Importance of regular maintenance of audiovisual systems

It is amazing that so many companies invest huge amounts of money and enormous effort in setting up audiovisual systems for the organisations but often do not think about the proper maintenance of the systems. It is extremely costly to call the experts in to fix the system after the system failures have occurred. Besides risk of loss of data and revenue, you also risk losing customers and clients if your organisation is dependent on these systems.

It is crucial to properly and regularly maintain the system for prevention and early detection of system problems. As they say prevention is better than cure and in the case of audiovisual systems, much more cost-effective as well in the long run, rather then having to repair or replace equipment later. If you do not have the people to do the regular maintenance, there are several companies out there which are specialised in delivering these services and support. However, selecting a company to provide these services can be quite tough.

Here is a simple check-list of requirements:

1. Has been operating for several years. Companies which have been operating for 5 years or more, usually have more experience and less likely to go out of business a year down the line as compared to newer startups.

2. Well qualified staff. Do I even need to explain how important this is.

3. Have a good reputation in the industry.

Spintar in the US, is one such company which ticks all three boxes. This privately owned, full-service audio visual service company has been operating since 1986. All their over 100 support and service staff are manufacturer-trained and industry-certified professionals and the company has been named among the industry's top fifty integrators in the US. Furthermore, even though the company is based in California, they provide services nationwide.

Watch their showroom build time lapse video:

Info about Startup Sauna

The next web interview in a sauna. What a great idea to get noticed (and heard)

Engage with visitors using Sunumax

Sunumax  is a great internet service whereby a real person will present your product or your site on a video.  The unique feature is that the videos does not play in the traditional box format.

It is a great way to catch the attention and engage with your visitors.

They have a number of models (more than 60) whom you can choose from and you can even preview how a typical video would look on your site.

Companies using their service include Hyundai, H&M, Asus and Beko among others. Pricing starts from $99 which is ideal if you are promoting a blog or small websites.

Satellite internet equipment reseller and satellite internet service

Bentley Walker is one of Europe's largest re-seller of satellite internet equipment. This British company was founded in 1947 and recently celebrated its 60th year in business. Besides selling of satellite internet equipment, they also have their own satellite internet service. According to their site, the main advantage of satellite internet over other alternative internet access technologies is the broad coverage and the fact that you are independent of local telecoms.

They have an impressive list of high profile clients and are now operating globally including Africa and Afghanistan. The Bentley Walker site also carries a regular update of the latest satellite internet news and information including product reviews and installation tips. If you are looking for satellite internet equipment, do check out Bentley Walker.

Sponsored post

My experience with the 3 network and my new Samsung Galaxy Portal

My contract with the 3 network ended yesterday. I have been a loyal customer for more than 2 years now ever since I first trialled the 3 Skypephone and had been looking forward to getting a new smart phone.

A few weeks back, I received a call from one of their salespeople who tired to get me sign up for a new contract with a refurbished phone for 2 years. I might have been interested had the models on offer been new ones or if they had been cheaper. However, I realised that I could get newer models at the same price and I rejected his offer.

I was really excited when I visited their website and saw that they were offering the Nokia X6 on the Internet Talker 100 plan for just £14 pm. Both my wife and I have decided to reduce our expenses on mobile phones and we had set the limit of just £15 pm. I had been paying around £19 per month before this.

However, I found out that I could not automatically upgrade online. So I called up their customer service. Imagine my shock when I found out that the online offers were only for new customers. Old customers would have to pay the normal store prices, for example £16 for the Nokia X6 on the Internet Talker 100 plan. I could take advantage of their very attractive online offer (which runs till the end of this month) but it would mean losing my mobile number which would be a big hassle.

I had hoped that as a loyal customer I would be eligible for a discount or something. I had introduced so many of my friends and family members to the 3 network as well but apparently loyalty counts for nothing on the 3 network.

I talked to a number of their customer service people but they were simply not willing to compromise. In the end, I was so annoyed with them that I decided to change network and even took the PAC code.

Today I am almost ashamed to say that I had to swallow my pride and went back to them. I renewed my contract in their store in Coventry city centre today.

I have to admit, 3 has the best deals for mobile phones among all the providers in the UK. Even at £16 for the X6, they are still the cheapest. The free Skpye and Twitter is an added attraction. However, the biggest reason I had to go back to them was due to the fact that my wife had renewed her contract with them yesterday. I could still go but that would mean extra expenditure to call each other across networks. This is what my wife refers to as switching costs. It doesn't mean that I am satisfied with their service or loyalty but simply that the cost of moving is too high. So I didn't get any reduction in my rates, no gifts, no rewards, nothing for being a loyal customer.

