy next year, the Canadian dollar dipped.
"CAD has weakened off a little since yesterday's close, it's been a bit of a volatile morning," said Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Scotiabank.
"Interesting because the euro touched a new high overnight but CAD is failing to make new gains."
At 9:14 a.m. (1414 GMT), the Canadian dollar stood at C$0.9846 versus the U.S. dollar, or $1.0156, slightly below Monday's North American close at C$0.9837 versus the U.S. dollar, or $1.0166.
"All the other commodity currencies are also slightly weaker partially on the RBA's minutes, which highlighted that the investment boom in the mining industry is likely peaking, as well as a focus on employment, so that seems to be pulling down commodity currencies a little bit," Sutton said.
Australia's central bank said it decided to cut interest rates this month rather than wait because it saw further evidence that the peak in the mining investment boom was near, while the non-resource sector showed no signs of picking up.
The Reserve Bank of Australia expects the mining investment boom to peak sometime next year, according to minutes of the bank's December 4 meeting, released on Tuesday.
Canadian government bond prices were mixed, slipping across the long end. The two-year bond was down 0.5 Canadian cents to yield 1.155 percent, while the benchmark 10-year bond shed 16 Canadian cents to yield 1.841 percent.
(Reporting By Andrea Hopkins; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) ? One of the first things newly elected Decatur mayor Don Kyle did this month was to hand over the keys to the mayors issued vehicle to the fire department.
The mayor says the vehicle was too much vehicle for what he?believes?are the needs for a mayor and the SUV is better suited for the fire department.
The?$21,000 red Ford Flex crossover former Decatur Mayor Don Stanford asked for when he was in office is now being retrofitted for official fire department use.
Mayor Kyle will still receive a fuel kickback for his personal?vehicle?use while on official duty.
Every culture has a different take on technology-based communications. In an earlier post we found that the United States and Europe are similar in their use of computer-mediated dialogue. However,? professionals in Asian Pacific countries differ in their use of computer-mediated methods. Due to globalization, social networking, e-mail, teleconferences, conference calling, and even text messaging have become more and more prevalent among recently industrialized Asian Pacific countries.
?Social Networking:?In a paper presented at the Thirty Second International Conference on Information Systems, titled ?East Meets West: Connectivity and Collaboration through Effective Information Systems, the study?s authors found that a country?s social orientation plays a role in the use of social networking sites, IM, mobile phone use, and other mediums. ?Western?cultures value independence, individualism, autonomy, and self-achievement. In contrast, Asian cultures emphasize interdependence, harmony, relatedness, and connection.? The study stated that American professionals had larger social networks with short-term, broad, ?connections through social media and were more apt to connect with strangers and exhibit fewer group identities and boundaries. In Asian Pacific countries, most professionals valued multi-faceted, close,? long-term relationships with their contacts. Thus, they are more discriminating in choosing connections and there are higher boundaries among groups. Westerners tended to be more explicit when it comes to social media information, while Asian nations often use it to share high-context information in a way that assumes the other party understands the issue.
Rich Communication:?Asian Pacific countries preferred richer forms of communication, such as face-to-face, video conferencing and multi-party online chats. Participants did not feel satisfied with asynchronous communication, such as e-mail or social media messages. Those from the United States had high regards for asynchronous communication and didn?t hesitate to send a quick e-mail. While instant messaging (IM) is popular in Asia, these real time exchanges did not resonate as much with Western professionals. Professionals in Asia also believed strongly that negotiations require a rich communication medium.
Choosing a Means to Communicate:?Participants from Asian Pacific countries differentiated their social contacts and tailored the form of communication to best relay a message to those individuals. United States professionals often relied on e-mail and social media to reach a mass audience, taking the less personal approach. In addition, Asian professionals also decided the level of sentiment based on their hierarchy in an organization.
Information Sharing:?Countries, such as the U.S. and U.K., ?share codified, external, and transferable knowledge, and use an explicit communication style.? Professionals from Asian Pacific nations, ?are characterized less verbally explicit communication and more reliance on internalized understanding. Members of these cultures share situational, rational, and context-based knowledge, and they frequently express in an indirect and nonverbal style.?
Due to differences in culture and technology preferences, professionals communicating on a global level will be best served keeping the recipient?s culture in mind. This way one can tailor their communication style in a way that enhances collaboration despite the distance.
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Public release date: 20-Dec-2012
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