Ok, Ok, Ok, maybe it is not that glamorous, but yes, Yahoo and Bing have definitely formed a relationship. A relationship in my opinion has significant effect on searches that internet marketers or SEO experts love to do. To the average user of course, they may not care as to how the results are provided.

It has become apparent that Yahoo has “adopted” the technology that Bing uses to deliver search results in a certain way. This was a move I have been expected for some time. Since Google was determined to dominate the search market, Yahoo has given me the impression that they have decided to disappear from the “popular vote”nomination so to speak and focus on restructuring their business, their brand, and their focus on marketing.

Yahoo apparently become attracted to Bing when MSN changed their “image” to Bing, Yahoo decided to “flirt” with Bing and pass notes to each other during SEO class. I remember my days in high school when I was shy to meet a girl and ask her out, so I would play chicken and pass her a love note! Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, this technique never worked for me, so as you can probably tell I wasn’t the one with the most dates or any dates for that matter.

Today we are in the 21st century and anything is possible. I am several years older now along with being married, so I obviously cannot try that technique again, unless I want to have my wife stop feeding my face at night along with throw me out on the street. If other people want to try this technique, then by all means, hey knock yourself out!

This merger of harmony is just a sign of things to come! I have always believed that “what goes up, must come down.” Google has managed to become the “big dog” on the market, and I believe that Google will eventually “crumble” under the weight of fortune and fame thus Yahoo will be there to grab the baton and win the race.

Time will tell the tale! Ladies and gentleman, welcome to “Binghoo!”

As a leader and innovator of technology in both the public and private sectors I am personally amazed at how far we have come with the advances in technology. With the concept of social networking on the rise, it is now much easier to share information among your friends, family, and followers. This really became evident when Twitter burst onto the scene and become a huge success. Twitter made history when it first arrived on the scene with its innovative messaging technology concept which grew in popularity. Twitter has made history yet again recently, this time, congressional history!

Last week various news networks reported that the tweets that you create on Twitter are now being archived in the Library of Congress. Tweets that are made from profiles on Twitter that are set to “public” status will now be archived. Despite this historical announcement, freedom of speech on Twitter has now come at a cost, that cost is “your privacy.”

Archival of tweets from twitter public profiles has some privacy experts and organizations concerned. Within the world of computing where information is delivered within a fast-paced environment in real-time, someone can see your tweets immediately after they are posted. I have seen people lose their jobs and tarnish their careers over what they posted on their Internet social network profiles.

The video below provides more information on this historic event. This news event today also teaches us a very important lesson:

What you say can and will be used against you!

Watch yourself out there on the internet and “Tweet Safely!”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Uncle Sam Wants You To Pay For Your First Amendment Right!

Over the last decade I have come to the realization that “Freedom in America is not Free.” Ever since 9/11, the rights and privileges of American citizens have come under scrutiny from the government. There is no sense of privacy anymore and government leaders believe that increased federal regulation provisions are the answer to issues plaguing the government and its people.

If you believe that government intervention into the problems facing America today is the correct and only solution, then, I completely respect your opinion on this matter. I personally believe that government intervention is leading to the “suspension and/or removal” of our rights and freedoms and civil liberties. America was built on the concept of “free enterprise.” America is a country that was created “by the people,” and “for the people.” Allowing the government to intervene on certain matters certainly violates this concept. Just ask the residents of Philadelphia who’s favorite past-time or business function involves going on the internet and creating and maintaining a blog.

Philadelphia bloggers got a surprise in their mail recently when their city government asked them to purchase a “business privilege license” at the price of $300 dollars.  While it is required that all Pennsylvania business owners file for ownership right to their business with the Pennsylvania Department of State, what about those folks who blog for fun and without any intention of monetary gain?  That is a question one fellow blogger Marylin Bess had to answer. 

“The real kick in the pants is that I don’t even have a full-time job, so for the city to tell me to pony up $300 for a business privilege license, pay wage tax, business privilege tax, net profits tax on a handful of money is outrageous,” Bess says.

Bloggers would also have to find the money to hire their own accountants.  This, my friends is the perfect way to end a dream and destroy what fun we have as American citizens as a result of government intervention.  Perhaps this is a way for struggling cities to recoup funds from mismanaged governmental budget operations which put our country into the debt that it has in the first place.  Don’t blame the American people for government mistakes, take responsibility and blame yourself Uncle Sam!    