So here is my new phone: The Samsung Galaxy Portal GT-I5700. I got it for £14 pm month on the Internet talker 100 plan. This is my first ever Samsung phone and I am hoping that I won't be disappointed with this phone.

Look out for a full review of the Samsung Galaxy Portal soon.

Burberry's social media strategy

According to Angela Ahrendts, CEO of British Luxury brand Burberry, their online sales have exceeded sales in many of their flagship stores.

They have also recently launched a social networking site called 'The art of the Trench" which as the name suggests focusses on their iconic Trench coat. They hope to connect with potential new customers - namely the younger generation while maintaining the relationship with existing customers.  Faceboook users can send in pictures of people wearing trench coats. The best pics will then be added to the site.  Users can comment on and even vote for their favourite photographs.

They hooked up with fashion blogger Scott Schuman, also known as The Sartorialist who came up with the initial series of photographs.

Watch Angela's interview with the Financial Times online here.

If you are a Facebook user and a Burberry fan, do check out their Facebook page.

Amazon does mean it when they say "We're Building Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company"

I am amazed and delighted.
I knew that Amazon.co.uk's customer service is good but I never knew they were THAT good.

Anyway, following my latest email to their customer service (read my previous post), I received the following reply today:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk with your enquiry concerning the promotion on the item in the above order.

I have reviewed and found that this order is a qualifying purchase for this promotion.

For all questions regarding eligibility, we encourage you to view the terms and conditions listed online at the following URL:
(url)

In this case, as an exception, I suggest you to go ahead and place a new order for the qualifying games listed in the above mentioned link and write back to us with all the new order details and we would be happy to issue a refund for the total cost of the new order.

Please use the following link to write back to us:
(url)

I promptly went to their site and picked 'Trauma Centre: New Blood', which costs £16.74 and 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes', which costs £29.99 and I will get both games for FREE (total savings of £46.73). Yeah!

Just noticed that they have further reduced the price of the Nintendo Wii Console with Wii Sports + Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus Controller (Wii) by £10. It is now £169.99. Damn, should have waited for a few days.

Anyway, I just checked on Argos and they are still selling the Nintendo Wii at £179.99 but they are including the Wii Sports Resort with Motion Controller, Super Smash Brothers, Mario Tennis and Wii Compatible Mega Accessory Pack for free. A bit of a limited choice of free games as compared to Amazon and it's all a bit confusing as you have to click the special offers tab to take advantage of the offers. People who are not too savvy with the Argos site might miss the offer altogether. Moreover, I couldn't find Mario Tennis listed anywhere, even though it's on offer.


UPDATE (20 October, 2009):
My two free games -  'Trauma Centre: New Blood' and 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes', arrived today.

Pepperjam launches new affiliate network

Over the years, I have joined and unjoined a number of affiliate networks. And it is quite obvious that they haven't made me a millionaire of me yet. The reason I left most of the affiliates was that they were not really transparent with the way they calculated my earnings. Most of the time I was left with the feeling that they were somehow cheating us. And from my converstions with fellow bloggers and webmasters, I gathered that I was not the only one who that felt this way.

Anyway, Pepperjam, one of the biggest online marketing companies in the US has recently announced the launch of a new "revolutionary" affiliate network. According to Kristopher B. Jones, President & CEO of Pepperjam, their new
Affiliate Marketing program will address two of the main shortcomings of other networks, namely, communication and transparency.

Read the whole press release below:

Pepperjam Announces Launch of Next Generation Affiliate Marketing Network

Pepperjam, a two-time Inc. Magazine fastest growing company and industry leading full-service internet marketing agency, today announced the launch of Pepperjam Network, a proprietary next generation affiliate marketing network.

If you are an advertiser or affiliate and would like to sign-up for Pepperjam Network please visit www.pepperjamnetwork.com.

“Pepperjam Network represents an evolution in affiliate marketing. The creation of Pepperjam Network represents eight years of research and development and the combined ideas, feedback, and intelligence of hundreds of affiliate marketers and advertisers. Pepperjam Network will forever change the face of affiliate marketing by putting power back in the hands of affiliates and advertisers to build long-term, profitable partnerships through better communication tools and transparency,” said Kristopher B. Jones, President & CEO of Pepperjam.

Among a variety of affiliate marketing enhancements, Pepperjam Network addresses the two primary shortcomings of other existing affiliate networks, namely (1) poor, unreliable communication tools and (2) lack of affiliate transparency. With Pepperjam Network, affiliates and advertisers can communicate in real-time via Pepperjam Chat™, thereby providing a reliable communication system to build stronger, more profitable partnerships. Pepperjam Network also provides advertisers with an unprecedented measure of affiliate transparency, which helps to establish trust, protect brand integrity, and lays the groundwork for open, long-term, profitable relationships.

