Atop Meg Whitman's worries: H-P's size

FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2008 file photo, Meg Whitman, national co-chair for McCain 2008 and former president and CEO of eBay, speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Hewlett-Packard Co.'s stock sank Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, to its lowest level in six years, as investors worried that new CEO Meg Whitman isn't the right person to turn the company's fortunes around.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2008 file photo, Meg Whitman, national co-chair for McCain 2008 and former president and CEO of eBay, speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. Hewlett-Packard Co.'s stock sank Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, to its lowest level in six years, as investors worried that new CEO Meg Whitman isn't the right person to turn the company's fortunes around.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

(AP) ? Meg Whitman's primary job as Hewlett-Packard Co.'s new CEO will be to restore a sense of direction at a company that has lost its way after a decade of leadership lapses and disjointed deal-making.

With 320,000 employees, more than $125 billion in annual revenue and a broad swath of businesses, the technology conglomerate needs a leader who can quickly decide on a clear path and convey that to customers and shareholders.

The company's stock hit a 6-year low Friday, a day after Whitman got the job following HP's firing of Leo Apotheker. HP has lost $60 billion in market value since Apotheker's predecessor, Mark Hurd, resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal last year.

In technology, size isn't always an asset, as HP is learning. One of the biggest challenges for Whitman will be to figure out how big HP needs to be. It's a key question that has tripped up a string of CEOs, from Carly Fiorina and her hard-fought battle to buy Compaq Computer, to Mark Hurd and his $20 billion acquisition spree and 50,000 job cuts, and Apotheker's poorly received plan to steer HP away from lower-margin areas of computer hardware.

No one has figured out the right balance, which has made the top job at HP one of the hardest CEO slots to fill.

HP, which was founded in the 1930s as a maker of sound equipment, is no stranger to long and difficult transformations. But, under Whitman, the company could shrink substantially. Revitalizing the company depends on whether she can lead a major transformation. Indeed, analysts believe HP needs to emulate IBM Corp., whose dire financial situation in the 1990s forced a complete exit from consumer markets.

IBM's transition, however, was brutal. The Armonk, N.Y.-based company shed more than 150,000 workers in the 1990s as the company lost nearly $16 billion over five years. It, too, sold its PC division, and HP's flirtation with following suit indicates its willingness to aggressively pursue IBM's model. IBM has thrived in recent years because of a focus on high-margin services and software deals.

One of Whitman's most pressing concerns: what to do with the world's biggest personal computer business, which supplies a third of HP's revenue but is its least profitable division.

Last month, Apotheker said that business would go up for sale in a badly blundered announcement that hastened his demise. His disclosure likely devalued the business in the eyes of potential buyers. Many analysts now speculate that HP has no choice but to keep the business and work on repairing strained relationships with customers. Whitman says a decision, on whether to keep it or possibly spin it off, should come by the end of the year.

Carving out the business would be a tricky kind of surgery.

"This idea of a spinoff is very complicated," said Steve Diamond, an associate professor at Santa Clara University School of Law. "Tearing apart a business unit of that size is like taking out organs. It's very painful. It's like dividing Siamese twins. It's very, very difficult to do and you don't know how it's going to come out."

PCs and printers are areas where HP leads. But the company wants to abandon those businesses because its profit margins on those units are thin. In the more profitable areas where HP needs to expand, it is playing catch-up. In technology services it has to contend with none other than market leader IBM Corp. HP's technology services division is one of several businesses that Apotheker identified as the victim of underinvestment. The company will also try to make further inroads into computer networking, a segment dominated by Cisco Systems Inc.

Another drastic move of Apotheker's that Whitman will need to usher to completion is the company's decision to kill off HP's fledgling tablet and smartphone businesses, conceding defeat in fast-growing consumer markets.

With all the tough tasks on Whitman's to-do list, the mixed reactions to her appointment are understandable. HP's stock sank Friday to its lowest level in six years. The stock fell 90 cents, or 4 percent, to $21.90. In the morning, the stock hit $21.50, its lowest level since May 2005.

Raymond James analyst Brian Alexander said that "investors should rightfully question the board's quick trigger" decision to immediately name a replacement CEO. "Clearly Ms. Whitman is a well-respected Silicon Valley executive with a long history of strong leadership and execution," Alexander wrote in a Friday research note. "That said, it remains to be seen if Ms. Whitman is capable of running a $120 billion technology juggernaut that is facing a crisis of confidence."

