Disney's 50th Anniversary Weekend In this first podcast for the 50th Anniversary weekend events we got some great interviews. Join us as Disneyland historian Tim ODay returns for a special tour of the personal apartment of Walt Disney at Disneyland as well as a nostalgic tour of Main Street, U.S.A. and Tomorrowland.

We also head to the premiere of the Disneyland inspired "Disney Vintage" high-end line of apparel at the famed Fred Segal boutique in Los Angeles. There, we talk to some celebrities as well as the designer of the new clothing line, Jackie Brander. Finally we are off to Hollywood as Disneyland is honored with its own Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hear Michael Eisner, Bob Iger, Johnny Grant (Honorary Mayor of Hollywood) and lots of terrific interviews surrounding this momentous occasion. We had a lot of fun putting this one together - we hope you enjoy, and get ready for more to follow.

Click to listen to the broadcast at Online Expo Talk Radio!  ¶ 7:59 PM (1) comments

  Web Conferencing: Finding A Service Provider That Meets Your Needs Mike Spencer | Contributing Writer |

With the vast amount of service providers that are available today, it's not always easy to find the one that best fills the bill for your particular web conferencing needs.

Each one claims to be the biggest, best or least expensive, and all will try to convince you that their particular plan is the one that makes the most sense for your business. Sometimes you'll be the victim of a hard sell by those who are skilled in the art of diverting the attention away from your questions and, before you know it, the focus is on a set of features that you may have no use for at all.

In other cases, there are hidden fees that are peppered throughout the contract which you might not readily notice until you've fallen into the buy-in trap. How, then, are you supposed to find the best service provider to handle your web conferencing? Here are some handy tips that you should keep in mind when you go shopping for such services.

Multiple Location Participants - If you have key people in distant lands that will need to come into the web conferencing loop, remember to keep this in mind when shopping for a web conferencing package. If a service provider attempts to impose strict limitations on this type of scenario, then this isn't the one for you.

Compare Prices - Since most web conferencing providers utilize the same software or equipment from the same manufacturers, it stands to reason that the pricing structures should be similar. If one or more of them come in way above the mark, this should tell you something about the integrity of the company. In short, move on to another provider.

Review Pricing Plans - Though many providers require to be paid on a rate-per-person schedule, there are those who will offer the same web conferencing services for a flat rate. This is ideal for companies with a number of participants. If you're given the option of paying a flat monthly fee for unlimited web conferences, so much the better.

Investigate the Features Being Offered - Whether your needs include online presentations that don't need to be interactive, or interactive online meetings/webinars, the right service provider can meet those needs. Check to see what other features are offered, as well, before committing to making a decision.

Many companies, for instance, have the need for features such as multiple presenters, polling and surveys, desktop remote control, live video, online chat with questions and answers, documentation presentation, application sharing, record and playback features and browser sharing. Service providers who don't offer any of these commonly used features should be put aside in favor of those who are less technologically challenged.

The best approach to taken when shopping for a web conferencing service provider is to go armed with a list of relevant questions and a detailed description of which features are pertinent to your business. Keeping in mind that you may have to investigate a number of providers in order to find the one that best suits your needs, exercise patience and don't be too quick to jump on the web conferencing bandwagon by choosing one that's simply popular or has the catchiest advertisements. There are plenty of good providers out there - it's just a matter of finding the one that has what you need, for the best possible price.  ¶ 7:49 AM (1) comments

  Acteva - Your Online Event Registration and Payment Solution! Founded in 1998, Acteva is an online solutions provider for event organizers. Acteva automates the entire event registration process and brings it online where it can be easily accessed anytime of the day or night.

Acteva is easy to set up and requires no specific technical knowledge to use successfully. If you can get online and fill out a form, you can use Acteva.

Since its founding over 10,000 event organizers have relied on Acteva to help increase attendance, reduce administrative burden and provide an outstanding online experience for their attendees, participants and customers.

Experience That Counts
Acteva was one of the very first companies to bring event registration, ticketing and payment online. Having provided service to over 100,000 events, we are the largest and most experienced solution provider in the market today.

Acteva Lets Organizers Sell The Way They Want To
With more features and options than any other service provider in the market today, Acteva let's an event organizer sell online the way they want to.

Acteva Helps You Succeed
We are devoted to helping our customers succeed online. Acteva has always provided live customer support for our customers - and our customer's customers. If there is a problem at any time pick up the phone and call us.

Acteva is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Click here for information.

For sales, please call Reeva Parker at 1-877-923-4730, ext. 410, or eMail  ¶ 2:47 PM (0) comments

  3rd Annual Virtual Trade Show is Launched! Virtual-Professionals.com has launched it’s 3rd Annual Virtual Trade Show as of 12:00am July 1 EST! The Virtual Trade Show is a forum where all virtual professionals are welcome to exhibit their services or products to the world. The trade show can be viewed at: http://tradeshow.virtual-professionals.com.

