Consultant Directory Blog

Realtor and Landlord Featured on Real Estate Investing Podcast

Rob Howard a Knoxville, TN realtor and landlord joined the Voss' to discuss what to look for in what may soon be a hot rental market for investors.

Mooresville, NC, May 31, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- Get Real, The Real Estate Investing Show for the Rest of Us featured an interview with Rob Howard a Knoxville, TN realtor and landlord on the weekly podcast. Mr. Howard shared his personal experiences of investing in real estate in the Knoxville, TN area. His investing focus is the single family rental market. Get Real continues to add more features regarding investing in rental properties.

"The recent news I have seen points to a stronger rental market in many parts of the country. So many of our listeners have only thought buying, fixing and selling homes because they became interested in real estate at a time of soaring housing prices that made that feasible" according to Judson Voss, host.

Rob provided information about what to look for in a potential rental home and how to decide if a rental property is feasible from a cash flow standpoint. He also shared information about the Knoxville market.

Get Real is a weekly podcast providing a down to earth approach to real estate investing by featuring news, tips and interviews with many local investors from around the country along with experts in fields important to real estate investing education.

www.getrealrei.com

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Contact Information

Get Real REI
Judson Voss
704-307-4476
getrealshow@getrealrei.com
www.getrealrei.com

Nashville, Tennessee Search Engine Marketing Experts Work Media Tell Businesses Exactly How to Succeed Online with New Internet Marketing Book

Nashville-based Work Media has released a new Internet marketing guide, "Aggressive Online Marketing Fundamentals: the Work Media Approach." The book is a high level primer on the various aspects of running an aggressive online marketing campaign. It touches on search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaign management, copywriting, blogging, email newsletters, linking campaigns, and more. While not going into great detail on the specifics of the various techniques, the book provides a foundation for prospective marketers to try various methods and engage in further research.

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) May 31, 2006 -- Jerry and Chris Work, founders of Nashville-based Internet marketing firm Work Media, have just released an Internet marketing guide titled "Aggressive Online Marketing Fundamentals: the Work Media Approach." The book is a high level primer on the various aspects of running an aggressive online marketing campaign.

Said Jerry Work, "We believe successful online marketing involves a combination of technology and direct marketing techniques. Companies also need to adopt a multi-pronged strategy, using many different techniques as necessary to drive targeted traffic to their web sites."

The book touches on numerous areas, including search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaign management, copywriting, blogging, email newsletters, and linking campaigns. While not going into great detail on the specifics of the various techniques, the book provides a foundation for prospective marketers to try various methods and engage in further research.

The book, which is approximately 16,000 words in length, is a free download from the Work Media web site in .pdf format.

For additional information, contact Jerry or Chris Work at 888-299-4837 or via email at email protected from spam bots.

About Work Media

Work Media consists of Jerry Work and his brother Chris Work, and various professional copywriters, designers, and programmers they work with on a project-by-project basis. The company specializes in implementing aggressive, multi-pronged Internet marketing plans. The Work brothers have experience marketing everything from highly-specialized service industries to multi-million dollar ecommerce sites.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jerry Work, Chris Work
Work Media
888-299-4837
http://www.workmedia.net

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Press Contact: Jerry Work
Company Name: Work Media
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 615-473-2045
Website: http://workmedia.net

A Podcasting Network For Web Marketers and Technologists: Media Swamp Gaining Listeners, Attracting Advertisers

The Media Swamp Podcasting Network, a podcast hosting service and information network featuring original and syndicated podcasts and vodcasts available for download, has debuted at www.mediaswamp.com.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) May 31, 2006 -– The Media Swamp Podcasting Network, a podcast hosting service and information network featuring original and syndicated podcasts and vodcasts available for download, has debuted at www.mediaswamp.com.

Currently focusing on Web 2.0, search marketing, web design, social networking and web development, Media Swamp expects to carry other genres of podcasts soon and has begun experimenting with podcasts produced purely for entertainment.

“As an interactive marketing professional, I advise clients on podcasting strategies and how to make the most of this medium,” said Giovanni Gallucci of Media Swamp, “so it seemed only fitting that I be able to steer them toward a safe and convenient place to host their podcasts.”

Live for a little over a month; Media Swamp is monitoring increasing traffic and download activity. Media Swamp is currently developing an advertising model in response to an increasing number of inquiries regarding sponsorship.

“We are in the very dawn of this medium,” said Dave Wilkie of Media Swamp, “and there are developments coming that will make podcasting a very attractive vehicle for advertisers. As always, the bottom line is the number of listeners, viewers or readers that you can show a potential advertiser. We believe Media Swamp will be a very cost effective way for businesses to reach targeted consumers, whether through ads on the site itself or within the podcasts.”

“Downloading a show has benefits to an advertiser over streaming,” said Gallucci, “and though we have plans to offer streaming voice and video casts soon, the attraction of downloading to an advertiser is the portability of the show. The user takes it with them and listens on their time. Maybe they listen two or three times. Maybe they email it to colleagues. The potential for exposure in that sort of viral model is unknown, but to start with, you must be able to show download numbers, and we’ve got the numbers already.”    

Media Swamp currently features the following shows: The AgencyCast, Cocoa Radio, KinetiCast, Mad Techie, Radio Free Babylon, and The Reach.

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Press Contact: Masha Geller
Company Name: Media Swamp
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 203.981.7256
Website: htttp://www.mediaswamp.com

Los Angeles Consumers File Class Action Lawsuit Against Used-Car Dealer Drive Time For Allegedly Leaking Their Private Financial Information to Unauthorized Third Parties

Several Los Angeles-area consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against used-car dealer Drive Time, formerly known as Ugly Ducking, for allegedly leaking their credit applications, which included their social security numbers and other private information, to unauthorized outside parties. Cheryl Long, an Individual, on behalf of herself and all others similarly aggrieved by defendants’ conduct as alleged herein v. Drive Time, a California Business Entity; Ugly Ducking, a California Business Entity, et al., Case. No. BC 352 692.

La Crescenta, Ca. (PRWEB) May 31, 2006 -- Many Los Angeles-area consumers shopping at Drive Time (formerly known as Ugly Ducking) for used cars usually have filled out credit applications containing all of their confidential financial information, including name, social security number, employment information and home address. These consumers assumed that Drive Time would keep these credit applications under lock and key and not leak them to anyone outside of Drive Time.

In connection with an investigation of a different case involving alleged misconduct by auto insurance brokers, the La Crescenta, California firm of Brennan, Wiener & Associates (“BWA”) alleges that Drive Time had, for some years, leaked these confidential credit applications in large numbers to insurance brokers for the purpose of placing auto insurance. The affected consumers had no idea that this was happening.

“My clients are understandably outraged,” commented Robert F. Brennan, lead counsel for the plaintiff class. So far, Brennan has collected several files from the insurance brokers with Drive Time credit applications in them. “With the Choicepoint scandal and so many other related instances, businesses which get a consumer’s social security number must learn to keep it safe and secure, under lock and key and accessible only to authorized personnel. They can’t be spreading around this information, even if it does make money for them directly or indirectly. The opportunity for identity theft and for other misuses of a consumer’s personal information is just too great in this day and age.”

The class members have filed a class action in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Cheryl Long, an Individual, on behalf of herself and all others similarly aggrieved by defendants’ conduct as alleged herein v. Drive Time, a California Business Entity; Ugly Ducking, a California Business Entity, et al., Case. No. BC 352 692.

Brennan offers some tips on making sure that your private financial information does not get spread about by corporations or stores to which you provide it. “First, there’s nothing wrong with asking exactly how the information will be protected before you provide them with the information. At a minimum, such information should be kept under lock and key and should be accessible only to key personnel and not to any low-wage temporary worker who happens to be passing through. Consumers are entitled to have corporations or retail companies agree in writing to keep confidential information private and secure.

