Subscribe To my blog
Posts
All Comments
Friday, December 23, 2011
Employees From Yahoo, Google, And Facebook are flocking to Hadoop BigData startups http://vsb.li/rQmPAy
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and Using Metrics http://ping.fm/Go30k
Must read Book recommendation: Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and Using Metrics http://ping.fm/poHKg
Must read Book recommendation: Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and Using Metrics
Publication Date: July 19, 2011
Align Strategy With Metrics Using Social Monitoring Best Practices
“Two or three years from now, every public relations firm that wants to be taken seriously in the C-suite and/or a lead marketing role will have someone like Marshall in its senior leadership ranks, a chief analytics officer responsible for ensuring that account leaders think more deeply about analytics and that thfirm works with the best available outside suppliers to integrate analytics appropriately.”
—Paul Holmes, The Holmes Report
“Marshall has provided much-needed discipline to our newest marketing frontier—a territory full of outlaws, medicine men, dot com tumbleweeds, and snake oil.”
—Ryan Rasmussen, VP Research, Zócalo Group
“Marshall Sponder stands apart from the crowd with this work. His case study approach, borne of real-world experience, provides the expert and the amateur alike with bibliography, tools, links, and examples to shortcut the path to bedrock successes. This is a reference work for anyone who wants to explore the potential of social networks.”
—W. Reid Cornwell, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, The Center for Internet Research
“Marshall is a solutions design genius of unparalleled knowledge and acumen, and when he applies himself to the business of social media, the result is a timely and important commentary on the state of research capabilities for social media.”
—Barry Fleming, Director, Analytics & Insights, WCG, and Principal, DharmaBuilt.com
About the Book
Practically overnight, social media has become a critical tool for every marketing objective—from outreach and customer relations to branding and crisis management. For the most part, however, the data collected through social media is just that: data. It usually seems to hold little or no meaning on which to base business decisions. But the meaning is there . . . if you’re applying the right systems and know how to use them.
With Social Media Analytics, you’ll learn how to get supremely valuable information from this revolutionary new marketing tool. One of the most respected leaders in his field and a pioneer in Web analytics, Marshall Sponder shows how to:
Choose the best social media platforms for your needs
Set up the right processes to achieve your goals
Extract the hidden meaning from all the data you collect
Quantify your results and determine ROI
Filled with in-depth case studies from a range of industries, along with detailed reviews of several social-monitoring platforms, Social Media Analytics takes you beyond “up-to-date” and leads you well into the future—and far ahead of your competition. You will learn how to use the most sophisticated methods yet known to find customers, create relevant content (and track it), mash up data from disparate sources, and much more. Sponder concludes with an insightful look at where the field will likely be going during the next few years.
Whether your social media marketing efforts are directed at B2B, B2C, C2C, nonprofit, corporate, or public sector aims, take them to the next step with the techniques, strategies, and methods in Social Media Analytics—the most in-depth, forward-looking book on the subject.
Product Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0071768297
ISBN-13: 978-0071768290
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
Must Read!1 Highly Recommended.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Congress Calls for Defense Department Plan for Cloud Computing - Businessweek http://buswk.co/uJJuUd via @BW
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Gainesville Tightens Up on Commercial Recycling
By Chris Eversole
December 13, 2011
Civil Citations Now Possible for Businesses That Don’t Comply.
Gainesville and Alachua County require commercial recycling by law, but the requirements have had few teeth in the past. That’s changing somewhat, and more and more businesses and organizations are recycling, officials say.
The city updated its commercial recycling ordinance in June, empowering inspectors to issue civil citations to businesses that don’t comply with the law, says Steven Joplin, the City of Gainesville’s solid waste manager.
The new city requirements start with a warning. The first offense carries a penalty of $125, and the second offense $250. A third offense results in taking the case to court.
“The commission agreed with our position that it was time to start getting better results,” Joplin says. “We still take the attitude that we’re there to help people understand what they need to do and find ways to do it. We’re not trying to be the Gestapo.”
By December, the city had issued “warnings” to nine businesses, four of which came into compliance after the warnings, Joplin says.
Commercial recycling is crucial, with an estimated 60 percent of all waste coming from businesses, nonprofit organizations government, apartments and condominium communities, says Patrick Irby, the county’s recycling coordinator.
When you look at the county’s current overall recycling effort, you can see the glass as either half full or half empty.
From the half-full perspective, the county ranks second in the state, with 44 percent of the waste stream recycled, Irby says.