Even so, Whitman's decade-long stewardship of eBay Inc. has won over some market watchers, who say her strong personality will help focus HP's disparate businesses.

"For a company this size, there are so many different businesses, you need a good leader, someone that people respect, and this board is not going to push around Meg Whitman," said Brian White, an analyst with Ticonderoga Securities. "I think it's a good choice. It doesn't mean she'll succeed. She has her work cut out for her. But the odds are she'll have more success than Leo."

The stock decline carries a glimmer of hope, according to some analysts. It may have fallen so far that it's due for a rebound.

Alexander, for instance, has a $34 price target on the shares, more than $10 per share higher than where they're trading now. Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek has a target price of $40 per share, and rates HP's stock a "buy."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-09-23-Hewlett-Packard-Whitman's%20Worries/id-9593958e771f414f89095af9c2efa0ae

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Twitter k?ndigt Entwicklertreffen f?r 10./12. Oktober an ? Besprechung der iOS 5 Integration

Autor: Stephan R.

Hallo, ich hei?e Stephan Rabanser, bin 17 Jahre alt und komme aus Bozen (S?dtirol). Ich bin hier Chefredakteur bei ApfelTech, nutze meine Freizeit aber auch f?rs Programmieren von Apps und sportliche Aktivit?ten. An Ger?ten besitze ich 2 Macs, ein iPhone 4 und ein iPad 2. Wer will, kann mich auf Twitter erreichen.

Source: http://feeds.bitehub.net/~r/touchbite/~3/JEMdxC9tYmg/

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QuickBooks 2012: Small-Business Accounting (Almost) Without ...

I like almost everything about running my own small business. If I didn?t, I?d be in deep trouble: Like most one-person operations, I do almost everything myself.

One of the few things I don?t particularly enjoy is accounting. Okay, that?s an understatement. Actually, I dread accounting. I also understand that it?s unavoidable. You can, of course, hire somebody else to handle the job. I did ? a savvy, patient CPA who?s worth every penny I pay her.

But even if you?ve got professional help, you?ve got to maintain records, hand them over to your bean-counter in some semblance of order, and understand your company?s financial health well enough to have a semi-intelligent conversation about it.

And for smaller companies like mine, the odds are high that you?ll end up buying and using Intuit?s QuickBooks, the software that defines small-business accounting just as surely as Microsoft Office defines productivity. My accountant didn?t even ask if I was using it: When it came time to do my taxes, she simply told me she?d need a copy of my company?s QuickBooks file. (QuickBooks? biggest rival, according to Intuit, isn?t even another accounting package ? it?s Microsoft Excel and other seat-of-the-pants forms of record-keeping.)

Intuit updates its software every fall, and QuickBooks 2012 time is here. The new Windows version is available as a download starting September 26, and it will be in stores on October 9. The company gave me a sneak peek at the 2012 version, and while there?s nothing radically new, there are quite a few noteworthy improvements ? especially for a financephobe like me.

Here are some notes on the QuickBooks 2012 changes I found most appealing.

A Stress-Free Startup Experience

One of the most daunting things about accounting in general and QuickBooks in particular is just getting started. The 2012 version makes the process of setting up your books significantly less scary by reducing the number of questions it asks you up front ? from 20 to 40 in previous versions to just three or four in the new edition. This streamlining shows the influence of Mint.com, the wonderful, wonderfully straightforward personal-finance service that Intuit acquired in 2009. (As far as I?m concerned, the more Mint-like QuickBooks becomes in future versions, the better.)

Another feature that speaks to me is a new calendar-based transaction view. I?m erratic enough about documenting my expenses that I like to backtrack and verify that I actually did get around to entering every instance of recurring items such as phone bills. Up until now, I?ve had to run a report to do so. Now I can just click through the calendar to see what I entered and when I entered it.

This feature doesn?t integrate with external calendars such as the ones in Outlook and Google Docs, which is a possible downside for some folks ? although I?m just as happy to keep my accounting in one place and my appointments in another.

QuickBooks 2012 does talk to the one program which the vast majority of businesses rely on for number-crunching: Excel. If you export accounting data to Microsoft?s spreadsheet application, then fancy it up with fonts, colors, and other effects, QuickBooks now lets you update the spreadsheet with current data without blowing away the formatting. (The feature works with many Excel options, but not all of them.)

