The Lounge

Giving Back to the Grid

Hundreds of cities are turning green with pressure from events such as Live Earth that recently appeared in New York last month. So what is happening in South Florida to reduce the carbon emission footprint?

If you have been driving around, you might notice in some cities that the local buses have been modified or replaced with new hybrid battery chargers (of course colorfully displayed in bright green) . You might also find yourself staring at more (Hybrid Logo's) while stuck in traffic.

Sarasota County recently passed a 5 year Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. This will mean more hybrid public vehicles, solar power street lights, and more pollution control. The main objective is to reduce the city's overall emissions rating.

The new green lifestyle is not limited to the public sector. Private companies are jumping on board. Recently a Sarasota condo was constructed to be powered completely on solar energy. The building's solar panels are all connected to a large group of battery cells and the excess energy produced will go back into the city's power grid. This means the condo will actually be paid by FPL (Florida Power & Light) for their Eco friendly power.

If you're interested in helping cut down your emissions, you can visit liveearth.org for emission reducing tips.

B2B Spotlight

Traci Kanaan Comedy

Name: Traci Kanaan
Occupation: Owner of Traci Kanaan Comedy

How do your company's services benefit the general public?

a. Traci Keychain – My services as a promotional products professional don't benefit the general public, directly.  My services benefit companies who are trying to increase their market share; promote an event, service or product; motivate their sales staff; thank their customers; etc.

b. Traci Kanaan – My services as a comedian don't benefit the general public either, unless you just happen to be where I am, AND I'm in a good mood.  Perhaps my services as a comedian benefit the general public at a comedy club, and only then if you can hear me, see me, understand what I'm talking about, AND think it's funny.   

Greatest achievement to date?

Character trait you most admire?

When are you the most productive?

When are you the most bored?

How do you define success?

Are you involved in, or have you had any experiences/extra activities that you would recommend to our clients?

From your experience/expertise, do you have any suggestions for small to medium sized business owners just starting out?

If you were granted one wish, what would it be?

For more information about Traci Kanaan or Traci Kanaan Comedy please visit www.tracikanaan.com

The Tech Report

Surge Protectors

A surge protector is a strip that prevents your computer or other expensive electronic equipment from becoming damaged by lighting or other electrical overloads. If you look under your desk you will probably find one with a red switch.

Surge Protectors can value in price range from $5.00 to thousands of dollars for those that feature backup power supply and internal cooling system; however they all basically do the same thing, stop thousands of volts surging into your computer's circuits.

If you are considering the purchase of a surge protector, remember to base your decision on the value of the data you want to protect. Many surge protectors will offer a monetary replacement if your computer is fried while using their device. Overall your best bet is to browse the $20 range at Best Buy or other local electronics store. Just be sure it's a “surge protector” and not a “power strip”.

Click here to read about data backup

Max Media

Business Cards

So what makes a good business card?
First off you need to have your information. This is what people will use it for, it must be clear and easy to find. Then you must consider the graphics & images if you decide to use them. It's important to remember that decorating a business card is a bad idea.  Transferring your company's identity to it is your goal.

The next decisions are the most overlooked and usually the most important: choosing a paper weight, texture and print process. If you take a piece of print material that you have never seen before, close your eyes and feel it, you can probably determine its content. For instance a car manual will have a glossy exterior cover, and thin smooth pages inside. These decisions can only be made based on your company and its branding.

How can you have a business card that is unique and not cheesy?
Nothing you can do will be 100% unique- someone has already done it. However you can take ideas and merge them into your own. A business card is 3.5' x 2' inches.  You can change the orientation; perhaps have a flip-open card. Or even a die cut giving it unique edges. Just make sure the function of the card is not compromised, or no matter how cool it looks it will be useless.

This makes sense, but why does my business card still not look the way I want it?
Contact us at Webtivity Designs and we can come up with a solution for your business card needs.

Deciding on your Domain Name.
When making a decision about your domain name there are a few rules of thumb to go by:
1/ Avoid Clever Puns
2/ Avoid Abbreviations or minimalist     spelling
3/ Consider the Target Market
4/ Do not rush in your decision
5/ Do not tailgate on another well know     name with a Hyphen (ever tailgate on     a trademarked name)
6/ Think like an investor – distinguish     your name in the crowd.

Read more about this article at:
www.boutell.com/newfaq/definitions/
com.html

Another item to consider: Purchasing those other hyperextensions- the .net, .info, .tv, .mobi are a sure way to keep the competition from steering your business away from you.
Redirects are a cost effective marketing tool…names that are keywords that identify with your business is a low cost way to drive viewers to your site.
For instance we registered www.webtivitydesignsolutions.com; a few of our redirects to this domain are www.whoneedsasite.com, www.websitesinflorida.com

Please contact Webtivity Designs for more information about your Domain name and extension purchases.

Computer Corp
of Central Florida

Camellia
Properties

Pool Pup

Scorpion
Coatings

Gamers
Trade World

If you would like to suggest a book, please email us!

1914 - First Traffic Light is Installed

1914 - Panama Canal Open to Traffic

1962 - Marilyn Monroe Dies

1977 - Elvis Presley Dies

1993 - Three-Ship Collision Causes Oil Spill

Please select an event name for more information, pricing, and availability.
Not all events may be open to the
general public.

Sarasota Chamber

Power Networking Lunch
Tuesday Mornings | 11:45 AM

PNL2
Thursday Mornings | 11:45 AM

"Good Morning, Greater Sarasota!"
Wed | 08/1/07 | 7:30 AM

Chamber Partners Meeting
Thu | 08/2/07 | 8:00 AM

New Member Briefing
Tue | 08/21/07 | 4:00 PM

IBC Anniversary Celebration
Thu | 08/30/07 | 5:00 PM

MANATEE CHAMBER

Driving Success, Balancing Life Seminar
Wed | 08/8/07 | 1:00 PM

New Member Reception
Thu | 08/9/07 | 7:45 AM

MYP Networking Social
Thu | 08/9/07 | 5:00 PM

Ship-Shape Port Showcase
Thu | 08/16/07 | 4:00 PM

Business After Hours
Tue | 08/21/07 | 5:00 PM

Issues in the Workplace: How to Avoid Lawsuits
Wed | 08/22/07 | 9:00 AM

Coffee Club
Thu | 08/23/07 | 7:45 AM

MYP Night with the Tampa Bay Rays
Thu | 08/23/07 | 6:30 PM

Keeping Your Working Parents Working: Childcare Resources for Your Employees
Thu | 08/30/07 | 9:00 AM
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Click on the image to view the funny

The Lounge:
Messy Desk equals orderly mind

B2B Spotlight:
Scott Bell, Owner My Backup Buddy

The Tech Report:
Is your website vulnerable to malicious code

Max Media:
Your Marketing Dollars

July Featured Item
Internet Video Promotions

July Newsletter
- Are You Ready For Hurricane Season?
- Spotlight: Jerry Solomon
- Firewall's and Virus Protection
- Search Engine Friendly

June Newsletter
May Newsletter
April Newsletter
March Newsletter
February Newsletter
January Newsletter ________________________________