The 3rd Annual Virtual Trade Show opened July 1 and will run through at least July 31. Response to the first and second Virtual Trade Shows in 2003/04 proved so successful that each was extended by 2 weeks. Registration will be open until Friday, July 15 for latecomers.

Exhibitors from all over the world are showcasing their services and products and many of them have Trade Show specials for this period of time, including virtual assistants, authors, consultants, health service and product providers, web designers and hosts, professional organizers, software development providers, crafters and craft businesses, travel and event planning services, inns and more.

The founders of Virtual-Professionals.com believe that by working virtually, a ‘virtual’ trade show can provide an informative exhibition of service providers all located in one place, and on one website. The surfing public can browse the ‘virtual’ exhibitions from the comfort of their own homes and offices and learn more about how virtual professionals work.

Virtual-Professionals.com is an online organization that provides resources, benefits and much more to its members. The organization since its inception in 2003 has provided more than just a venue to list a site. Networking and business-to-business relationships are encouraged, and this has resulted in many professionals widening their client base, locally and worldwide. The annual Virtual Trade Show has enabled members and non-members alike to broaden their exposure to the world.

For more information relating to the 3rd Annual Virtual Trade Show sponsored by
Virtual-Professionals.com contact the website at: http://virtual-professionals.com/tradeshow.shtml or email Susan at tradeshow@virtual-professionals.com  ¶ 8:47 PM (1) comments

  Covad Communications Receives TMC Labs 2005 Innovation Award from INTERNET TELEPHONY(R) Magazine SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 5, 2005--Covad Communications Group, Inc. (OTCBB:COVD), announced today that Technology Marketing Corporation's TMC Labs division named Covad VoIP with Voice Optimized Access (VOA) as a 2005 Innovation Award winner from INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine.


"We like to think that Covad Voice Optimized Access is similar to buying your voice traffic a first-class ticket on the Covad network," said Charles Hoffman, president and chief executive officer for Covad. "Covad VoIP with VOA prioritizes the telephone traffic on our nationwide network -- offering the best possible quality and experience for our customers."

"Covad VoIP has clearly demonstrated to the staff of TMC Labs that Covad's product and service are truly innovative in the burgeoning VoIP/IP telephony industry. Never before in this industry has there been a greater need to highlight the most inventive VoIP products and services," said Rich Tehrani, Group Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of INTERNET TELEPHONY.

"The TMC Labs Innovation Awards are based solely upon the uniqueness of the company's offering or how pioneering the particular product or service is. It is not based on company revenue or number of products sold. It is based on the concept that Covad VoIP is innovative," according to Tom Keating, CTO and TMC Labs Editorial Director.

Keating continued, "Covad VoIP deserves this great honor for creating a ground-breaking VoIP product or service. I look forward to seeing other innovative solutions from Covad as they continue to contribute to the future of the VoIP/IP telephony marketplace."

The TMC Labs 2005 Innovation Award highlights will be published in the July and August 2005 issues of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine.

About Covad

Covad is a leading nationwide provider of broadband voice and data communications. The company offers DSL, Voice over IP, T1, Web hosting, managed security, IP and dial-up, and bundled voice and data services directly through Covad's network and through Internet Service Providers, value-added resellers, telecommunications carriers and affinity groups to small and medium-sized businesses and home users. Covad broadband services are currently available across the nation in 44 states and 235 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and can be purchased by more than 57 million homes and businesses, which represent over 50 percent of all US homes and businesses. Corporate headquarters is located at 110 Rio Robles San Jose, CA 95134. Telephone: 1-888-GO-COVAD. Web Site: www.covad.com.

About TMC(R)

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) publishes two print magazines: Customer Interaction Solutions, and Internet Telephony; five digital publications: SIP Magazine, Speech-World, WiFI Telephony Magazine, VoIP Developer, WiMAX Magazine; and the online publications TMCnet.com, Planet PDA Magazine, WiFi Revolution, Alternative Power and BiometriTech. TMC is also the first publisher to test new products in its own on-site laboratories, TMC Labs.

TMC produces INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO, The VoIP Developer Conference, Speech-World Conference, IP Contact Center Summit and The Global Call Center Outsourcing Summit. TMCnet.com publishes more than 25 topical online newsletters. For more information about TMC, visit its Web site at www.tmcnet.com.  ¶ 3:58 PM (4) comments

  How to eBay the Smart Way (ARA) - Just ten years ago, the best way to go about selling things you didn't need anymore was to either put on a garage sale, take out an ad in the classifieds or head on down to the pawn shop. Today, those options are still around, but not as popular as selling them on eBay.