Speaking of reports, pulling up garden-variety ones such as a profit/loss statement has always been easy in QuickBooks. Creating more customized reports is also possible, given enough time, knowledge, and interest, but it isn?t a cakewalk.

Now QuickBooks is calling in some expert help: Other users of QuickBooks. A new feature called Contributed Reports lets anyone upload reports they?ve created and share them with other users. Intuit checks them out to verify that they?re worthy of distribution, puts them in an App Store-like library, and lets you browse them by user rating and popularity.

The Contributed Reports library is starting out with 1,000 reports. If it?s a hit, it could let you benefit from the hard work of fellow businesspeople in similar situations rather than building your own reports from scratch.

A couple of years ago, Intuit introduced a simple Customer Response Management (CRM) service called Customer Manager, which worked with QuickBooks. Just a year later, however, it killed the service.

Now, the concept is back in QuickBooks 2012, which goes beyond accounting and offers basic tools that help small businesses manage customers and prospective customers. You can maintain a list of sales leads, eliminating the temptation to enter them as customers before they actually are customers. You can also attach files such as Word documents and PDFs to any transaction, which should be a handy way to keep track of relevant information ? say, the original proposal that led to a sale.

These new features could be the start of something big ? it would be neat if they evolved into a full-blown CRM system ? but for now, they?re no competition for Salesforce.com. Fortunately for companies that are already running both QuickBooks and Salesforce, Intuit is also introducing an extra-cost option that ties them together.

Versions, Versions?and More Versions!

As always, QuickBooks is not one product but an array of them, aimed at everyone from cash-poor sole proprietorships to booming enterprises that stretch the definition of ?small business.? The features I?ve been detailing are part of QuickBooks Pro, a $229.95 Windows package, and Premier, a beefier $399.95 version that?s also available in versions for specific types of businesses, such as contractors and nonprofits.

The Mac version of QuickBooks is also getting a 2012 upgrade, but it?s got a different set of new features. I haven?t dug into the new version, but overall, QuickBooks for Mac is thinner on capabilities. Also, while it has a Mac-style user interface, I find it less approachable than its Windows cousin. (Another downside to the Mac version: There?s a lot of extremely useful advice about using QuickBooks out there, in both online and printed form, but most of it assumes you?re using the Windows edition.)

Then there?s QuickBooks Online, the version that?s available as a browser-based service for a monthly fee. It?s available in five variants, starting at $12.95 a month. Use it, and you can do your accounting on any Internet-connected computer, with all your data stored securely on Intuit?s servers rather than on your own computer?s hard drive. But once again, it?s another incarnation of QuickBooks with its own interface and a different set of features.

I own a bunch of computers. I like not having to remember which one my accounting data is stored on. And I love the idea that Intuit?is responsible for keeping multiple backups of all my past and present accounting data?so that I don?t have to. So my dream version of QuickBooks doesn?t quite exist yet: It would be QuickBooks Online ? but with everything in the Windows versions of QuickBooks 2012, including the new stuff. And it would reflect even more of a Mint-like dedication to shielding people like me from as much of the complexity of accounting as possible.

For now, Intuit seems content to let the Windows desktop-software versions of QuickBooks continue to boast the most bountiful collection of features. But as more and more small businesses get more and more comfortable with using cloud-based services such as QuickBooks Online, I?m hoping that the company will come to see QuickBooks Online as its flagship product ? and that we cloud-computing fans won?t have any reason to envy those who choose to do their accounting using good old-fashioned Windows software.

Article source: http://www.allbusiness.com/quickbooks-2012-accounting/16683955-1.html

Source: http://leomoo.com/2011/09/quickbooks-2012-small-business-accounting-almost-without-tears/

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Remember me? ? My Journey in Motherhood

Remember when I used to blog?? I can barely remember!? For some reason I?ve been wordless lately (well my husband might argue that, hee hee!).? So don?t expect anything profound, for now I?ll just update on life.

This last week/weekend I went to visit my BFF and her new baby boy!? He is just so sweet!? I love snuggling new babies, especially when I don?t have to get up with them at 3am ;) ? Here is Mr. E sacked out.? Isn?t he precious?

I had a great time doing all the things that my BFF needed me to do: snuggling, dance parties with her 3 year old; baby sitting so she could go make some money.? She keeps saying I wasn?t on vacation, but I called it a ?mind vacation?.? I didn?t realize it until I got home but I didn?t think about anything home or church related almost the whole time.? It?s actually been a little rough getting back in to things.? Usually when I?m away I think about all the things I should be doing at home, but I stayed so busy I didn?t have time to.? It was really refreshing!? Thank you friend for sharing your baby with me!