“Since this situation usually comes up in connection with loan applications, I frequently advise my clients to simply go to their own banks and get pre-approved loans before shopping for major items. That way, there’s no reason to even worry about the whole dealership financing shell game. There are so many hidden charges and fees in many dealer financing deals that it’s almost always best just to go through your own bank. Then there’s also the greater chance that your information will be kept safe and secure.”

Brennan also points out that any consumer’s personal data is still subject to theft, even from otherwise secure locations. “There’s simply no foolproof way to entirely protect your personal information. 21st-century consumers must learn about handling consumer credit disputes as part of their basic financial information. It’s no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity.”

Brennan’s website, www.socalcreditdamage.com, gives consumers the tools for handing identity theft and false credit reporting situations.

About Robert F. Brennan: Robert F. Brennan, Esq. and his firm, Brennan, Wiener & Associates, 3150 Montrose Ave., La Crescenta, Ca., handle identity theft and wrongful credit report damage cases for residents of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and Ventura Counties. Brennan, Wiener & Associates have a track record of successfully cleaning up credit reports and also of obtaining compensation for their clients. Mr. Brennan is well known for taking this fairly technical area of the law and breaking it down into its simplicity so that anyone can themselves, without the assistance of an attorney, clean up derogatory marks on their credit reports which do not belong there. When consumers find themselves unable to clean up their credit reports on their own, that’s where Brennan, Wiener & Associates steps in, to ensure that the wrongful derogatory marks get cleaned up and to ensure that the consumers so affected receive adequate compensation.

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Press Contact: Robert Brennan
Company Name: BRENNAN, WIENER & ASSOC.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 818-249-5291
Website: www.brennanlaw.com

Quickpons.com Launches New Advertising Method that merges Coupons, Cell Phones and the Internet

Quickpons, Inc. is launching a new Internet based service for consumers that will allow them to send coupons to their cell phones as text messages. There is no charge to consumers and businesses can join the service for free during the beta period.

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) May 30, 2006 -- Quickpons, Inc. is launching a new Internet based service for consumers that will allow them to send coupons to their cell phones as text messages. There is no charge to consumers and businesses can join the service for free during the beta period.

Businesses post special coupon offers on the website, such as “20% Off Your First Order”. Consumers arrive at the website seeking bargains. Once the consumer has located an offer that they wish to take advantage of, they simply click and send the offer as a text message to their cell phone. The merchants honor the text message on the cell phone as if it were a printed coupon.

The advantage to consumers is obvious, no more cutting out small paper coupons that often go forgotten and unredeemed. Quickpons, Inc. believes that this will be the new preferred method by which consumers will seek discounts. “I invented this service because I would usually forget to bring coupons with me, but I always have my cell phone”, says Glen Wheeler, President of Quickpons, Inc. “I also think many consumers will want to try it out just because it is so unique.”

Businesses benefit because studies show that consumers who use coupons spend more than those who don't. Also surprising is the fact that Americans in the upper income brackets are more likely to use coupons.
Text messaging is a growing trend among cell phone users. By merging the Internet, text messaging and consumers looking to save money, Quickpons, Inc. plans to bring those consumers together with businesses eager to oblige. The site is set to launch on June 16th with the Beta period ending that day. Businesses seeking further information should visit the website at www.quickpons.com.

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Press Contact: Josh Lassiter
Company Name: QUICKPONS, INC.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 888-476-2461
Website: http://www.quickpons.com

MetaLINCS Offers Corporate Legal Teams and Law Firms Free Early Case Assessment of Electronic Information

Early Knowledge from E-Discovery Analysis Software Drives Early Action and More Favorable Case Outcomes

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) May 29, 2006 -- MetaLINCS™, a leading provider of E-Discovery software, today announced the availability of a trial offer that provides corporate legal teams, law firms and government agencies a free early assessment analysis of their electronic data pertaining to any legal matter. Qualified organizations can submit up to 10GB of electronic data for automated review and receive a customized Early Case Assessment Report of key results within 5 days. A sample report based on analysis of the Enron email database can be found at www.metalincs.com/promos/freeAssessment.html.

The free service specifically targets attorneys, investigators and litigation support professionals who desire a way to find key evidence in electronic information that is dramatically more reliable, timely and cost-effective than the current approaches to E-Discovery, which are almost entirely manual. Today's predominant best-practice methods for E-Discovery are dominated by service providers that employ a small army of people to collect, process and comb through electronic information. Not merely expensive, the service provider approach to E-Discovery is error-prone, time-consuming, and provides very limited visibility into the significance of the information discovered.

"The E-Discovery component of most legal matters and investigations come with short deadlines, which puts companies and law firms under tremendous pressure to produce information that can help them quickly assess their exposure and begin to build a case strategy," said Ramon Nunez, CEO of MetaLINCS. "Today's manual E-Discovery processes are too slow and tedious to allow for a fast, comprehensive understanding of the information at hand. Early case assessment enables legal teams to find and drill down on the most relevant case material during the earliest stages of a case and demonstrates the power of early knowledge."

E-Discovery is now the most costly component of the legal and investigatory process, and as it grows in complexity, the associated costs and risks continue to soar. The ability to assess cases at their earliest stages can reduce overall e-discovery costs by as much as 75%. Early assessment can also lead counsel to conclude that 80% of the data they processed is irrelevant, not requiring further examination. Such early insight can inform initial strategic decision-making and drive more favorable case outcomes.

Organizations that take advantage of the MetaLINCS' offer will receive a customized Early Case Assessment Report, featuring in-depth analysis results in the following areas:

Related Concepts – MetaLINCS provides a related concept analysis based on the keyword list you provide. This helps identify additional words and phrases that are relevant to the case.
Thread Analysis – For each of your keywords you can also see a list of the top email conversations involving that keyword. This analysis can help create a context for understanding each keyword and the people involved.

Social Network Analysis – Social Network Analysis shows the communication patterns of key individuals during critical time periods. These analyses reveal individuals you may not have known about or initially considered important to the case.
More information about this MetaLINCS free offer can be found at www.metalincs.com. Users can also register for the free Early Case Assessment by calling 1-800-221-6382.

About MetaLINCS eDiscovery Application
The MetaLINCS E-Discovery application offers corporate attorneys, investigators and litigators the most comprehensive E-Discovery review and analysis software available. The platform combines a patent-pending guided discovery process with a unique visual representation of the relationships between people, events, time, documents and communication patterns. This approach allows users to quickly gain an understanding of electronic information in context, which leads to more successful investigations, mitigates compliance risks, and reduces discovery and litigation costs.

About MetaLINCS
MetaLINCS is a leading provider of Electronic Discovery software. The company's flagship product, the MetaLINCS E-Discovery application, drives early and accurate case assessments by guiding users through the discovery process and suggesting new areas for analysis. Corporate attorneys, investigators and litigators are able to make better decisions earlier, boost discovery productivity, and ensure discovery consistency across cases. The MetaLINCS eDiscovery application is the first commercial software to visualize relationships between people, events, time, documents and communication patterns. Founded in 2003, MetaLINCS is a privately held company located in Mountain View, California and has received venture financing from ArrowPath Venture Capital, Newbury Ventures and Rembrandt Venture Partners. For more information about the company, visit www.metalincs.com.

MetaLINCS is a registered trademark of MetaLINCS. Any other marks used in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of the manufacturers or marketers of the products with which the marks are associated.

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Press Contact: Holly Berkley
Company Name: BERKLEY WEB STRATEGIES, LLC
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 800 921 0687
Website: http://www.metalincs.com

Reach Customers Right in their Pockets

Promotions via text message offer the most powerful advertising medium ever invented. The author bases this on the fact that 70% of all promotional text messages are opened and read.

Philadelphia (PRWEB) May 25, 2006 -- Advertisements on key chains are hot. Those are the little plastic membership key tags to Acme, Blockbuster, or a local gym.

What a powerful advertising medium this is. It’s right in the owner's pocket and he or she sees it every time they get into their car, arrive at the office, or come home.