Pepperjam Network also introduces pepperjamADS, which is a first-ever affiliate marketing widget that affiliates can use to serve customized contextual ads from one or multiple Pepperjam Network advertisers at the same time.

Pepperjam Network was designed to make the experience of affiliate marketing profitable and educational, with the goal of allowing affiliates and advertisers to truly understand and maximize the critical affiliate marketing channel.

Unlike the traditional networks, Pepperjam Network uses Web 2.0 technology to provide affiliates and advertisers with an easy-to-use, cutting-edge interface designed to facilitate and optimize the affiliate marketing process. For instance, Pepperjam Network offers industry leading source-level tracking and reporting - this robust technology is especially beneficial to search marketing and sophisticated super affiliates that want to take advantage of the most up-to-date technology available to track commissions at the keyword level.

Here is just a sample of what many industry experts are saying about Pepperjam Network:

“Even after all these years using Commission Junction on the merchant and affiliate side, I still find it terribly clumsy to find what I want. With Pepperjam Network it is quick and easy. Pepperjam Network is what an affiliate network would look like if it were built from a wish list from both the affiliate and merchant perspective,” said Shawn Collins, Cofounder of Affiliate Summit.

“As both an advertiser and a affiliate, I am on the lookout for affiliate marketing systems that meet all our company’s needs. Pepperjam Network is without a doubt the most comprehensive, practical and useful affiliate marketing system I have seen to date. Pepperjam Network demonstrates that it is possible to combine style with substance in a network that provides site owners and advertisers with tools and resources to increase their bottom line,” said Joel Comm, New York Times Best-Selling author and CEO, InfoMedia, Inc.

About Pepperjam:

Pepperjam is an industry leading full-service internet marketing agency offering marketing services and advanced technology in the areas of pay-per-click, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media planning and buying. The company was founded in 1999 by internet marketing expert, accomplished speaker, and published author Kristopher B. Jones. Pepperjam has received numerous awards and achievements, including recognition by Inc. Magazine for two consecutive years as one of the fastest growing privately-held businesses in the United States. Learn more at www.pepperjam.com.

Finding a cheap International phone card

This holiday season, we made hundreds of phone calls to our families back in Malaysia, my siblings in Australia and friends all over the World. Somehow, an email feels too impersonal and cold. It can never match the feeling of hearing the voice of your loved ones. However International calls are not cheap and we are expecting quite a hefty bill this month. This is despite the fact that we took the cheap International call plan with our telephone provider.

I am aware that phone cards are a great way to save money on long distance calls but somehow I didn't want to go through the hassle of searching for the right one. The last time I bought one I was shocked to find so many choice that I didn't which one to choose, it did save us a couple of pounds.



If you are like me and have been wishing that there was a easier way of finding and buying cheap phone cards online - our answers have been answered. Found out that the site PhoneCardsAvenue can help us find and buy a cheap prepaid phone card. They have hundreds of international phone cards listed alphabetically. You can even search by country or by product name. Right now they are offering a cash back rebate program where they will give you 3% on every card purchase.

If you do make a lot of international calls, do check out the site. I am sure you will find one that's will save you a lot of money.

Shopping for ipod accessories

It seems like everyone around me has an iPod from the low end iPod shuffle to the latest iPod Touch. The portable media players designed and marketed by Apple has become almost a fashion icon. Despite the presence of cheaper and some say, better portable media players, everybody I asked would rather buy the iPod - in fact any iPod. I guess the brand image and the "cool" factor is what makes the iPod a must have gadget.

They are not cheap either. The cheapest - iPod shuffle starts from £41.70 (ex VAT) and goes up to £228.94 (ex VAT) for the top of the range iPod Touch.

It amazing but whole businesses have been built up supplying all kinds of ipod accessories. These range from head phones to extremely costly iPod speakers.


PDO TopSkin for iPhone

There is also one obvious problem with the iPod, I won't call it a defect but as every iPod owner I have talked to confirms, the shiny covers are very susceptible to scratches. Thankfully there is an amazing range of covers for almost any generation of iPod that you may own. Check out the range of covers for the iPod, other MP3 players and phones (including the iPhone)on the PDO store site.

Unique gift for Christmas

Christmas is just 21 days away and if you are like the majority of the population, you are probably still wondering what to get for your loved ones this time. I talked to a few people and it was not surprising that the top on the list for ladies were perfumes and gadgets for guys.