Getting complete data is impossible, as reporting of most commercial recycling is voluntary, Irby notes. Because of the voluntary reporting, commercial recycling probably is more extensive than is documented, according to Irby.
Large retailers routinely recycle cardboard and paper used in shipping, but they don’t report all of their recycling to the county, which compiles recycling reports, Irby says.
Joplin agrees. “Companies like Publix, Wal-Mart and Home Depot recycle a lot of cardboard that they bale and send to a regional recycling center and we never know about it,” he says. “If it doesn’t get recorded, it didn’t happen, as far as the state is concerned.”
Looking at the glass as half empty, the county is a long way from a state goal of recycling 75 percent of the waste stream by 2020.
Recycling from Soup to Nuts
Lay people think of recycling as reusing paper, metal and glass. However in the industry, recycled materials take many forms. For example, Wal-Mart has started composting its discarded produce, as do some other grocers, Joplin says.
And the state estimates that 37 percent of the county’s total recycling comes from yard waste and construction and demolition debris. Local company Bearded Brothers salvages various items from building deconstruction for reuse, Joplin notes.
But while separating your empty bottles at home has become habit, getting businesses and office-workers to similarly recycle hasn’t quite caught on. The county estimates that 70 percent of people living in single-family homes participate in recycling.
City and county governments can require all residents in urban areas to use WCA Waste Corp., the contracted hauler both governments use to pick up garbage and recyclables. “We justify it under our power to protect public health and safety,” Joplin says.
But unlike residential recycling, commercial recycling is tough to control, Irby says. Apartment and condominium communities pose some of the toughest recycling challenges, Joplin says.
“Nobody has them figured out,” he says. “There’s no way to force people in multi-family units to comply with recycling requirements.”
People living in relatively expensive apartments tend to get more involved in recycling than do people living in less expensive ones, Irby says.
Making recycling convenient at apartments and condos is important, Irby says. With that in mind, the county is providing recycling reusable plastic bags to apartment complexes. “It like having orange and blue bins,” he says. “We want to make it convenient.”
Some Businesses Embrace Recycling
Some apartment management companies go out of their way to recycle. Among them is Contemporary Management Concepts, which manages 18 properties with 2,500 apartments.
“We’re committed to improving our environment,” says President Sonia Fox. “When everyone works together, we can make the best use of our planet’s natural resources.”
The company spends about $27,000 annually on recycling—or little more than $10 per apartment, Fox says. “We reduce our garbage disposal cost, which, in turn, benefits us as well as our residents.”
The company provides separate recycling bins on each property for glass, newspapers, water bottles and aluminum cans. It recently added dumpsters for cardboard.
“Putting recycling containers on site makes it convenient for our residents to get involved, even those who may not have thought about it before,” Fox says.
Contemporary Management Concepts recycles Christmas trees, as well as carpet and padding that it replaces, Fox says. “We give life to items that used to be thrown away, saving energy and helping lower greenhouse gas emissions in the process.”
Parisleaf Printing and Design also has a strong environmental commitment.
The company generates virtually no waste, says co-owner Chad Paris. On the rare occasion that a printing job needs to be redone, the company gives the flawed prints to the customer for free. The company buys paper made of 45 percent recycled material and avoids paper that has a UV coating that prevents it from breaking down in landfills. Much of Parisleaf’s printing is done by a Montana company that generates all of its power with its own wind turbines.
For its efforts, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce honored Parisleaf with this year’s Commitment to the Environment Award. This commitment only makes sense, Paris says.
“We love the outdoors, and we want to do everything we can to protect it,” he says.
Making a Business of Recycling
Rod Ingram has a simple business: Recycling Services of America. He collects recyclables (mostly paper and cardboard) from businesses, binds it in bundles and sells the paper and cardboard to paper companies. He sells the few bottles, cans and plastic containers he collects to other local recyclers.
Increased teeth in city and county recycling laws hasn’t had any effect on his business, Ingram says. Still, he expects the state requirement of recycling 75 percent of the state’s waste by 2020 to bring about some increased business.
The company’s charges are straightforward. They’re based on the cost of picking up the recyclables, starting at $20 a month for a 33-gallon container. The money he collects for the paper and cardboard offsets the cost of processing the material, Ingram says.
People can drop off office paper at the company’s site, 2874 NE First Terrace, behind BMW of Gainesville, for free.
Helen Warren, a real estate agent with Prudential Trend Realty, does that regularly. “I’m glad to drop off the paper from the office,” she says. “You’ve got to make recycling easy for people.”