This weekend I?m co-leading worship at our church.? Our worship leaders are out of town, so I?m helping one of the other worship leaders.? If you think of it will you pray for me?? There always seems to be something that comes up whenever I lead that puts me in the wrong frame of mind.? The enemy tries his best to distract me when I need to be focused.? He?s not gonna win, I?m telling you!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Source: http://myjourneyinmotherhood.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/remember-me/

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Different kinds of Mobile Computing Devices

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By : KRose Iadsai ?? 4 or more times read
Submitted 2011-09-21 05:09:45 Individuals today can accessibility world-wide-web wherever they are with the aid of wireless technology. You can find different mobile computing units that will permit a person in order to connect to the net find details and check out any website they will like. People who are not lucky enough to accessibility Wi-Fi hotspots atmosphere can come up to purchase their very own mobile Net devices so that you can gain from this sort of technology. These include gadgets which could present internet access at your home, in the office and even while travelling on the highway. This really is just the thing for people that constantly need to stay connected to the web for business or individual reasons.

If you would like expertise these kinds of technologies, then you'll need to first get the very own personal computer. It's appropriate if you will get a laptop computer rather than a desktop, because a laptop computer or notebook Computer are portable this is the reason you are able to bring it anywhere you need. A desktop is immovable thus it are only able to present wireless convection should you be with your workplace or at home, whilst lepton or notebook Computer may be transported everywhere in the world. This is significant specifically company business. It is necessary that you just invest in a laptop computer that may be extremely light-weight and finished with all the current extra features and requirements as Bluetooth is an ideal choice for you. You will discover different mobile computing gadgets you could apply so that you can keep in touch to the internet irrespective you happen to be.

1. Your first choice is a special broadband device. This may provde the possiblity to connect your laptop computer to the internet. There are many alternatives for you together with this tends to consist of USB modems, smartphones, and various cellular information cards. The option is actually yours and it'll rely upon your own personal desire and you may acquire many selection if you value. The purchase price as well as data programs these diverse products will change which means you really need to examine every selection and gin the one that will meet your requirements and spending budget.

2. One more is actually getting a wireless phone used like a modem to acquire a broadband sign in order that you to employ your phone. This really is called as tethering and newest versions of android cellular phones are offering to you this kind of characteristics. That is accessible to most companies. It is possible to purchase an on the net accessibility, as it were set your wireless to make use of the tethering feature of this phone. This really is great for all users that do not wish to carry cumbersome products. You telephone really should have cellular abilities and should support Bluetooth, but the truth is can still make use of devices that doesn't assistance Bluetooth.

3. Yet another excellent option for you to connect with the online world has been using USB modem or mobile information card. Payday cash option is light-weight and little this is the reason you may take it anyplace you will be. This information automobile might be plugged in to your ExpressCard slot which is normally incorporated into most recent laptops. When your laptop incorporates an USB drive, then you can operate the USB modem stick.

These traveling with a laptop devices provide you with the ability to connect to the web at any time and anyplace you desire.


Author Resource:- Total I.T. Brisbane, the pc repair brisbane professional companies offering mobile computer repairs in Brisbane and Australia. Visittheir online sites or call 1300 780 720 for more information.

Article From Article Mayhem

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Source: http://www.articlemayhem.com/Art/399924/32/Different-kinds-of-Mobile-Computing-Devices.html

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Electronic Medical Records Service Practice Fusion Raises $6M From SV Angel, Founders Fund

300_60_practicefusionlogoPractice Fusion, a web-based electronic medical records and healthcare community, has raised over $6 million in new funding from SV Angel, Western Technology Investment, Scott Banister, Founders Fund, Morgenthaler Ventures, Glynn Capital Management, SV Angel, Auren Hoffman, CEO of Rapleaf, Hadi and Ali Partovi, Peter Loftsgordon, and Mike McCarthy. To date, the startup has raised over $36 million in funding. Launched in 2007, Practice Fusion allows doctors across the country to chart patient visits, review records, schedule appointments, prescribe medications electronically, order and receive lab tests, and connect patients to their health data online. Practice Fusion's web-based system is free to health care providers and lives in the cloud.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DpmGI7dT9IY/

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UM-Presque Isle, UM-Machias announce athletic hall of fame ...

