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             Thanks to Orin Optiglot for permission to use this Photo.

I was reading CSO magazine the other day (Corporate Security Officer) and came across a fascinating new security product for executives who transport highly confidential company documents.  A pharmaceutical issued a high security briefcase for its research executives.  The briefcase has two security modes.  The “Loss Proof” function alerts the executive with an alarm signal when he is more than five meters away from the case.  This is to not only discourage someone from lifting the case, but prevents the owner from leaving the case incidentally unattended. 

The “Robbery Proof” mode is designed so that if the owner is accosted and forced to give up the case, the case will wait until the briefcase is more than 100 meters away and then send a 30,000 volt shock throughout the case as well as sound an ear shattering alarm.  Click here to check out a similar case. 

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

The management of updates has become an essential element in overseeing a computer network today.   Take the network that I manage for the school district I work for.  Being a Windows based network, our 90 servers and 5500 workstations rely on Microsoft update which are made available from Microsoft every  second Tuesday of the month for the most part.  Critical updates are made available on an as needed basis such as a hot fix or the plugging of a security hole that has been exposed. 

When I first entered the networking field, these updates had to be managed on an individual computer basis much like your home computer.  This of course was very labor intensive.  It also ate up a lot of your Internet bandwidth as each and every machine had to communicate directly to the Microsoft website.  Today, most windows based networks of any size utilize a Windows WSUS server, (Windows Software Update Services) which download s all available updates and then dispenses them throughout the network during off peak hours.  See the link for more information:  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/wsus/bb466193.aspx 

The most common types of updates are for antivirus and anti spam applications.  Ensuring that these types of updates are downloaded and installed throughout the network is of the utmost importance.  Viruses can spread across the world in a matter of hours and can bring down critical servers or even an entire network unless AV applications are current. 

Like most schools and many other types of organizations we have a web filter.  Nearly every night, the filter downloads the latest site category updates.  To explain, a filter company constantly discovers new sites across the Internet for categorization and will return to previously visited sites to discern if the site needs to be recategorized.  

We have dozens of applications such as our backup software that regularly download updates as well.  In addition, all of our servers are from Dell, which periodically (about once a quarter) sends out a CD with hardware and BIOS updates for its machines.

Brad Rudisail
Computer Network Technician-Network Security Instructor
Ashworth University

There are not many people who can seriously put into question the projected dominance of  Google search technology in the future evolution of the Internet.  Through his brilliantly engineered software architecture and conceptual maps of its' potential applications, supergenius Tim Berners-Lee, the acknowledged inventor of the World Wide Web, has for years been carrying his message of a "semantic web" that will make the current incarnation of the web seem like your Dad's Rolodex by comparison. 

In Berners-Lee vision, the next generation of web technology will be semantic, i.e. all data will be interconnected and capable of communicating with other "information"  through a common language so speak.  The following article discusses the development of the semantic web alongside the related, but not parallel development of Google’s search, mapping, and tracking applications.  Berners-Lee is not anti-Google, but he is passionately against the centralization of web data and any form of proprietary control over Internet content. 

I also encourage you to check out this very insightful video presentation in which Berners-Lee takes you on a virtual tour of the Web from its’ beginnings into tomorrow.  This is fascinating stuff.   Please share your thoughts with the Ashworth Blog community after brainstorming on your own.   
 

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University    

                          Image courtesy of Stephanie Simpson.

I enjoyed this insightful video interview on the growing power of Participatory Web Media.  The interviewees are acknowledged in the industry as leading figures in the social media marketing realm.  You’ll notice their cynicism regarding companies who attempt to “spin” or manipulate social media with little understanding of new media culture.  I agree that these companies are doomed to fail in the online market.  As an internet marketer, you can’t just follow the ”buzz.”  You have to understand the the ”buzz” and relate to it from the consumers’ perspective.  After you’ve done your research, you can begin figuring out where your business might fit in and ultimately add value to the consumers’ experience.  Continue working hard through your program studies.  There are exciting careers waiting for those who dedicate themselves to their education and training.  I believe you can be one of these dedicated people with bright futures.  Stay focused.      

Cheryl Syrett
Internet Marketing Instructor
Ashworth University

Trend Description:

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways of social bonding. New technology enables people to come together online to to create and share stories, art, and other media related to their favorite movies, television shows, and books. In cooperation with media companies, publishers, and sponsors, the biggest social media company in the US, FanLib, also creates special online events where fans can interact with the producers and creators behind some of their favorite books, TV shows, and movies. Those sponsored promotions and contests are used to finance the site. FanLib services are free to the public and their stated goal is to spark creativity — FanLib calls itself the “People Powered Entertainment™ company”.

Cases:

HarperTeen Fanlit

After the success of the first collaborative E-book Reflection Perfection, Harper Collins is now incorporating a teen-focused web strategy in their program. The strategy enables teens to “Create & Share” fiction with Harper Collins authors and their peers, get sneak-peeks of upcoming titles, and get behind-the-scene info. 30,000 teenagers registered for the HarperTeen FanLit online writing contest, contributed, reviewed, and voted on chapters of which six were chosen for the final short story, “Reflection Perfection.” The contest, which is a collaboration with social media company FanLib, generated more than 6 million pageviews on HarperTeen and drew a community of more than 200,000 visitors. The final story is published as a HarperTeen e-book and is free for participants to share with their friends. Prizes included a US$5,000 college scholarship and a Fox TV studios-produced webisode based on the winning entry.

Suave: In The Motherhood

In the Motherhood is the first online video series by moms, for moms and about moms. All stories are based on contributions from real mothers. While professional screenwriters develop the characters and story lines for each of the webisodes, the online mom community votes and nominates the best entries. Sponsored as a multiplatform campaign by Suave and Sprint, In the Motherhood launched on MSN.com, on suave.com, on Sprint TV, as well as on broadcast TV, and features a lively forum of moms who want to share the joys and challenges of being a mom.

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              Thanks to Manny Diller for permission to use this Photo.

Google’s chief evangelist, Vint Cerf, recently wrote a fascinating article for The Guardian in which he discusses the future of the Internet, technology, innovation, new trends, etc. with some of the world’s brightest tech minds.  If you’re interested in hearing what people like the myspace and YouTube creators see ahead, and you should be, check out this article and let me know what you think.  Click on the image above to read article.

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

Awards such as the Open Web Awards are a great way for members of a community to show support for the free services they find valuable, and giving something back to the people who run them.

What’s In It For Me?

Honestly… nothing directly, unless the community owner pays you to vote for them, either directly or with prizes.

I must admit I am not a big supporter of offering prizes and gifts to encourage participation. As an example I can encourage you to join the Collective Thoughts Community on MyBlogLog, but I am not going to offer a specific incentive.

I have found that most sites offering prizes to achieve a specific marketing goal, having achieved their objectives, abandon the communities while moving onto other targets.Have you gained benefit from using the community? If so you should think about giving something back freely. (more…)

       Thanks to spc05c for permission to use this Photo.

I’d like to thank Simon Grabowski and his company Implix (the parent company behind the Get Response email autoresponder), who have been a long term sponsor of Entrepreneurs-Journey and have just renewed for another six month campaign.

Get Reponse has supported this blog since it was less than half the size it is now and without help from sponsors like them I doubt I would still be working as hard as I do at my blogging.

Get Response is an industry leading email autoresponder service and worth investigating as one of your top choices if you are looking to start email marketing. (more…)