Ever since coming on the scene in 1995, eBay has taken the world by storm. In 2004, the site generated $34.2 billion dollars in sales. Only four national retailers -- Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target and Costco -- ended the year with stronger numbers; and two of them are expected to fall behind eBay by the end of 2005.

So what's the draw? "There are a lot of them, but I'd have to say efficiency, price and convenience are the biggies," says Joseph Sinclair, author of "eBay the Smart Way: Selling, Buying and Profiting on the Web's #1 Auction Site."

Sinclair discovered eBay in the company's early days at a convention he attended with one of his clients. Back then, he was a Web site designer working on a project with a large collectibles dealer in the San Francisco Bay area. "I was so fascinated by the system, when I came back, I proposed writing a book about it," he says. He gained his expertise on eBay not only through research, but hands-on use.

Sinclair's book, "eBay the Smart Way," now in its fourth edition, starts out with an introduction to the basics, like how to navigate through the site and conduct searches, then goes into depth on topics of interest to the entire eBay community. For sellers, there are chapters outlining what kinds of merchandise sells and how to conduct auctions, along with advice for taking and using photographs and writing promotional ads. For buyers, bidding strategies and what to do if merchandise is lost, damaged, defective or never gets shipped at all.

Since the book first debuted in 1999, he has shared his expertise with others on more than 100 radio shows. Here are some of the most interesting questions he has been asked:

Question: I bought a kitchen table on eBay, but it arrived damaged. The seller doesn't return my emails or phone calls. What should I do?

Answer: If the damage occurred in shipment, make a claim against the insurer or the shipper. If the table was damaged before shipment, you may be out of luck. eBay probably won't do anything about it if you report it, as eBay does not get in the middle of disputes between buyers and sellers.

Informing the seller that you will leave negative feedback if he doesn't communicate with you might work to get an answer from him. But don't threaten to leave negative feedback if he doesn't replace the table. That looks like you're abusing the system to get your way in a dispute. If nothing works, you can leave negative feedback, and should, but that won't get the table fixed or replaced.

Question: I've been thinking about selling some of things I've collected over the years on eBay rather than holding a yard sale. What does it take to sell on eBay, and are there any costs involved?

Answer: It's easy. You sign up at the eBay website to be a member by filling in an online form. You list your items to sell individually the same way, by filling in an online form. It doesn't cost anything to become an eBay member, and the cost for selling an item is modest with a maximum fee of about five percent of the selling price.

Question: Are there things I can't sell on eBay?

Answer: eBay provides a list of items that are prohibited, such as firearms and fireworks. You can find it on the eBay website. It also provides a list of restricted items. These are items that are not prohibited but that you need to use commonsense when selling.
For instance, when selling used clothes, the clothes should be washed and clean.

Question: I know a lot of people who buy things on eBay all the time, but I'm a little nervous about it. How can I make sure I don't get ripped off?

Answer: eBay has a reputation system it calls a feedback system. Both buyers and sellers rate each other in every transaction either a positive, a neutral, or a negative. Each member's ratings are public and permanent. You can look at the feedback of any seller to decide whether he or she is trustworthy.

Question: I just started selling on eBay, and most of my feedback has been really positive. However, one buyer didn't read the conditions of sale posted in my ad, and didn't have a confirmed address for me to ship to. Since I don't ship to unconfirmed addresses, I refunded the seller his money, but this really upset him and now he's left me negative feedback. Is there any way to get feedback retracted?

Answer: You cannot get feedback retracted except by mutual consent of buyer and seller, but you can leave a reply to the feedback that the buyer gave you. You can also leave negative feedback for the buyer explaining what he did.

Question: I live in a rural area, so I don't really have much access to designer clothes, handbags, and shoes. I know you can get this stuff on eBay, but I don't want to pay more than it's worth just because I live in the boonies. How can I make sure I'm not paying too much for these types of things?

Answer: You can get an idea of value of items by finding list prices in advertisements and clothing catalogs. Then you need to decide what percentage of list price you're willing to pay for such items. You can also look a several weeks of completed eBay auctions to find out what identical or similar items have sold for in the past on eBay. That will show you the market value of such items.

Other hot tips from Sinclair…

* Always include a photo with the item you're selling, even if it's just software in which case you could show off the box. Photographs give buyers a way to inspect an intangible product.

* Don't become overly concerned with bidding strategies -- eBay has proxy bidding, which means you won't win an auction by raising the price a dollar or two. You have to beat out the highest bidder.

Say, for example, you bid $75 for something. Someone else can come in and bid $100, but the price only raises to $76 on the auction site. Unless someone is willing to bid $101 or more, the person who bid $100 is going to win the auction. No one will know exactly how much the competition was willing to pay until they beat the highest bid.