Now, imagine if that key tag brought relevant and changing information to you every day. Imagine if that information was timely. Now, imagine that key tag beeped every time information arrived.

And, oh yeah. There are 214,175,214 of them in the United States.

Imagine the cell phone. The ubiquitous cell phone.

According to Frost & Sullivan, over 70% of all promotional text messages are opened and read. Compare that to email where less than 3% of all promotional email messages are opened and read. After all, how many more Viagra ads can we all read?

No doubt, the massive offshore spamming that has occurred in the email world has made email marketing ineffective. Similar spamming has not occurred in the area of text messaging, at least not yet. The carriers are diligently policing text message spam and advertisers are understandably reluctant to spam when the recipients may have to pay for receipt of the text message or count the message toward a finite amount of prepaid monthly texts.

Just 15% of the over 36 billion text messages sent in 2005 were deemed promotional messages, according to The Yankee Group. This means that a promotional message to an opt-in list will stand out.

But, how does one obtain an opt-in list?

“I like to think of it as A+B=C,” said Bob Bentz, Co-Owner of Advanced Telecom Services (www.advancedtele.com) . “Advertising agencies and consumer product companies use the ‘A’ to establish a database of opt-in users through an interactive promotion such as a sweepstakes or contest then provide the ‘B’ with ongoing value-added text message blasts. The ‘C’ then becomes the successful promotion.”

Bentz gave an example of a cosmetic product offering a contest to win a free makeover and weekend at a health spa via text message. All entrants in the contest would then be opted in to the database. Those consumers in the database would receive two text messages per week with a makeup tip and a product discount from the cosmetic company.

“The fact that over 70% of promotional text messages are opened and read is a phenomenal statistic,” added Bentz. “With channel flipping and competition on a print page, surely television, radio, and newspaper cannot say that any where near 70% of its audience actually ‘gets’ the advertising message.”

The New York Times said it best. “The cell phone is the most personal and immediate medium ever invented.” The success of promotional text messaging is proving just that.

By Anthony Wayne
Text Message Blog (www.textmessageblog.blogspot.com)

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Press Contact: Robert Bentz
Company Name: ADVANCED TELECOM SERVICES
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1.610.254.7191
Website: http://www.advancedtele.com

ThinSpring Presented “SPL Downstream – XML Content and Final Package Labeling” To The Pharmaceutical Packaging And Labeling Committee (PP&LC)

ThinSpring, a leading provider of XML-based solutions such as SPL Server™ and the FDA’s Electronic Labeling Information Processing System (ELIPS), has presented “SPL Downstream – XML Content and Final Package Labeling” to the Pharmaceutical Packaging And Labeling Committee (PP&LC). The presentation was given by Ron Celeste, CEO of ThinSpring, on May 8, 2006, in Forth Worth, Texas.

Forth Worth, Texas (PRWEB) May 26, 2006 –- ThinSpring, a leading provider of XML-based solutions such as SPL Server™ and the FDA’s Electronic Labeling Information Processing System (ELIPS), has presented “SPL Downstream – XML Content and Final Package Labeling” to the Pharmaceutical Packaging And Labeling Committee (PP&LC). The presentation was given by Ron Celeste, CEO of ThinSpring, on May 8, 2006, in Forth Worth, Texas.

Structure Product Labeling (SPL) and Product Information Management (PIM) deal specifically with the submission of labeling content to the regulatory authorities for approval. Once that content has been approved, the PP&LC members need it to produce the physical labeling that goes on the drug product containers, inner cartons, outer cartons, and shipping containers. XML data file formats are new to this community, and there is a need to focus on style and presentation. Packaging engineers have to consider challenges such as an aging population and a novel design for single dose packaging. They are used to working with binary file formats such as Quark, Illustrator, PDF, and encapsulated post script. The presentation addressed the concept of using one XML-based content repository to serve multiple purposes including regulatory submission and finished package labeling. This transition requires an initial focus on education, training and process redesign.

The United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently uses ELIPS as a part of the process to internally validate SPL submissions from pharmaceutical manufacturers. The FDA made SPL mandatory as of November 3, 2005. Shortly after that in December of 2005, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) saw the first use of its PIM system.

For more information, go to the ThinSpring website or contact Ron Celeste at (908) 595-2145. For access to the presentation, go to the ThinSpring website and click on “Request Access to PP&LC Presentation.”

About ThinSpring:
ThinSpring, founded by former pharmaceutical and medical device professionals, specializes in XML-based Web service solutions, integration and data conversion. ThinSpring has used its industry expertise to develop a dynamic XML engine, MatriXML™. This patented XML technology is the basis for SPL Server™. ThinSpring’s solutions have gained acceptance as an essential, collaborative application-development platform for FDA regulated companies. ThinSpring’s core team manages technology and regulatory consulting divisions that support its clients’ operations throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America. ThinSpring headquarters is in Bridgewater, New Jersey, with offices in California and North Carolina. More information about ThinSpring and ThinSpring SPL Server™, can be found on their website at: http://www.ThinSpring.com.

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Press Contact: Ron Celeste
Company Name: ThinSpring
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 908-595-2145
Website: http://www.thinspring.com

PrivaTech Launches Customized Canadian Privacy Training Programs

PrivaTech Consulting has designed Canadian privacy training programs that build privacy awareness. These customized privacy training sessions can be directed to senior executives and privacy officers, or employees of an organization, and focus on privacy law developments in Canada and avoiding corporate privacy breaches.

(PRWEB) May 25, 2006 -- PrivaTech Consulting is making privacy training a top priority. PrivaTech’s clients are quickly realizing that privacy training is a sound business investment.

PrivaTech has designed a privacy training program for privacy officers and senior executives to assist them in:
•    understanding the implications of recent privacy commissioner decisions;
•    overseeing an effective privacy impact assessment based on generally accepted privacy principles; and
•    developing privacy risk management plans.

PrivaTech has also redesigned its employee privacy training programs to build privacy awareness. Most privacy breaches involving the loss, misuse, unauthorized access or unauthorized disclosure of personal information are due to employee mistakes. Employee mistakes can be costly…but they are avoidable. PrivaTech’s privacy workshops and seminars give employees a clear understanding of their responsibilities through department specific training, practical tips and case studies that employees can relate to.

“PrivaTech took the time to truly understand our business before launching a multi-level privacy training program within our company, involving senior executives, department managers and front line staff. The results were spectacular – employees are empowered with the ability to make informed decisions that better protect the sensitive personal information we hold”, says Louise Turgeon, Privacy Officer and CFO of ESI Canada Inc. “After the first round of training, privacy issues were being identified and brought to the forefront before they resulted in bigger problems, reducing our cost of doing business.”

“Every organization is at a different stage with respect to their privacy compliance initiatives. Our goal is to develop a culture of privacy within the organization so risks can be quickly identified and managed”, says Fazila Nurani, founder of PrivaTech Consulting.

For more information on PrivaTech’s privacy training visit http://www.privatech.ca/privacy-solutions/workshops-seminars/index.cfm?WT.mc_id=pr0506

PrivaTech Consulting, based in Toronto, Ontario, specializes in advising private and public sector organizations on compliance with Canadian privacy laws. PrivaTech’s consultants and lawyers also write articles for PrivaTalk, a leading monthly privacy newsletter published by PrivaTech.

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Press Contact: Fazila Nurani
Company Name: PrivaTech Consulting
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 905-886-0751
Website: http://www.privatech.ca/index.cfm?WT.mc_id=pr0506

Modern Day Estate Planning For The Intangibles

Ronald E. Hudkins, U.S.Army, SFC, Military Police Corps. (Retired) and President of American Industry Maintenance (AIM), LLC at AssetProtectNow.com address the importance of intangible digital assets in ones modern day estate planning considerations.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) May 25, 2006 - Every state has statutes and mechanisms in place that deal with disposal of tangible assets whether the deceased had a will or not. According to Ronald Hudkins, a leading expert in the field, families might fight over who gets the house, the cars, the stocks and the cash, but there is generally no question about where such property is located. Ronald Hudkins of AssetProtectNow.com offers advice on the subject.