It’s not only paper and cardboard, as a business might encounter scrap metals in its trash stream. CMC Recycling (no relation to CMC Apartments) buys all types of metal at its location at 1508 NW 55th Place, says Florida Regional Director Stan Young. “If it’s metal, we’ll take it,” he says. Items it handles includes old signs, car doors and fenders, doors, windows, siding and pipe, Young says.
Cost Varies from Product to Product
Almost always, the cost of recycling exceeds the payment for the recycled material. “It’s the cost of collection that kills you,” Irby says.
The market for recyclables varies from one part of the country to another. “We have a relatively good market for paper here because there are paper mills nearby,” Irby says. “Our market for glass is poor, but there’s a high demand for glass in Silicon Valley because it can be used in computers.”
Still, there are some uses for recycled glass here, such as for granules on shingles and sandpaper, Joplin says.
Businesses can offset some or most of the cost of recycling by reducing the size of their garbage containers because they’re not throwing out as much, Irby says. “That’s a point I’m constantly making to businesses,” he says.
Joplin looks at recycling holistically, noting that providing outdated items to food banks and selling used furniture and clothing are all forms of recycling. “During World War II, the country recycled rags and many other things because of shortages of raw materials,” he says.
“We’re not a bunch of tree-huggers,” Joplin says. “The city enacted the ordinance, and we’re enforcing it.”
December 13, 2011
Civil Citations Now Possible for Businesses That Don’t Comply.
Gainesville and Alachua County require commercial recycling by law, but the requirements have had few teeth in the past. That’s changing somewhat, and more and more businesses and organizations are recycling, officials say.
The city updated its commercial recycling ordinance in June, empowering inspectors to issue civil citations to businesses that don’t comply with the law, says Steven Joplin, the City of Gainesville’s solid waste manager.
The new city requirements start with a warning. The first offense carries a penalty of $125, and the second offense $250. A third offense results in taking the case to court.
“The commission agreed with our position that it was time to start getting better results,” Joplin says. “We still take the attitude that we’re there to help people understand what they need to do and find ways to do it. We’re not trying to be the Gestapo.”
By December, the city had issued “warnings” to nine businesses, four of which came into compliance after the warnings, Joplin says.
Commercial recycling is crucial, with an estimated 60 percent of all waste coming from businesses, nonprofit organizations government, apartments and condominium communities, says Patrick Irby, the county’s recycling coordinator.
When you look at the county’s current overall recycling effort, you can see the glass as either half full or half empty.
From the half-full perspective, the county ranks second in the state, with 44 percent of the waste stream recycled, Irby says.
Getting complete data is impossible, as reporting of most commercial recycling is voluntary, Irby notes. Because of the voluntary reporting, commercial recycling probably is more extensive than is documented, according to Irby.
Large retailers routinely recycle cardboard and paper used in shipping, but they don’t report all of their recycling to the county, which compiles recycling reports, Irby says.
Joplin agrees. “Companies like Publix, Wal-Mart and Home Depot recycle a lot of cardboard that they bale and send to a regional recycling center and we never know about it,” he says. “If it doesn’t get recorded, it didn’t happen, as far as the state is concerned.”
Looking at the glass as half empty, the county is a long way from a state goal of recycling 75 percent of the waste stream by 2020.
Recycling from Soup to Nuts
Lay people think of recycling as reusing paper, metal and glass. However in the industry, recycled materials take many forms. For example, Wal-Mart has started composting its discarded produce, as do some other grocers, Joplin says.
And the state estimates that 37 percent of the county’s total recycling comes from yard waste and construction and demolition debris. Local company Bearded Brothers salvages various items from building deconstruction for reuse, Joplin notes.
But while separating your empty bottles at home has become habit, getting businesses and office-workers to similarly recycle hasn’t quite caught on. The county estimates that 70 percent of people living in single-family homes participate in recycling.
City and county governments can require all residents in urban areas to use WCA Waste Corp., the contracted hauler both governments use to pick up garbage and recyclables. “We justify it under our power to protect public health and safety,” Joplin says.
But unlike residential recycling, commercial recycling is tough to control, Irby says. Apartment and condominium communities pose some of the toughest recycling challenges, Joplin says.
“Nobody has them figured out,” he says. “There’s no way to force people in multi-family units to comply with recycling requirements.”
People living in relatively expensive apartments tend to get more involved in recycling than do people living in less expensive ones, Irby says.