Longtime cross country coach Chris Smith, former field hockey and basketball standout Gail Fitzmaurice and former cross country star Evan Graves have been selected for induction into the UMPI Athletics Hall of Fame.

The trio will be honored Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. during a banquet and ceremonies at the Campus Center.

This fall marks the 25th season as the Owls cross country coach for SMITH, who earned undergraduate degrees from UMPI in physical education in 1983 and phys ed teaching in 1988.

Smith has directed UMPI cross country teams to 19 championships, including Sunrise Conference women?s titles from 2008-10. He has garnered coach of the year accolades 11 times, among them the last three seasons.

Smith also has served as the advisor for UMPI?s hockey and track and field clubs. He is active in the Maine running community as a race director and triathlete, cross country coach and martial arts instructor.

He earned a master?s of education from the University of Maine in 2002.

FITZMAURICE earned a bachelor?s in health, physical education and recreation in 1985 after a successful career in field hockey and basketball.

In 1983, she led the state in assists in field hockey and went on to earn all-star recognition. She also was a top rebounder and interior defender for UMPI?s basketball team for two seasons.

Fitzmaurice, now an avid cyclist, was a phys ed and health instructor in Bingham, where she also coached varsity girls soccer, basketball and softball. She also did a stint as an athletic administrator, was the recreation director in Hollis, and worked as a soccer and basketball official.

The Skowhegan native, a member of her high school field hockey hall of fame, now works as an orthotist at Maine Orthotic and Prosthetic Rehab Services of Portland.

GRAVES, a Mount Desert Island native, is among the most accomplished cross county runners in UMPI history. He was the Maine Athletic Conference Runner of the Year in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The 2003 graduate with a B.S. in physical education logged 22 career top-three finishes for the Owls. He went on to become a marathoner, finishing third once in Philadelphia and winning at Manchester City.

Professionally, Graves has remained in Aroostook County. He teaches at Caribou High School, where he is an assistant Nordic skiing coach. He is the cross country head coach and assistant track coach at Caribou Middle School.

He recently completed his master?s degree in educational leadership at the University of Maine.

UMM INITIATES ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

The University of Maine-Machias has announced the formation of the UMM Clipper Athletics Hall of Fame.

UMM established the hall of fame to recognize former student-athletes and coaches who have demonstrated extraordinary performance and achievement while at the school.

?We look forward to recognizing student-athletes and coaches who have done great things for this program,? UMaine-Machias athletic director Brac Brady said in a press release. ?We have a rich history of individual and team success and we now have a way to honor all of that in a permanent way.?

The inaugural UMM Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Sept. 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Reynolds Center Gymnasium as part of UMM?s Homecoming and Family Weekend.

Inaugural inductees include Dana Colwill (Class of 1983), Frank McGrady (?84), Barbara Thompson (?86), Mike Bottalico (?86), Todd Middleton (?91), Tracey Kershner (?91), Andrew Meredith (?93) and the late Nathan Turk.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2011/09/20/sports/um-presque-isle-um-machias-announce-athletic-hall-of-fame-inductees/

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Swimming Squads Brisbane | the-filippa.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]There are swimming squads Brisbane which are specialized clubs to train young swimmers for taking up the sports seriously as one of their career options. The participants are encouraged to participate in championships and ...

Source: http://www.the-filippa.com/sports-recreation/hobbies/swimming-squads-brisbane

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Provacances Leading Vacation Rentals In France

Provances offers quality accommodations to give our clients a wide range of choice in France Villas and houses in Cote D Azur, France. We function as an agent between our customers and owners. We try to provide as much correct information in the catalogues and price list as possible.

Provances offer you the convenience to do reservation verbally, by letter, fax, email or even online booking.

Provence in location France has beautiful scenery with tall Cyprus, Olive and Pine trees. You can also find the famous vineyards of Ctes du Rhne, Ctes de Provence and Bandol. Picturesque villages high in the mountains offer a breathtaking sight. Provence is well known as the kingdom of the sun with 300 sunny days per year and mild winters.
The long coastline offers the famous Riviera cities and beaches and the marinas offer huge yachts and a typical French fashionable life.

France has a rich history and culture, but Provence has many outstanding historical remains and monuments. This makes Provence one of the most beautiful regions of France. Provances is dedicated to help you enjoy a splendid and fabulous holiday through many of our high standard holiday homes.