“On the other hand, Hudkins said, many of the questions surrounding intangible digital assets are just beginning to be asked, much less answered. Estate planning in the information age raises a whole new set of issues that just didn’t exist even as few as ten years ago.”

“When a person dies, for example, who inherits the computer files, the web pages, blogs and emails? More complicated yet, how are online bank accounts, stock holdings that exist entirely in digital media, or the rights to an exclusively online business to be handled? The proliferation of online businesses and the world’s propensity for doing paperless business means that digital holdings very often have considerable monetary value. What if nobody knows your passwords or your various usernames? Do your digital assets just disappear into the ether? Can your online business be seized and sold to pay your creditors? These are important matters to consider in our modern times,” Hudkins said.

Hudkins further stated, “The dynamic nature of Internet transactions makes their inclusion in a will eminently impractical. User names and passwords change, new businesses are created, new stocks are e-traded, and new email accounts come into being. Changing a will, or adding a codicil, every time your online dealings change is not at all feasible.”

He likewise advised, “Even though the law governing digital assets is unclear, largely because it hasn’t yet been written, there are ways to protect those assets and make sure your heirs are able to locate and use them.”

“First, keep a master list of all your online dealings, complete with urls, user names and passwords,” Hudkins said. “The list should include items like domain names, where they are registered, and when they need to be renewed to keep the business name and Internet location. Put this particular information on paper, update it every time something new is added or something old deleted, and keep it in a safe place with your other important business papers, preferably in a safety container.”

Hudkins also advised, “Make sure your attorney or your estate executor is aware of the list, even if you don’t want it opened until after your death. Instruct your executor or attorney as to when the list is to become available to your heirs – for example in the case of serious illness in the event that someone needs to take care of online business transactions in your stead. Such instructions may or may not be legally binding, but chances are your instructions will be followed, as a matter of moral obligation.”

“If you have a prosperous online business, online bank accounts, e-trade accounts, or other valuable digital assets, those need to be figured into your estate planning,” Hudkins said. “Otherwise, your heirs may be stuck with a messy situation and many unexpected expenses, or even legal challenges to deal with – problems that your estate planning was initially designed to protect against.”

About Ronald E. Hudkins;
Ronald Hudkins is a retired U.S. Army Military Police member that was assigned as a staff researcher.     He has coordinated with military and criminal investigators, set on court marshals and worked closely with the Staff Judge Advocate Generals Office (JAG). He has a keen sense of legal matters - their interpretation, initiatives and guidelines.     For imperative financial planning needs he suggests his book “Asset Protection and Estate Planning for All Ages.” He offers a Free Newsletter at his web site: http://www.AssetProtectNow.com. The site includes an article directory for edification and has recently established a new Forum for consumer discussions, debates and concerns.

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Press Contact: Ronald Hudkins
Company Name: AMERICAN INDUSTRY MAINTENANCE
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 720-274-2464
Website: http://www.assetprotectnow.com

LegalDirectoryServices.com Launches a Free Directory of all Attorneys in the United States

www.LegalDirectoryServices.com launches a free directory of all Attorneys in the United States. This easy to navigate breakdown of over 925,000 listings is probably the fastest way to find an appropriate attorney in any of all 50 states.

Westbank, BC (PRWEB) May 23, 2006 -- www.LegalDirectoryServices.com launches a free directory of all Attorneys in the United States. As a starting point we have entered the name and firm's contact information for all the legal Attorneys we could find.

The listings are categorized by Area of Law and then by State and then by City.

This easy to navigate breakdown of over 925,000 listings is probably the fastest way to find an appropriate attorney in any of all 50 states. We hope we have everyone in our directory - if not then an attorney may add their free listing to our directory at www.LegalDirectoryServices.com by joining our site at no cost and publishing their listing.

We have included as much information as we could to make the listings useful to potential clients and other attorneys who may need to refer a client based on their listed Area of Law and location. We believe that this valuable venue will enhance the business prospects of all attorneys as it provides even more exposure to potential clients than any local advertising could ever do for them.

If an attorney feels that they would like an enhanced listing that would move their listing to the top of our alphabetical list of lawyers in their city then there is a very low fee of $50.00 per year to have a "Featured Listing" at the city level in your area of law. This fee is used to support the costs of operating and promoting this free directory.

We feel strongly that our directory will be an instant hit with clients and attorneys as it provides a level and affordable field of both free listings and reasonably priced enhanced listings that each attorney can add and edit at will. We have provided security measures that ensure that only the attorney who owns a listing can edit their own listings.

Please visit our legal services directory at www.LegalDirectoryServices.com and see how easy it is to find an appropriate lawyer in your city. If you are an attorney then take a look to see if your listings are already in our directory. If they are and we have your email listed in the directory then we will be emailing you your login details in the next few days. If your email address is missing, you can register with us and claim your listings so that you can have control over them in our directory.

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Press Contact: Gerry Bakker
Company Name: LegalDirectoryServices.com
Phone: 250-768-2677
Website: http://LegalDirectoryServices.com

New Blog Carnival Gives Nonprofits Best of Free Consulting Advice Online

Nonprofit organizations now have a simple way to find the best free advice that consultants are offering to them online via blogs – the new Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. Each Monday, the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants will present seven of the best blog posts of the previous week. More info is available at http://www.writing911.com/carnival

Lexington, NC (PRWEB) May 24, 2006 -- Nonprofit organizations now have a simple way to find the best free advice that consultants are offering to them online via blogs – the new Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants. Each Monday, the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants will present seven of the best blog posts of the previous week. Topics will include everything from fundraising and management to communications and technology. The first edition will be published June 12, 2006.

Nonprofits interested in reading the carnival editions can subscribe by going to the Carnival’s homepage at http://www.Writing911.com/carnival. The page features an RSS feed, as well as an email subscription option. Subscribers will be notified when a new edition of the carnival is available and where it can be found online. An archive of all of the editions will also be available on the page.

Consultants interested in contributing to the Carnival can visit the home page at http://www.Writing911.com/carnival for information on how to submit their blog posts for consideration each week, starting June 5. They can also join the contributors’ mailing list to get reminders about deadlines and themes. Consultants who add the Carnival’s logo to their blog will be added to the permanent blogroll (list of links) on the Carnival home page.

Blog carnivals are a fast-growing tool for Web users who want help wading through the blogosphere. They are often compared to magazines or journals, because they are formatted as editions with annotated links to articles. “Blog carnivals have been a useful way for bloggers to increase their traffic and participate in communities that discuss issues they are passionate about,” says Brad Rubenstein, CTO of Blog Carnival (http://blogcarnival.com), which helps bloggers organize and promote blog carnivals. “The bloggers who host and contribute to carnivals form online communities related to topics as varied as finance, law, cooking, and sports. Blog Carnival looks forward to serving the not-for-profit community along with the Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants," says Rubenstein.

The Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants is organized by Kivi Leroux Miller, president of EcoScribe Communications and Writing911.com. “The quality of advice that consultants are offering through blogs is incredible, but it’s hard for nonprofits to find that advice and to sort through it regularly,” says Miller. “The Carnival will help solve that problem by providing the best of the consultant blogs each week.” It will also provide consultants with a new way to market themselves and to build their own professional networks, says Miller.

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Press Contact: Kivi Leroux Miller
Company Name: WRITING911.COM
Phone: 336-499-5816
Website: http://www.writing911.com/carnival

New Website Fills Business Appointment Books 24/7

NextAvailable.Com is the first appointment self-scheduling site that uses a search engine to promote service providers. Consumers are drawn to the site looking for the next available appointment for a wide variety of businesses in any U.S. city. By allowing clients to self-schedule and confirm instantly, businesses attract new clients, keep existing clients happy and cut both admin time and expense.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.(PRWEB) May 24, 2006 -– A new web site, NextAvailable.Com, which debuted in February of this year is a sign of the times for business owners. The site allows busy consumers in every U.S. city to search for and self-schedule the “next available” appointment for businesses of all types. The Next Available® search engine connects consumers and businesses by appointment, and services the growing community of online consumers who either cannot or will not plan ahead.