Making recycling convenient at apartments and condos is important, Irby says. With that in mind, the county is providing recycling reusable plastic bags to apartment complexes. “It like having orange and blue bins,” he says. “We want to make it convenient.”
Some Businesses Embrace Recycling
Some apartment management companies go out of their way to recycle. Among them is Contemporary Management Concepts, which manages 18 properties with 2,500 apartments.
“We’re committed to improving our environment,” says President Sonia Fox. “When everyone works together, we can make the best use of our planet’s natural resources.”
The company spends about $27,000 annually on recycling—or little more than $10 per apartment, Fox says. “We reduce our garbage disposal cost, which, in turn, benefits us as well as our residents.”
The company provides separate recycling bins on each property for glass, newspapers, water bottles and aluminum cans. It recently added dumpsters for cardboard.
“Putting recycling containers on site makes it convenient for our residents to get involved, even those who may not have thought about it before,” Fox says.
Contemporary Management Concepts recycles Christmas trees, as well as carpet and padding that it replaces, Fox says. “We give life to items that used to be thrown away, saving energy and helping lower greenhouse gas emissions in the process.”
Parisleaf Printing and Design also has a strong environmental commitment.
The company generates virtually no waste, says co-owner Chad Paris. On the rare occasion that a printing job needs to be redone, the company gives the flawed prints to the customer for free. The company buys paper made of 45 percent recycled material and avoids paper that has a UV coating that prevents it from breaking down in landfills. Much of Parisleaf’s printing is done by a Montana company that generates all of its power with its own wind turbines.
For its efforts, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce honored Parisleaf with this year’s Commitment to the Environment Award. This commitment only makes sense, Paris says.
“We love the outdoors, and we want to do everything we can to protect it,” he says.
Making a Business of Recycling
Rod Ingram has a simple business: Recycling Services of America. He collects recyclables (mostly paper and cardboard) from businesses, binds it in bundles and sells the paper and cardboard to paper companies. He sells the few bottles, cans and plastic containers he collects to other local recyclers.
Increased teeth in city and county recycling laws hasn’t had any effect on his business, Ingram says. Still, he expects the state requirement of recycling 75 percent of the state’s waste by 2020 to bring about some increased business.
The company’s charges are straightforward. They’re based on the cost of picking up the recyclables, starting at $20 a month for a 33-gallon container. The money he collects for the paper and cardboard offsets the cost of processing the material, Ingram says.
People can drop off office paper at the company’s site, 2874 NE First Terrace, behind BMW of Gainesville, for free.
Helen Warren, a real estate agent with Prudential Trend Realty, does that regularly. “I’m glad to drop off the paper from the office,” she says. “You’ve got to make recycling easy for people.”
It’s not only paper and cardboard, as a business might encounter scrap metals in its trash stream. CMC Recycling (no relation to CMC Apartments) buys all types of metal at its location at 1508 NW 55th Place, says Florida Regional Director Stan Young. “If it’s metal, we’ll take it,” he says. Items it handles includes old signs, car doors and fenders, doors, windows, siding and pipe, Young says.
Cost Varies from Product to Product
Almost always, the cost of recycling exceeds the payment for the recycled material. “It’s the cost of collection that kills you,” Irby says.
The market for recyclables varies from one part of the country to another. “We have a relatively good market for paper here because there are paper mills nearby,” Irby says. “Our market for glass is poor, but there’s a high demand for glass in Silicon Valley because it can be used in computers.”
Still, there are some uses for recycled glass here, such as for granules on shingles and sandpaper, Joplin says.
Businesses can offset some or most of the cost of recycling by reducing the size of their garbage containers because they’re not throwing out as much, Irby says. “That’s a point I’m constantly making to businesses,” he says.
Joplin looks at recycling holistically, noting that providing outdated items to food banks and selling used furniture and clothing are all forms of recycling. “During World War II, the country recycled rags and many other things because of shortages of raw materials,” he says.
“We’re not a bunch of tree-huggers,” Joplin says. “The city enacted the ordinance, and we’re enforcing it.”