These Holiday Homes come with furnishing and equipment of good standard and also come with a TV, washing machine and dishwater, particularly our pool houses.

With our specially selected holiday homes you are sure to get comfort and quality with the best possible rates too.

Prices for rentals are fixed only after taking into consideration many factors like furniture, view, outdoor facilities, extra equipment, services and demand.

We require a security deposit for all furnished rentals, but it differs from house to house. This deposit shall be refunded to the tenant at the end of the holiday period in exchange for payment of charges as well as any damages to the property.

Electricity, water and gas are included in the rental amount. However, you may need to pay tourist tax collected by a few owners that ranges from 0.3 to 2 EURO per person per day.

Arrival has to be usually between 4pm, but in some holiday homes between 5pm to 7pm. Please inform your exact arrival to Provacances two days before arrival. If you are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances please inform the owner or his representative.

Departure should be before 10 am and it is a must to inform the owner or his representative about the expectated departure time. This is important to assure the key delivery and the inspection for the owner.

In case of a breach of contract from the owner of the holiday home, we reserve the right to either pay back the rental amount or replace the holiday home with another one of similar capacity.

Overall we assure you that you and your family will have a marvelous vacation with Provacances.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Provacances-----Leading-Vacation-Rentals-In-France/3030543

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The Future of Online Video Marketing & the Benefits of Video ...

The Future of Online Video Marketing & the Benefits of Video Production

Video Production & Market Penetration

There are now some 43,221,464 internet users in the UK alone (Dec 2008 InternetWorldStats), representing a staggering 70.9% penetration for consumer opportunities. It?s no surprise then that the past few years have seen an increasing presence of internet strategies incorporated into business marketing plans. According to a recent survey 1 in 5 companies say that they now spend more than half of their total marketing budget online. However, it has become increasingly difficult for companies to differentiate themselves from the competition, prompting online marketers to explore ever more creative ways with which to attract new visitors and convert them into customers; and with the rapid improvements in streaming technology, companies are now sitting up and taking note of the potential marketing possibilities that online video marketing has to offer. The US has taken a demonstrable lead over the UK, and the online market in the US is predicted to be worth billion by 2010 (E-consultancy). Clearly, online video production is set to explode in the marketing world as a lucrative and essential tool for both large corporate businesses and SME?s.

Dynamic Logic is a leading independent research company that specializes in measuring marketing effectiveness and the impact of online video. It regularly publishes results showing an overall increase in the effectiveness of online video in terms of breakthrough and communication, when comparing video with overall online marketing results. Specifically looking at areas such as message association, brand awareness and favourability, but most importantly purchase intent, they found that placing video online proved to be far more effective than standard internet advertising. ComScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni, for example, has recently revealed that his organisation has detected that exposure to online video advertising can lead to a 40% increase in buying a product or service.

Applications

Compared to text, graphics and illustrations, video has the ultimate power to engage and hold the viewer?s attention. The latest technological advances mean that video clips now play instantly, and with perfect sound and picture quality. Video delivers the information quickly and simply, and at its best, creates emotional pull that leads viewers to take action. It?s worth remembering that people relate to people more than anything else, and even the simplest messages can really help to bring a website to life. So what are the applications for video?

Product Demonstrations Training Sales Presentations Press Briefings Internal Communications Recruitment Corporate Overview Corporate Social Responsibility

These are just some ideas and the list is limited only by the imagination, but how effective can these videos be? Well, take client testimonials. Most websites seem to carry quotes from happy customers in predictable and repetitive text format. Customer testimonials are a great way to endorse a company, service or a product, but in this written format, does anyone truly believe them? Are they genuine, and do they reach out and grab your attention? Now imagine how much more persuasive it can be when a customer speaks live on camera and uses his own words to say how good you are and how great you are to work with. Now that really does have impact.

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A current hot topic is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Good corporate governance is under the spotlight and companies are falling over themselves to promote their social and environmental credentials. Most large companies will now have a CSR section prominently displayed on their website, and usually supported by lengthy PDF documents of their policies and reports. The problem is that very few people open them or download them. The easy solution is to provide a video that features highlights of good business practice, whether it be the CEO planting trees, or senior managers visibly involved in running local charity events. Communicating a difficult product or service, or maybe a new concept, is not best served by a barrage of text and graphs, yet it?s amazing how many websites still do just this. Financial institutions and technology companies are often the worst culprits. Yet a filmed presenter, describing a service supported by explanatory animated graphics, or providing a live product demonstration, can really help to get the message across in an interesting and informative way. It can make the difference between a bored visitor clicking on to another site, or an interested visitor who gets the message and responds to a call to action there and then.