Developed as a result of continuing consumer trends, the site provides an innovative online forum for businesses and consumers to meet – “in the now.” Customers with urgent service needs are an important source of revenue and goodwill to business owners, and a potential loss to businesses that appear to be unavailable. The site also addresses an often-overlooked source of revenue for businesses: travelers and temporary residents.

“As consumers we expect to book our appointments the same way we book flights and hotels,” said Bonnie Garvey, President of NextAvailable, LLC. “NextAvailable.Com provides the low-cost essential toolkit for businesses to meet consumers’ online scheduling and time management demands.”

How It Works
The service works like this: Using a simple web interface, businesses post appointment availability online, along with a detailed business profile to attract newcomers. Consumers use the search feature on the site’s home page to find appointment openings by date and time. Consumers can search for both the Next Available® appointment starting in the next 15 minutes, or up to 30 days in advance. The search engine returns a list of all businesses with appointment openings that meet the consumer’s criteria. After browsing the profiles of available businesses, consumers self-schedule appointments on the spot. Established clientele can also bypass the search engine to do business directly with their preferred providers.

According to Nielsen’s NetRatings, as of February 2006, 74% of Americans use the Internet, and those users average 30.5 hours online per month. According to a March 2006 special issue of Time, over 95% of affluent Americans made a purchase online in 2005. And the trend is growing. The next generation of consumers promises to be even more tech reliant.

NextAvailable.Com promises businesses an increase in new customer activity, improved goodwill among current customers, and a decrease in administrative time and costs. According to site subscriber Christine Trice, owner of Brown Bag Botanicals pre-natal massage, “I no longer have to worry about lost business due to a missed phone call. My admin time has dropped while bookings have increased.”

Pricing and Availability
At a base price of $20 monthly, businesses can get online and appear in availability searches quickly. Pricing includes a one-page unique website with free video upload and placement in the Next Available® search engine. Retail and non-service based businesses can also use the site to meet internal time management needs. Businesses can sign up online from the site’s home page.

NextAvailable.Com, owned by NextAvailable, LLC, also provides a free survey feature where consumers and businesses can sound off about the site. The company hopes that open communication with the public will help to maintain its pulse on current trends.

For more information, visit the web site at http://NextAvailable.Com.    

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Press Contact: Bonnie Garvey
Company Name: NextAvailable, LLC
Phone: 916.419.4178
Website: http://nextavailable.com  
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Copywriter’s Ad Blog Stays Fresh, Attracts Business Worldwide

It’s a fact: most blogs fizzle after just a few months. What, then, has kept John Kuraoka’s Ad Blog going for more than three years? In a word: success.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 24, 2006 –- John Kuraoka is not a name that rolls trippingly off the tongue (according to his Web site, it’s pronounced “koo-rah-oh-kah”). But Kuraoka’s Ad Blog, started back in February 2003, has helped give him a national and even international business presence.

Kuraoka is a freelance advertising copywriter and creative director based in San Diego, California. His Ad Blog focuses on the creative side of advertising, branding, and marketing. But, he frequently veers off into social commentary, particularly when writing about a pet topic: advertising aimed at children.

What has kept Kuraoka’s Ad Blog fresh for more than three years?

“Advertising!” he answers. “Advertising today is in a state of constant invention and re-invention. You can’t be in this industry – really in it – and not stay fresh.”

“I’m in the trenches every day,” he says. “I’m a copywriter, not a commentator. I get paid to create advertising, not follow it or explain it.” As a perverse result, his Ad Blog follows and explains advertising very well.

Kuraoka is no newcomer to advertising or blogging. He has 23 years in the advertising industry, and has maintained his family’s weekly online journal since 1998. He keeps blogging partly because, as a writer, it’s in his blood and partly because it brings him business.

“I just finished a project for a company in Lucerne, Switzerland. I’ve had clients in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Costa Rica. Here in the U.S., I’ve had clients in a dozen states, scattered across all the time zones.”

“The power of the web puts my portfolio on your desktop, whether you’re in Paris or Peoria. But the power of the blog puts me there in-person. A blog conveys voice and personality. It gives me the chance to build rapport.”

“And it’s rapport, not contact,” he says, “that’s the first step to a sale.”

You can read Kuraoka’s views on advertising and copywriting, with new entries almost every business day, at http://www.kuraoka.com/adblog.

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Press Contact: John Kuraoka
Company Name:
Phone: 619-465-6100
Website: http://www.kuraoka.com/

Real Estate Leaders Unite at Official Real Estate Blog Site - Blogging Systems, in Association with RealtyU Partner, Launch New Real Estate Blog, www.RealBlogging.com

New Real Estate Blog offers industry networking, links to conference and events, access to the Real Estate Dictionary of Real Estate Words and Terms, online discussion opportunities with industry leaders offering critical information that savvy real estate pro's shouldn't do business without.

Princeton Junction, NJ, May 11, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- Blogging Systems, http://www.bloggingsystems.com, the leading real estate blog solutions company that positions realtors and brokers as vital to their communities, today announced, in association with RealtyU, the launch of a new industry blog; RealBlogging, http://www.realblogging.com.

Real Estate marketing tools are often perceived to be more abundant than properties in today's competitive real estate market. The difficulty for many real estate professionals is gaining a clear understanding of which real estate marketing tools will generate the most leads and glean the highest percent of closings.

For this reason, a group of leading real estate brokers, agents, authors, speakers and leaders are posting their knowledge about various real estate marketing tools and how they can impact real estate professionals.

Richard Nacht, Blogging Systems ceo, for example, has recently posted an easy to understand explanation of Real Simple Syndication (RSS) news feeds. After reading his post, savvy real estate professionals should understand the importance of including an RSS feed as part of their web promotions strategy.

"BloggingSystems is extremely pleased to, in association with RealtyU, be launching www.RealBlogging.com, the Official Real Estate Industry Blog, at such a critical time period for real estate professionals," said Nacht. "The site is intended to provide balanced views and to be a forum for all real estate professionals to discuss all aspects important to the industry."

One of the top real estate performers in the nation, Ralph Roberts, is heavily participating on www.RealBlogging.com via a series of important posts designed to educate real estate pro's about real estate fraud.

To participate in industry leader blog posts visit www.RealBlogging.com.

To learn about setting up your own real estate blog visit www.BloggingSystems.com.

About Blogging Systems
Blogging Systems positions realtors and brokers as vital to their communities by enabling them to provide critical local information via the flagship CommunityPublisher blog tool. Affiliate Publisher enables companies wishing to ally themselves with realtors, such as mortgage companies, attorneys, title companies, etc., the ability to set up and maintain a sponsored web site. RealtyPublisher is the broker version of CommunityPublisher and the TeamPublisher blog product offers groups and multi-users an effective instrument for team collaboration and project management.

For more information about how to add a blog to your real estate marketing tools, visit: www.BloggingSystems.com or call: 800-985-BLOG (800-985-2564)

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Contact Information

Blogging Systems, LLC
Jolina Pettice
952 400 0349
jpettice@misukanisodden.com
www.bloggingsystems.com

Asset Protection Seminar - Free for Attorneys

The Asset Protection Institute is sponsoring two free, 3-hour CLE seminars on Asset Protection. June 14, 2006 in Beverly Hills and June 15, 2006 in San Francisco.

(PRWEB) May 19, 2006 -- The Asset Protection Institute, and conjunction with Rochdale Offshore, presents two, free, CLE programs on Asset Protection. Each program will qualify for 3 hours of CLE credits for attending attorneys.