Why not get them something unique, something that will be treasured?

I am referring to putting photos on canvas. 'Paint Your Life' is a company that specialises in painting portraits from your photographs. The photographs can be of your favourite pet, wedding portraits, baby pictures or even a landscape. Unlike other companies, these pictures are hand painted by real artists and not computer generated.

It's amazingly simple. You just upload a digital copy of the photo that you want painted. You then choose the style and media type (oil, charcoal, watercolour, etc) and the size. You then make a 20% advance payment and that's it.

You can even preview the painting before receiving it, so that if you are not satisfied, they will make the necessary changes to the painting. Do check the site for the prices and turn around time as they vary on the type of medium and size of the picture.


That's Kelly, one of their satisfied customers.

Will definitely make a treasured gift.

Are you worried about network security?

If you are, you are not the only one. I understand the chaos that ensues when a network goes down, even if your company is not completely dependent on computer networks. It once happened in one of the companies I worked for. The network server crashed because of power problems or something and work in the office ground to a complete halt.

That shows how dependent we are on computers now. Fortunately the information stored on the servers were found to safe when they were brought online after several hours. However, I am sure that it gave the the top management a big scare as they put in several backup and remote management solutions after that particular incident.

Advertising your business through postcards

Just the other day, I was talking with some guys about the importance of offline advertising to promote your online site. It may sound like a oxymoron but it's true. We may have spent a good deal of money building up a great site but it would be a complete waste of money if nobody turned up. Besides online advertising, offline advertising using various methods can help to drive traffic to your site.

One possible way could be through customized postcards. Printed with attractive designs and of course the company particulars including the website url may help in creating awareness about your company and ultimately driving visitors to the site.

If you are looking for a good postcard printing company, you might want to consider 1000s-post-card-printing.com. This full service custom postcard printing and mailing solution company, has some great deals on postcards. they also print brochures, business cards and door hangers as well.

PC and gaming E-commerce site

What genre of video game do you prefer to play? A lot of my friends prefer first shooter and racing games. However, I like role playing and strategy games. Recently got to know about the multi award winning music video game - Guitar Hero. I can't play the guitar very well apart from a few chords but with the guitar hero for PS2, I instantly become a rock star belting out hits like "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple and "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath.

If you like Guitar Hero, check out the range of Guitar Hero controller for PS2 on the CensusPC site.

However, that's not the only stuff that this site carries. They have an amazing range of computers, peripherals and accessories among others. This company was set up by a group of high tech engineers and their HQ is based in California, US. I am looking at upgrading my computer and their Barebone systems are quite attractive and they do ship internationally.

First review on SponsoredReviews.com

Yesterday I took my first opp on Sponsoredreviews.com, another company that offers to connect bloggers to advertisers. It competes directly with PayPerPost and ReviewMe. However, the way it works slightly differs from the others.

After registering with the service and adding your blogs, you find an advertiser you would like to blog about. They have a pay range provided and you then set your bid price. This cannot be more than the price you have set for your blog.

You then wait for the advertiser to accept your offer, refuse it or make a counter offer. If both parties agree, you go ahead and do the review (normally 200 words).

The price cut they take is quite high (35%). So if you take up an opp for $30, I only get $19.50. However, it is a little bit higher than when you take an opp on ReviewMe. The latter takes a massive 50% cut.

While writing this, I got a counter offer to write a review for $5 (my share being $3.25). That's too low for a 200 words review and I counter offered to do it for $10. The initial bid was $15. Let's see what the advertiser says.

Comparison of customer generated advertising companies

I am only going to compare 3 of the services I currently use.

i) PayPerPost: They have the maximum number of advertisers and thus loads of opportunities. Also have the biggest payout. Sometimes upto $1000/. Payperpost also has a referral programme in place. Blogs with a non-writing period of 30+ days in the past 90 days are not eligible to register. Blogs with zero or low PR may have limited opportunities. They also have a very lively community of loyal "posties". I have two of my blogs registered with them with another on the way.

ii) Loudlaunch: Very few opportunities. I have taken a few. However, the fact that most of them require word count of 150 and above with payouts of only $5 has put me off this service.

iii) Creamaid: Like Loudlaunch, very few opportunities. However, I like the fact that you don't have to register your blog with them and can thus post on any including those with zero PR, including this blog. Most opportunities also don't specify a word count. Payouts quite low but a few exceptions like the last opportunity I took ($20).

The clear winner is definitely PayPerPost.

Tags: advertising creamaid loudlaunch payperpost posties