Saturday, December 17, 2011
The Clean Tech Revolution: Discover the Top Trends, Technologies, and Companies to Watch
Product Description
Newly revised with the latest market trends and growth opportunities
In The Clean Tech Revolution, authors Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder identify the major forces that have pushed clean tech from back-to-the-earth utopian dream to its current revolution among the inner circles of corporate boardrooms, on Wall Street trading floors, and in government offices around the globe. By highlighting eight major clean-tech sectors—solar energy, wind power, biofuels and biomaterials, green buildings, personal transportation, the smart grid, mobile applications, and water filtration—they uncover how investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profit from this next wave of technological innovation. Pernick and Wilder shine the spotlight on the winners among technologies, companies, and regions that are likely to reap the greatest benefits from clean tech—and they show you why the time to act is now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Details
•Amazon Sales Rank: #283281 in Books
•Published on: 2008-09-16
•Released on: 2008-09-16
•Original language: English
•Number of items: 1
•Dimensions: .81" h x 5.32" w x 8.04" l, .57 pounds
•Binding: Paperback
•336 pages
Cobb Hospital one step closer to demolition
By Taylor Kinkade - bio | email
PHENIX CITY, AL (WTVM) -
Phenix City is one step closer to saying goodbye to the old Cobb Hospital. They awarded the demolition bid to Dore and Associates Contracting.
Six different companies submitted bids to tear down the old building, but in the end the winning bid came in at just more then $827,000.
Following the asbestos report, demolition is the next step in rebuilding on the property. Phenix City council member Max Wilkes said, "It's a good feeling. We've come a long ways and gotten a lot done and there's a lot more to do as our city manager said today. We have a lot in the works."
The plan for the old Cobb Hospital property is to create a city complex that would house utilities and a police precinct.
The demolition company has 180 days to get the building torn down
PHENIX CITY, AL (WTVM) -
Phenix City is one step closer to saying goodbye to the old Cobb Hospital. They awarded the demolition bid to Dore and Associates Contracting.
Six different companies submitted bids to tear down the old building, but in the end the winning bid came in at just more then $827,000.
Following the asbestos report, demolition is the next step in rebuilding on the property. Phenix City council member Max Wilkes said, "It's a good feeling. We've come a long ways and gotten a lot done and there's a lot more to do as our city manager said today. We have a lot in the works."
The plan for the old Cobb Hospital property is to create a city complex that would house utilities and a police precinct.
The demolition company has 180 days to get the building torn down
Confessions of an Oppo Researcher: Book Recommendation: The Collapse of American Cri... http://ping.fm/civVa
Political Memorabilia Blog: Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that C... http://ping.fm/f6S3h
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Cell Phone Collection Drives – December 2011
Schools, communities, and organizations doing their cell phone collection
drives this December:
Michigan Cell Phones For Our Troops
Lake Shore and Lakeview high schools in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan are now
collecting used cell phones from students, parents, and the
surrounding community. Proceeds from the cell phone drive which runs up to
December 15th will be used to purchase 60-minute calling cards which will
distributed to U.S. troops stationed overseas.
Louisville Science Center Recycling Exhibit and Electronics Collection
Drive
The Louisville Science Center in Louisville, Kentucky is scheduled to open an
exhibit tomorrow Thursday, December 8th, titled “Reuse-apalooza.” The science exhibit which will focus on
recycling will run until January 2, 2012 and will feature such items as
terrariums constructed from found objects, home-made musical instruments, etc.
Visitors to the exhibit are encouraged to turn in their used electronic items
such as old cell phone to help raise funds to prevent toxic metals from ewaste
from leaching into landfills.
Arizona YouChange Launches Electronic Recycling Program for
Schools
YouChange Holdings Corp, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, recently launched it’s
electronics recycling programs for the 2,300 public and private
schools in Arizona. The aim of the program is to help educate students about
e-waste, encourage the collection of obsolete electronics, including used cell
phones, and help raise funds for cash-strapped schools. YouChange successfully
completed the beta testing of their program at Mountain Point High School and
Gililland Middle School collecting over 10,000 pounds of electronics.
Detroit High School Collecting Cell Phones For The Troops
Students of South Lyon High School in Detroit will be participating in the Cell Phones for Soldiers Drive this December. The students will
be putting up collection boxes in business establishments throughout the Detroit
metro area to allow people to donate their used cell phones. The proceeds from
the drive, which will run from Nov. 21 to Dec. 13, will be used to purchase
prepaid calling cards that soldiers now assigned overseas can use to call their
loved ones back home.
The Ewaste Recycler Can Help
For those who are interested in conducting a cell phone recycling or
collection drive in their school, office, or community, The Ewaste Recycler can assist you with prepaid shipping labels, cell phone collection bags, and customized
fliers. Feel free to request for a Cell Phone Collection Information Kit today. If you’re having a cell phone collection drive this month or scheduled for January 2012, please leave a comment below so we can feature your activity in our weekly roundup of Cell Phone Drives throughout the U.S.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)