The program will feature such renowned asset protection attorneys as Jacob Stein and Robert Klueger, two of the best known speakers on the subject of asset protection. The program will focus on protect assets from plaintiffs, lawsuits and creditors in an effecient and ethical manner.

The program will be held on June 14, 2006, at 5:30 pm at the Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills, and on June 15, 2006, at 5:30 pm at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco. Dinner will be served.

Attorneys and CPAs interested in attending should email

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Press Contact: Jacob Stein
Company Name: Asset Protection Institute
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 818-598-2252
Website: www.maximumassetprotection.com

GEMCare Health Plan Inc. Chooses Dynamic Healthcare Systems' Voyager Software Suite to Optimize Medicare Business

GEMCare Health Plan, Inc. purchased Dynamic’s complete Voyager Software Suite to automate and streamline back office operations while ensuring compliance with new guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) May 16, 2006 -- Dynamic Healthcare Systems, a provider of innovative solutions for Medicare-focused health plans, today announced that GEMCare Health Plan, Inc. purchased Dynamic’s complete Voyager Software Suite to automate and streamline back office operations while ensuring compliance with new guidelines issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Voyager Suite provides GEMCare with comprehensive Medicare Advantage management capabilities, from automated enrollment and revenue reconciliation to risk adjustment analytics.

“Dynamic’s Voyager software suite provides us with a complete and seamless solution that will help us optimize and automate administrative tasks, while allowing us to enhance delivery of services to our members and maximize our revenue growth and cost-reduction opportunities,” said Michael Myers, President and CEO of GEMCare Health Plan, Inc. “We chose Dynamic as our technology partner for their flexibility in managing our data and integrating to our existing systems to provide better data quality and reporting across all functions.”

Voyager’s versatile modules deliver intelligent, comprehensive Medicare Advantage management capabilities. Its Enrollment Module provides multi-form election validation, workflow tracking and inventory management, with direct CMS transaction submission and rejection processing. The software’s RAPS/Encounter Management Module helps GEMCare automate the way they accept, manage and exchange RAPS encounter data in conjunction with CMS. The HCC Analytics solution analyzes and enriches that information by applying complex algorithms to identify suspected missing or mis-coded diagnostic ICD9 codes and using secondary data like prescriptions, lab results and authorizations to further identify potential missing HCCs.

“We are pleased that GEMCare selected our complete software suite to help them with their transition to meet new revenue models defined by CMS,” said Ken Stockman, Dynamic’s founder and CEO. “Our goal is to help organizations like GEMCare maximize their revenue cycles, and scale their membership without adding additional staff, using innovative technology to automate and improve back-office operations. Our Voyager solution was specifically designed to help plans and MSOs address evolving and more complex regulatory requirements.”

About GEMCare Health Plan, Inc.
GEMCare Health Plan is a for profit, Knox Keene licensed Medicare Services Health plan, owned by Golden Empire Managed Care, A Medical Group Inc, and Managed Care Systems, LP. GEMCare Health Plan is headquartered in Bakersfield, California. GEMCare Health Plan can be reached at (661) 716-8800 and www.gemcarehealthplan.com

About Dynamic Healthcare Systems
Dynamic Healthcare Systems, Inc. delivers comprehensive solutions for Medicare Advantage health plans and MSOs striving to succeed amid new and evolving regulatory requirements. Headquartered in Irvine, California, the company brings world-class innovations to middle market companies serving the Medicare population. Dynamic Healthcare Systems can be reached at (949) 975-1877 and www.dynamichealthsys.com

# # #

Press Contact: Grace Adams
Company Name: DYNAMIC HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS INC.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 310.938.2682
Website: www.dynamichealthsys.com

1st Commercial Credit Provides Working Capital for the Biochemical Technology Industry

Accounts receivable financing has been offered as a source of funding to a newly formed biochemical company with synthetic chemistry patents and a projected sales volume of $2.2 million.

El Paso, TX (PRWEB) May 15, 2006 -- 1st Commercial Credit has provided accounts receivable financing for a biochemical company that specializes in defining and delivering advanced chemical and biochemical technologies. These strategic technologies are employed in the design, discovery, delivery, and development of new drugs and are used by the major fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies during the manufacturing process.

According to Raul Esqueda, Founder and President of 1st Commercial Credit: “I am glad that CFO’s and CEO’s are starting to realize the simplicity of our receivable-based financing program. Here is a perfect example of a biochemical company (with years of research and development) with no historical revenues on their financial statements. Despite this fact, they still have access to an initial $2.5 million in accounts receivable financing to fuel their growth.”

1st Commercial Credit establishes accounts receivable credit lines based on the credit worthiness of their clients’ customers. Accounts receivable financing is not a loan; instead, it is viewed as a purchase of the company's invoices. Clients are able to offer net 30-day terms to their customers and still obtain immediate cash as they generate invoices.

The working capital provided will increase, as needed, in order to sustain exponential growth. 1st Commercial Credit can provide receivable-based credit lines up to $10 million.

For more information, visit: www.1stCommercialCredit.com
1st Commercial Credit of El Paso, TX, provides accounts receivable financing in the US, Canada, and the UK and offers export trade financing to clients in every major world market. They are also able to convert receivable finance transactions in 17 currencies.

US and Canada Tel 1 800 450 9653
United Kingdom Tel 0 800 404 9669

# # #

Press Contact: Raul Esqueda
Company Name: 1st Commercial Credit
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 915-351-1300
Website: www.1stCommercialCredit.com

Canadian Pharmacy Subsidizes Medicare Premiums for American Seniors

American seniors enjoy the best of both worlds when they combine the advantages of enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug plan with the great savings of having their prescriptions filled in Canada. In addition to providing significant price savings during gaps in coverage, one licensed Canadian pharmacy is also rescuing many American seniors who cannot afford to pay for their medications by subsidizing their Medicare prescription drug plan’s monthly premiums.

Winnipeg, Canada (PRWEB) May 11, 2006 – According to a recent study conducted by licensed Canadian pharmacy, APTECHA Inc, American seniors will need to spend $7900 a year on prescription drug costs under the new Medicare prescription drug plan to match the same level of savings they would otherwise enjoy on a daily basis with every order from its pharmacy in Canada. But rather than discouraging patients from enrolling in a Medicare prescription drug plan, APTECHA Inc is actively encouraging their customers to join the 37 million American seniors that have already signed up for the program to date.

“We’re encouraging all of our patients to enroll in the least expensive Medicare prescription drug plan in their region, while continuing to use APTECHA as their primary pharmacy,” says Mike Palitsky, CFO at APTECHA Inc. “Combining these two choices offers the best solution when it comes time for an American senior to make a decision about Medicare. They will enjoy great savings immediately in Canada and the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will be covered if their drug costs suddenly rise in the future.”

The solution recommended by Palitsky provides the American senior with the greatest savings and prescription drug coverage across all situations. When a patient’s annual drug costs are low, they enjoy an average savings of 47% on all their prescription drug orders at APTECHA Inc, when compared to pharmacies south of the border. If a patient’s annual drug costs suddenly rise in the future because of a newly diagnosed condition such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease, they can then take advantage of the greater savings offered by their Medicare prescription drug plan’s catastrophic drug coverage benefit.

As an added incentive to keep prescription drug orders flowing north of the border into Canada, Palitsky is also encouraging American seniors to register for APTECHA Inc’s Medicare Companion Plan. Here, 5% of a patient’s total purchases with APTECHA, up to a maximum of $75, are put into a personal Medicare Premium Savings Account and can later be directly applied against the cost of their Medicare prescription drug plan’s monthly premiums.

For Joe and Cheryl Jackman, APTECHA Inc’s Medicare Companion Plan is a welcomed relief when it comes to the high cost of medications in the United States. Together, the Jackmans are set to spend more than $800 on the cost of Medicare premiums alone and more than $4200 on their medications in the coming year. With the solution recommended by Palitsky, APTECHA Inc’s Medicare Companion Plan would contribute a combined total of $98.70 towards the cost of their Medicare premiums and their medication bill would come down to $1974 when filled in Canada.