Throughout my childhood my mother always told me that the best things come in small packages.  As I grew older I realized that my mother was referring to the blessings of having a child and childhood memories.  While this belief may be common sense, there is no doubt the having children and raising them plays a critical role in defining family values and a family legacy.  As a married man, my wife and I realized that it is not possible for us to have children.  While we personally cannot have children, we have both nieces and nephews that we can help raise and participate in the creation of childhood memories.  While every child has skills and talents that help create such memories, every so often there is always one child that completely inspires everyone he/she meets.

Ladies and gentleman, meet Jackie Evancho. Jackie is a 10 year old native of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania who recently appeared on the popular reality talent show known as America’s Got Talent. In the video below, Jackie amazed the audience and the judges with her “incredibly developed” opera singing voice.

Click here to view the embedded video.

With her beautiful flowing pink dress above a soft man-made cloud of smoke, Jackie’s performance symbolized an angel spreading it’s wings and sending a message of peace to the audience and the people tuning in. Talent judge Howie Mandel stated that the goal of the show was really to find that one gem, that one star from a place that they never looked before, well tonight, that gem, that star, was found!

Show judge Piers Morgan provided some humor when he asked Jackie if she was really 30 years old. Jackie replied with such composure and maturity that she was certain she wasn’t 30. Piers indicated that America was going to wake up the next morning going crazy for for a little girl who just sang like an angel. Piers was right on that note, Jackie’s performance has scored over one million views on YouTube, along with earning her trips to the semifinals, Orlando Florida and the Walt Disney World Resorts.

What’s next for Jackie Evancho?

While it is too soon to tell what will happen, it is important to always cherish moments like this. It is also important to be thankful for every opportunity given to you and to make the best of such an opportunity. Win, or lose, Jackie will always have a place in my heart along with being my inspiration. You have my vote and I wish you all the best in all your endeavors!

When one is considering about owning or operating  a business, there is  what I belive to be an incredibly important aspect of business success that one must consider. It is also a factor that is so often missed, or never even thought about. That factor ladies and gentlemen is what I call “The power of thoughfulness via the thank-you letter”

During my time working as a business entrepreneur, I cannot tell you how many other people I have met who operate their business without the focus of customer satisfaction in their minds. It is very important to attract customers as every knows, but how many business owners have taken the time to thank their customers for their purchases? How many business professionals even thank their customers for just visiting their prospective sites. According to a survey conducted by Careerbuilder.com in 2005 entitled “How to Get in the Front Door,” 33% of job applicants actually send thank-you letters. 15% of managers have indicated in the survey that they would not considering hiring someone who did not send in a thank-you letter.

Now I realize that what i stated above applies to job searching and the typical job interview process, but the fact is, sending a thank-you note applies to many more life experiences then just going through the typical job interview process. Thank-you letters can help increase sales volume by giving your customers the peace of mind to know that you are a business owner who cares about them. Thank-you letters can provide for a positive experience when the customer interacts with you, and the products you are offering. Thank you letters can even lead to more referrals. The fact of the matter is that thank-you notes can produce positive results. My friends, never underestimate the power of thoughtfulness. It can really lead you down the path to having a successful business.

Footnotes

“How to Get in the Front Door,” was a survey  conducted  by CareerBuilder.com during the period of May 17 to May 27, 2005. survey responses where collected from over 650 hiring managers.  Survey participated were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results  are statistically accurate to within 3.84 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

My friends, there are many days working as a business entrepreneur where events occur that I can’t even imagine. In regards to my business experience, the unthinkable always seems to happen. Situations always occur when running a business. Situations can always bring about positive and negative effects to your business. To what effect this situations have on your business is really how you perceive them. Honestly I believe that all situations are good in many respects, and often every situation contains a silver-lining. Like I said before, how the situation personally impacts you is all a matter of perception. It is that perception that has influence on how you make decisions and proceed forward down your career path as a business entrepreneur. Let me tell you a story to help put this topic in perspective.

In a welcome message to my readers, written on May 25, 2009, I stated the purpose of this blog. The article can recalled by visiting the about Michael Augustine section of this blog. I indicated that I have created this blog to help business entrepreneurs achieve success working their business using the internet. I believe that it is my calling to help others. I created my business Augustine Enterprises for this purpose.

My friends, it is a honor serving you. working my business for many years has lead to many rewarding events that have occurred throughout the life of my business. Recently I just received the surprise of a lifetime.