You can find more tips like these by reading the fourth edition of "eBay the Smart Way" which is now available at booksellers nationwide. For more information, log on to the publisher's Web site, www.amacombooks.org.

Courtesy of ARA Content  ¶ 2:34 PM (0) comments

  Advanced Degrees Online Supporting the Sunshine State's Health, Education & Welfare

(ARA) - At a time when lack of jobs is a lead story, it may be surprising to discover how many positions in essential industries are going unfilled because professionals with the expertise and career success lack the final qualification: an advanced degree. For these individuals it can mean a career not fully realized. For the state of Florida, it's a threat to our health, education and welfare.

One innovative university, Florida State, set out to solve this problem. And is succeeding.

"Florida State University recognized that leadership positions in elementary and secondary schools, health care facilities, and social services agencies are going unfilled because people who have years of experience to build on need an advanced degree to qualify," says Sandra Calhoun, director of the Office for Distributed and Distance Learning at FSU. "But they can't change their life situation to attend an on-campus master's degree program."

The solution? "Since they can't come to us, we developed online programs that can be delivered to them."

Florida State University's online graduate programs allow people with bachelor's degrees in education, nursing and social work to pursue their master's degrees without ever coming to the Tallahassee campus.

"That's critical for working people who can't afford to give up their jobs," says Calhoun. "But these programs can't be next-best. They have to be equal in quality to their on-campus counterparts, or we wouldn't put our FSU seal on them."

Statistics support Calhoun's claim: Graduate students in the university's online programs are doing as well or better on standardized exams than on-campus students.

"The fact that many of these people work in health care, education, and social work just makes our online programs that much more important, especially in Florida, where the need for these professionals is especially pressing. So we could call these three particular advanced degrees 'sunshine degrees,' because they're in crucial areas where higher education needs to shine its light, and because people earning these degrees will help to create a brighter future," she says.

* Nursing: Retiring Baby Boomers Creating Shortage

During the 2003-4 academic year, baccalaureate nursing programs in Florida had to turn away 1,800 qualified applicants, according to data collected by the Florida Association of Colleges of Nursing, because there weren't enough faculty members to teach them.

That's hundreds of potential nurses who could fill positions created by growth in the health care system. "And that," according to Dr. Katherine Mason, Dean of Florida State University's School of Nursing, "along with the baby boomers who are now retiring, has left us without enough experienced and qualified people out there to keep the system healthy. The problem has a simple answer: We need more nursing faculty. But in order for people with nursing degrees to qualify as nurse educators, they need master's degrees.''

Depending on how much time they can devote to their online studies, students can usually earn a Nurse Educator master's degree from Florida State in about two years.

* Social Work: Caring for the Growing Population of Young and Elderly

There's a critical need for people to fill leadership roles in agencies that deal with the needs of our nation's children and the elderly, both in government and the private sector, according to a 2001 study on the social work industry commissioned by the Hartford Foundation.

And it's likely to get worse.

"As the baby boomers age, they will need to turn to such places as social security offices, centers that handle veteran's affairs, nursing homes and hospices," says Janet Berry, director of Distance Learning and Part-time Programs for Florida State's College of Social Work. "At the same time, the juvenile justice system will need more workers, and so will agencies that handle mental health issues. There just aren't enough people out there with advanced degrees that qualify them to do the work."

FSU is the only school in the country with an accredited online program where qualified students can earn a clinical master's degree in social work. In addition to the online courses, students must also complete an online seminar and a two-semester internship in their field. The internship can be done at a facility in their hometown.

"After completing our degree, students are qualified to work the front lines in state agencies dealing with child welfare, adoption, juvenile justice and elderly issues," says Berry, "or they can work in hospices, or in nursing homes dealing with such issues as death and dying; or they can go into private practice as a licensed clinical social worker. It's a very versatile degree."

* Education: The Coming Need to Educate More Educators

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there will be a 13 percent increase in job openings for principals, superintendents and other school administrators between now and 2010. The most likely candidates to fill these jobs, experienced teachers, have been hard pressed to find or attend a local university to earn the advanced degree required to move into these positions.

In response to teachers' needs, FSU developed a hybrid program, in which current teachers fulfill course requirements partly online and partly through weekend face-to-face meetings at several sites in Florida.

"If you've ever taught in an elementary or secondary school," says Dr. Michael Biance, coordinator of the FSU Educational Leadership/Administration program, "you know how reluctant you are to give up your commitment to students to attend a weekday on-campus program. That's why FSU is so committed to this format of the master's degree program."

To learn more about all the online graduate programs offered by Florida State University, log on to http://learnonline.fsu.edu or call (850) 644-8004.

Courtesy of ARA Content  ¶ 1:56 PM (0) comments