Web Designers

Should web designers be recommending video for all their clients? websites from now on? Every site has its own unique functions and desired outcomes, and video certainly isn?t for everyone. Added to this, clients will have their own ideas about how they want their website to look. But web designers should certainly be aware of the power of video. They should be educating their clients about new trends, and helping them explore every avenue to ensure that the website reaches its full potential. There are big financial benefits to using online video, and companies can save a considerable amount of money in manpower, travel, and DVD mail outs, by communicating to an unlimited mass audience instantly and simultaneously. It?s worth noting that consumers are far more likely to view a video online than they are to put a DVD in a machine and watch it. After all, if they are already on a website and fired with interest, it?s easy to click onto a video whilst they are there. By contrast, a DVD requires interest to be re-kindled, and for new time to be set aside for a viewing.

Web designers too have a vested interested in using video. It will give progressive companies an edge over competitors who prefer to remain within the safety of their comfort zones. Video is a good driver for SEO with the potential to push a company up the search rankings. And video is, of course, a value-added product that clients will pay for over and above the conventional costs of the web design and build. Finally, video is an evolving new product that allows designers to re-visit existing clients with a new offering to upgrade the website.

Many companies shy away from the perceived complexity and costs of producing professional looking video. Video production is a specialised area in which most web designers have little or no expertise, and a good working relationship with a video production company is usually a good idea. A production company will be able to advise on content and oversee the video project from beginning to end, delivering edited media to the web designer, encoded and ready for streaming. The precise nature of the relationship will depend on individual circumstances, but whether a web designer introduces the job to the production company or vice versa, a commission fee would be considered normal.

Case Study: Spectrecom Films

Spectrecom Films is an award-winning London-based video production company with a strong track record working for clients across the public and private sector. They have recognised the growing potential of online video and often recommend that even their largest projects are streamed online rather than sent out on DVD. Recent projects include an ongoing series of over 35 promotional films for the Durham University website, 16 recruitment films for Google and a vast quantity of short presented clips for 247Spares, the UK?s top online car parts network, which resulted in a massive 80% increase in sales. Spectrecom?s unique advantage is that they own their own film/TV studio where they can produce highly professional video work in-house at very low cost.

What would be considered low cost? Spectrecom?s MD, Andrew Greener, reckons they can produce studio-presented video for under ?1,000 a day; ?There are many variables, but we try to keep it simple. So a client could be here in the morning, presenting to camera, and we could edit and encode the material, and upload it to the web designer by the end of the day.? Spectrecom also film on location anywhere around the world, often at very short notice. ?We have an American client that often gives us just one or two days notice to film, usually interviews with supporting ?B? roll footage, and it could be anywhere in the UK. We haven?t let them down yet?, says Greener. And does Spectrecom work with any designers already? ?Yes, there are two companies in particular. We?ve received good projects from them, mostly studio work, but we?ve been able to pass high value work out too.?

Spectrecom practice what they preach, and much of their website carries examples of their video work. Not only that, but it also features videos about themselves in a way that could be adopted by any other company. What?s interesting is that the most popular page navigated to from the home page is the team page, with 25% of all traffic going here first. And the reason? The team page features a video of every member of staff and, quite reasonably, visitors to the site want to find out who they are dealing with.

The Future

Online?video is here to stay, and its presence is set to become one of the key elements that differentiates websites. After all, if you could watch a video of a new product or concept online, or read about it, which would you choose? Picture size and quality will only continue to improve, and marketers will dream up new ways of grabbing audience share and delivering key messages with real impact. If you are going to take advantage of this developing phenomenon, you need to understand the benefits and you need to be thinking of the many creative opportunities at the concept stage of new web design.

Author Bio / Resource Box: Andrew Greener is the Managing Director of Spectrecom Film & Video Production an award-winning video production company and market leading producers of online video content, based in London, England. Andrew is also the author of a regular blog about video production and video marketing. Here?s his video profile

Source: http://www.myvideotalktool.com/video-production/the-future-of-online-video-marketing-the-benefits-of-video-production/

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