When building a business or employed by someone else, I firmly believe that success comes from building relationships and not from what you know. I realize this may be a controversial statement to make, but honesty, I have seen unqualified people take positions due to strong relationship building. This is not a matter of opinion, this is fact. As a manager during my years of employment, I have personally interviewed many applicants for many positions. I have declined many job seekers desiring employment or advancement to a new more challenging position due to their qualifications not meeting the requirements laid forth by the job description. My choice to decline such applicants was overturned by upper management for various personal reasons such as, the applicant’s “blood” relationship to the boss, or the outstanding nightly social skills of the applicant at the local bar or pub. My friends, as I said, it is not about what you know it is who you know.

Shortly after putting up this blog and writing a post. I received a comment from a high school sweetheart from years back. It was a shock to me, because i always believed that after failed relationships like this one, we both went our separate ways never to communicate again. She had been searching for me for many years with no success. She tried to find my address, phone number etc., with hopes of reconnecting. Recently she turned to Google. With one search on my name “Michael Augustine,” she came across this blog. It was as simple as that.

My friends, we had a incredible reunion, she found me to tell me the incredible difference I have made in her life, and to take my business and continue the trend to serve as many as possible. Through the power of the internet and business marketing, I was able to rebuild a tarnished relationship, and turn it into a powerful entity to empower my business to the next level. Our reunion also gave me the strength to keep moving forward and serve as many people as I can, helping them acheive success.

Never underestimate the power of “relationship building”. Having a business and marketing online can be very rewarding as I previously mentioned. Microsoft said it best with their slogon, “Where Do You Want To Go Today?” If your thinking about running a business I encourage you to do so. Even in the troubling enconomy, businesses can still have success such as my business. All it took was learning to harness the power of a Google search along with having a good search to help me acquire customers. This can happen to you! Having a business and building relationships have opened the door to other opportunites and dreams that I never thought I could make reality. All due to the power of relationship building!!

Recently CNN  issued a report indicating that the reservoir of IP addresses used to activate devices and navigate the internet is running low.  The internet has become incredibly popular since the concept of the IP address was introduced, and I wanted to take the time to answer some of the popular questions out there concerning this issue.

What is an IP address, and how does it concern me?

An IP address is simply a set of numbers that are created and  used to identify your computer or device on the internet and allow it to communicate on the internet with other computers and devices.  Such devices may include: cell phones, GPS systems, computers, home electronics such as DVD players, and much much more.  If you want to learn more about the origin of the IP address and how such an address is created, a future article will be posted on this blog so stay tuned!!!

Why is there a shortage of IP addresses and why is this a growing concern?

The internet when it was first developed and released worldwide, was only built to operate off a particular IP address naming  standard known as “IPv4.”  The IP address naming standard version 4 allowed approximately  4 billion predefined IP addresses to be available for use.  It is believed by many experts in my profession  are convinced that all remaining IP addresses will be utilized within a year.  Since the internet is constantly evolving, new devices are constantly being developed to allow for a more interactive and personal experience while surfing on the internet.

What will happen when we run out of internet addresses, will the internet crash?

Nobody really knows what will happen when the last of existing IP addresses are used up.  In my personal opinion based on my educational background in information technology,  the internet will not crash. The ability to create new devices and deploy them to the internet will simply not happen till this issue is resolved.  I believe that all devices currently in existence that are connected to the internet will work just fine.

Is there a solution to this issue in the works?

Yes, for more then a decade information technology experts who work for a company known as Internode have been working on the recreation of the “IPv4″ naming convention standard to an updated model known as “IPv6.”  If you want to learn about the differences between the two standards, I will be proving a article for you with this information so stay tuned!!!!

My advice to everyone  is to just relax, everything will work out when it comes to this issue.  just enjoy what the internet provides for you.  The internet is constantly changing, and everyone has become dependent on it.  Everyone knows that this issue must be resolved.  Nobody can afford to have their businesses fail due to the internet going down for long periods.  Information Technology experts will not let this problem be around for long.  The internet serves as a backbone to our economy, and our economy cannot afford to fail despite tough times.  The economy will survive and the internet will too!

Your privacy is very important to me! I want to make your experience on the Internet as enjoyable and rewarding as possible, and I want you to use the Internet’s vast array of information, tools, and opportunities with complete confidence!

I have created this Privacy Policy to demonstrate my firm commitment to your privacy and security. This Privacy Policy describes how I collect information from all end users of the Internet services and products I provide.

Visitor and Member Privacy Information

Internet users who access this site or network of sites and who do not opt for purchase of products and/or pay a monthly service fee to subscribe to the service are defined as “Visitors.” Those who may purchase products and/or pay a monthly service fee to subscribe to the service are defined as “Members.” What I do with the information that is collected, and the choices visitors and members have concerning the collection and use of such information, I request that you read this Privacy Policy carefully.