Archive for August, 2007
Friday, August 17th, 2007
Skype - Interruptions in Phone Service Expected
Many Skype users had problems making and receiving calls yesterday (NYTimes) due to a Skype software error. The company has pinpointed the problem but is unsure why it brought down the network.
The company could not ensure that the phone service would be 100% reliable today. The problem has been in existence for 4 years and […]
No Comments » - Posted in Micro-Biz News by Ricki Steigerwald
Friday, August 17th, 2007
House Bill - Long-term Insurance as a Pre-Tax Expense
There is a new bill introduced in the House that would allow consumers to pay long-term care insurance premiums with pre-tax dollars by including them with employer’s flexible spending accounts.
The bill also stated that if 75% of individuals between the age of 40 and 65 were to purchase this insurance and maintain it, the annual […]
No Comments » - Posted in Micro-Biz News by Ricki Steigerwald
Tuesday, August 14th, 2007
2nd Quarter Economic Indicators
Summary of SBA, Office of Advocacy, Second Quarter, 2007: The Economy and Small Business (PDF)
Although the economy grew, small business owners and consumers have a more pessimistic outlook.
The economy grew an annualized value of 3.4% in the second quarter - most of the growth is in net exports and private investments of non-residential construction.
The NFIB […]
No Comments » - Posted in Micro-Biz News, Trends by Ricki Steigerwald
Monday, August 13th, 2007
Childrens Health Care - No Solution in Sight
Have you taken a look at the recently reauthorization bill of the State’s Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)?
Funding of SCHIP is to come from increased cigarette taxes. I am not a smoker - but why do most health initiatives require putting a bigger tax on tobacco?
Shouldn’t funding of healthcare be paid for by everyone?
Highlights
The Senate’s […]
No Comments » - Posted in Micro-Biz News by Ricki Steigerwald
Monday, August 13th, 2007
Teen Talk on the Internet
From WOMMA Blog,
19% of teens’ word of mouth happens online, versus only 7% for adults.
75% of teens talk about media and entertainment.
68% talk about recreation and hobbies.
67% talk about technology.
65% talk about telecom.
62% talk about food and dining.
Posted by WOMMA Editor on August 8, 2007 6:22 PM
No Comments » - Posted in Trends by Ricki Steigerwald
Monday, August 13th, 2007
Blogger Journalistic Rights
from CNet’s “House panel approves legal shield for bloggers“, August 1, 2007.
Professional bloggers (one who makes his/her living writing blogs) may soon have the same protections as journalists - protecting them from revealing their sources.
On August 1st, a house panel verbally voted to expand the Free Flow of Information Act to include professional bloggers and […]
No Comments » - Posted in Micro-Biz News by Ricki Steigerwald
Monday, August 6th, 2007
Book: The Lost Art of Asking for Help
AMA’s August 2007 newsletter contains a great article entitled “The Lost Art of Asking for Help.”
The article highlights M. Nora Kalver’s new book, Mayday! Asking for Help in Times of Need (Berrett-Koehler, 2007) and reviews:
why people delay requesting help
common cultural myths why we don’t ask for help
The Mayday! process for asking for help.
No Comments » - Posted in General by Ricki Steigerwald
Friday, August 3rd, 2007
Gender Pay Gap
American Association of University Women Educational Foundation recently released its new “Behind the Pay Gap” study detailing how women persistently and consistently earn less than men - even after adjusting for parenthood and occupational differences.
The Facts
New female graduates earn about 80 cents to a dollar earned by their male counterparts.
After 10 years, the gap widens […]
No Comments » - Posted in Trends by Ricki Steigerwald
Friday, August 3rd, 2007
Fisher Price Recall
There is a new recall out for Fisher Price products purchased in the US since May 1, 2007 because of lead paint.
The products
No Comments » - Posted in General by Ricki Steigerwald
Wednesday, August 1st, 2007
Hotmail’s new security feature
A new AWeber posting talks about a new feature in Hotmail. If you are not in the Hotmail user’s address book, no only do images not appear, but hot links to external web pages do not work either.
What is worse… the hot links in the email message show up in blue and are underlined, […]