“We’re really hurting with these drug prices down here and we just don’t know how things are going to go with Medicare,” says Cheryl Jackman, an 80-year-old from Onalaska, Texas. When asked how she felt that a Canadian company is subsidizing her Medicare premiums, Jackman replied, “It’s nice to know that we can turn to someone for help when we can’t get any down here.”

APTECHA Inc is licensed by the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and has been safely dispensing medications to residents of the United States for 4 years. All Canadian medications are approved for sale by Health Canada and are only dispensed by licensed pharmacists.

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Press Contact: Mike Palitsky
Company Name: APTECHA INC
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 2046975881
Website:

Florida Law Firm Launches Website Focused On Childhood Injuries

After practicing law for over 30 years W.M. Chanfrau felt there was a need to develop a website which deals exclusively with the complex nature of childhood injuries.

Daytona Beach, FL (PRWEB) May 13, 2006 -- The personal injury law firm of Chanfrau & Chanfrau recently announced the launch of a new website dedicated to child related injuries http://www.helpforinjuredchildren.com . After practicing law for over 30 years W.M. Chanfrau has seen first hand how children’s injuries differ from adults in the same or similar circumstances. He felt there was a strong need to develop a website which deals exclusively with the complex damages and fragile nature of childhood injuries. Children face special dangers in a number of key areas including daycare accidents, defective toys and products, automobile car seats and airbag injuries as well as medical misdiagnosis because of their limited communications skills.

In addition to specific information about children’s accidents and injuries the new website provides links to numerous health and safety websites as well as a growing section on helping families prevent childhood injuries.

Located in Daytona Beach Florida, the law firm of Chanfrau & Chanfrau has been helping injured victims and their families for over three decades. W.M. Chanfrau is a Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and William M. Chanfrau Jr. is a former Assistant State Attorney and Past President of the Volusia County Bar Association.

For more information visit http://www.helpforinjuredchildren.com or call (800) 969-7313.

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Press Contact: W. M. Chanfrau
Company Name:
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 386-258-7313
Website: www.helpforinjuredchildren.com

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Odin, Feldman & Pittleman Attorney Starts E-Commerce Legal Blog

Jonathan Frieden takes to the Web to reach clients and further the discussion about e-commerce through his E-Commerce Law blog.

FAIRFAX, VA (PRWEB) May 12, 2006 -- When Jonathan Frieden graduated from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1997, ‘blogging’ wasn’t even a part of his vernacular. Now, nearly a decade later, Frieden has joined a growing number of professionals who are taking to the Internet to inform, educate and engage.

Frieden, now a partner at the Fairfax, Va. law firm of Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, started his E-Commerce Law blog at http://www.ecommercelaw.typepad.com in April. He discusses news, trends and legal issues affecting businesses that sell, purchase or transact business over the Internet.

“My clients expect me to be knowledgeable about e-commerce legal issues, and they also expect me to stay current on emerging business issues and technology news,” Frieden explains. “For an attorney who serves e-commerce businesses, blogging was a logical move.”

The site is seeing an increasing number of hits, and within six months Frieden hopes to have hooked a loyal readership interested in exchanging dialogue about the constantly changing world of e-commerce.

According to a 2005 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly one in four Americans are blog readers. Other statistics show that 75 percent of blog readers go to these sites for news that they can’t get anywhere else.

“Right now the discussion on e-commerce business and legal issues is fairly limited,” says Frieden. “There are not a lot of sources for people to go to that report on it in-depth with any sort of regularity. E-Commerce Law is an attempt to fill that gap.”

While statistics on how blogs are helping to engage clients are limited and primarily anecdotal, a growing number of companies are giving it a try.

“This year, 27 of the Fortune 500 companies have public bloggers,” says Frieden. “I expect that number to double or triple by the time the list comes out next year.”

In addition to e-commerce law, Odin, Feldman & Pittleman’s primary practice areas include technology and intellectual property; real estate & land us;, bankruptcy & creditors’ rights; corporate, securities, tax and finance; family law and domestic relations; labor and employment; litigation; trusts, estates and tax planning; arbitration and mediation; banking and finance; and construction law.

For more information contact Sarah Montezon at 703-218-2340 or visit our Web site at http://www.ofplaw.com.

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Press Contact: Sarah Montezon
Company Name: ODIN, FELDMAN & PITTLEMAN, PC
Phone: 703-218-2340
Website: http://www.ecommercelaw.typepad.com

Corporate Blogging: Six Steps Help Ensure At-Work Blogs Are An Asset

If you are searching for effective ways to increase traffic to your company web site, encourage key employees to blog, but set a policy first to help ensure success. Search engines like Google elevate the rankings of web sites with continually changing content, and frequent postings to blogs are an ideal way to take advantage of that system. One important key to blogging success is to establish a well-defined policy before the practice is sanctioned at your work.

Portland, ME (PRWEB) May 10, 2006 -- If you are searching for effective ways to increase traffic to your company web site, you might want to encourage key employees to blog, but set a policy first to help ensure success.

Search engines like Google elevate the rankings of web sites with continually changing content, and frequent postings to blogs are an ideal way to take advantage of that system. And according to many communications experts, blogs also allow companies to personalize their organizations, products and services, making a human connection with customers that is often difficult in this high-tech age.

One important key to blogging success is to establish a well-defined policy before the practice is sanctioned at your work. Large and small companies alike use blogging, and yet only 15 percent of companies have policies in place to address workplace blogging, according to a recent survey by the Employment Law Alliance.     Without a clear policy, the anything-goes, free-for-all attitude that flourishes on the Internet could harm your company's reputation.

“Whether a blog becomes a useful tool for your company, or a source of irritation, is a choice you can influence with the policies you adopt today,” says labor and employment law attorney James Erwin from Pierce Atwood LLP in Portland, Maine.

To begin, each workplace blogger needs specific permission and clear direction from management, making sure the employee understands that blogging is part of their job.     Agree in writing with the blogger as to the business purpose for the blog and then require the blogger to adhere to your blogging policy.

Attorney Erwin suggests a comprehensive policy that covers at least these six key areas:

1. Expressly include blogging within the same rules that govern acceptable use of email and Internet;

2. Prohibit employees from disclosing or discussing any confidential or proprietary information;

3. Remind employees that they are expected to be respectful of the company, its employees, its customers and its competitors; and are not to post material that contains harassing, discriminatory or threatening content, no matter when or where the blogging is conducted:

4. Require employees to use their real name, not an alias, and; employees must make it clear that the views they express online are their own and not those of the employer. This policy adds credibility to the blog, as it will be viewed by readers as an independent source of information.

5. Require that any reader responses to a blog be edited for profanity, harassing, discriminatory or threatening content directed toward the company, its employees, its customers, and its competitors.

6. Create an agreement with each blogger as to the purpose of the blog, the amount of company time you will allow the blogger to devote to the practice, and any necessary restrictions regarding overtime compensation for off-site blogging.

By adopting policies that expressly address blogging, Erwin says that an employer can educate employees on specific limits and expectations. If it becomes necessary to take action against an employee because of inappropriate blogging, the employer will have fairly warned of what is problematic and what the consequences may be. This simple step will mitigate the effect on employee morale. It will also enable the employer to point to an objective, policy-based rationale for its decision to discipline or terminate, buttressing its defenses against claims of discrimination or retaliation.

If your company does not have a blog, you are missing out on an important communications medium. Currently 10 million workplace bloggers are active. More join the ranks daily. The smart ones are guided by a blogging policy that encourages meaningful communications and discourages destructive discourse.

Pierce Atwood LLP is the largest law firm based in northern New England and has 120 attorneys who serve regional, national and international clients from offices in Portland and Augusta, Maine; Portsmouth and Concord, New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts. For more information about the firm, its attorneys and services, please visit www.pierceatwood.com.

Contact: Jennifer Whittier
Phone: 207-791-1244

Press Contact: Melissa Field
Company Name:
Phone: 207-229-7136
Website: pierceatwood.com

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2006-07 Internet Marketing Attorney Rankings and Web Awards Released; Holland & Hart, Reed Smith Bolt to the Top Among Nation's Largest Firms

The biannual Internet Marketing Attorney (IMA) web site reviews and awards have been released, with comments on each of the 250 largest U.S. law firm web sites, and additional reviews in the small/midsize firm category, and the return of the infamous Micah's Nifty Fifty. The IMAs continue to be the world's most comprehensive review of law firm web sites, with no associated fees, sponsorship or advertising of any kind permitted.

Moorestown, NJ (PRWEB) May 9, 2006 -- Holland & Hart and Reed Smith took top honors in the 2006-2007 web site ratings and review of the 250 largest law firms in the United States. The independent survey was conducted by marketing attorney Micah Buchdahl of InternetMarketingAttorney.Com and based on five criteria: design, content, usability, interactivity and intangibles.

Sites were awarded up to 10 points for each measure, for a maximum total score of 50. The high score was 45. Thirty firms rated a 38 or better to receive platinum, gold or silver honors in the U.S. large firm category. For the third time, reviews and awards were expanded to include a small/mid-size law firm category. The international category reviews (for non-U.S. firms) will be released in June.

“This is the fourth time I’ve gone through the IMA process and law firm web sites continue to improve by leaps and bounds,” said Buchdahl. “It was my intention to discontinue the reviews and Nifty 50 revue after the 2004-2005 edition, but many colleagues asked that I continue. And there were many new sites to see.”

A complete scoring list as well as details on the review process is posted at InternetMarketingAttorney.com.

Mr. Buchdahl, a Pennsylvania-licensed attorney, has been involved in law firm Internet business development for the last ten years. The IMA site prohibits vendor sponsorship, advertising or affiliations of any kind. While offering marketing expertise through HTMLawyers, Inc. Mr. Buchdahl does not sell web sites or related products to any firm. There are no fees of any kind associated with the IMA reviews.

2006-2007 IMA WINNERS

U.S. 250 Largest Law Firms Category (Listed Alphabetically; See Scoring Online for Order)

PLATINUM
Bullivant Houser Bailey
Holland & Hart
Kilpatrick Stockton
Littler Mendelson
Morrison & Foerster
Nelson Mullins
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Kimmel & Silverman
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Press Contact: Micah Buchdahl
Company Name: HTMLAWYERS, INC.
Phone: 856-234-4334
Website: www.InternetMarketingAttorney.com

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Drug Manufacturers Pursuing Operational Excellence But Still Lagging Behind Other Industries, Surveys Say

A new survey conducted by Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine, sponsored by Invistics Corp., reveals that pharmaceutical manufacturers are making great strides in the pursuit of operational excellence, but that some issues -- such as a disconnect between top management and the plant floor -- may be inhibiting further improvements.

Itasca, IL (PRWEB) May 9, 2006 -- The pharmaceutical industry has begun to embrace the principles of the Toyota Management System, the Japanese reinterpretation of concepts first advanced by Deming, Ford and Shewhart. More and more drug companies are taking a systematic approach to improving the way that they develop, manufacture and distribute drugs.

To track these trends, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine recently surveyed more than 100 top manufacturing professionals from within the industry. The survey, detailed in May’s issue of the magazine and sponsored by Invistics Corporation, suggests that drug manufacturers have achieved significant improvements in the area of operational excellence, though most such programs are in their early stages, and some may have sizable challenges yet to overcome. These findings were confirmed by a related survey conducted by Invistics in March.

Among the encouraging trends in the magazine’s survey:

• Most respondents describe their facilities’ operational excellence programs as closely aligned with their companies’ corporate missions and overall business goals
• For the most part, respondents say, they are getting clear key performance indicators (KPIs) from management
• Manufacturing teams are viewed by most respondents as being critical to improving efficiency and performance.
• More companies appear to view plant and equipment maintenance “strategically”
• Companies are working continuously to reduce set-up times and have already achieved positive results

Other findings in the survey, however, suggest potential trouble spots:
• While 56% of respondents, overall, believe that top management views their facilities as profit centers, 44% think that management sees them as cost centers.
• Customer input may not be as integral a part of the overall improvement process at drug manufacturing facilities as it is in other industries
• Nearly half of the respondents note a need to motivate continuous improvement from the plant floor-level up.
• Most respondents say that their facilities and organizations aren’t tying manufacturing employee compensation to plant efficiency and product quality improvements that they make on the job.
• Cross-functional training and product development appear to be issues for some companies; several respondents note a lack of communication between R&D and manufacturing
• Respondents cite “process innovation” and “reducing product prices” as low in their company’s priority lists.

Invistics’ survey of more than 100 pharmaceutical manufacturers confirmed some of the same findings while pointing to the need to boost results from performance improvement initiatives and technologies already in use. Less than half of the respondents in the March survey reported satisfactory results from initiatives like Lean and Six Sigma or technologies including ERP and inventory optimization.

Performance improvement, they say, is hampered by limited skills and training, lack of visibility into plant floor performance, a lack of metrics to motivate change and a lack of tools to manage variability. Manufacturers blamed excessive variability in products, processes and customer demand for creating customer service issues and difficulties in scheduling. Almost 90% said variability negatively impacts performance, often leaving them expediting orders, running out of products that they need or having more inventory than they want.

Both surveys delved into many other critical issues that drug manufacturers must address if they are to bring their facilities up to par with the operating standards already achieved in other industries:
• What strategies are being used to reduce manufacturing costs and assess customer needs
• Whether or not manufacturers are meeting specific quality and service improvement goals such as using statistical process control (SPC) to reduce process variance, improving the quality of raw materials, or reducing scrap and lead times
• How well organizations are managing workforce integration, cross-functional product development and preventive maintenance

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing's survey is the first installment of a work in progress that will be updated and improved regularly. Results of the survey, and interpretation of what it all means for pharmaceutical professionals, can be found in the magazine's May issue, or on www.PharmaManufacturing.com. For information on the Invistics survey, visit www.invistics.com.

About Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and PharmaManufacturing.com
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, published 10 times annually, is the only publication dedicated to meeting the needs of pharmaceutical manufacturing professionals and executives to improve product quality, boost efficiency and productivity, speed time to market, and stay up to date on industry best practices. PharmaManufacturing.com, the magazine’s online resource, features news, analysis, white papers, expert advice and other timeless resources for the pharmaceutical manufacturing community.

About Invistics
Invistics helps manufacturers in highly variable, asset-intensive industries such as pharmaceuticals achieve operational excellence in an often overlooked, yet core, element of their supply chain—production operations. Built on Lean and Six Sigma principles, its manufacturing performance optimization solution, Invistics MachSix™, is specifically designed to redefine complex plant-level tradeoffs between inventory costs, customer service, production throughput, and cycle times. Companies can use the MachSix methodology and software to identify and manage sources of variability while breaking down organizational silos. Invistics customers have achieved dramatic, sustained results including over 99% on-time deliveries, an average reduction of 50% in inventory and reduction in cycle times by more than half. MachSix integrates with, and enhances ERP, Supply Chain and manufacturing execution applications by providing more accurate data while accounting for variability and improving visibility into plant floor operations. To learn more about Invistics, visit www.invistics.com or call 800-601-3456.


Press Contact: Agnes Shanley
Company Name: PUTMAN MEDIA
Phone: 630-467-1301 410
Website: www.PharmaManufacturing.com

Plan Now To Take Advantage of Expiring Tax Breaks

Taxpayers need to plan ahead to take advantage of recently enacted tax breaks that are scheduled to sunset at some point between now and December 31, 2010.

(PRWEB) May 9, 2006 -- Taxpayers need to plan ahead to take advantage of recently enacted tax breaks that are scheduled to sunset at some point between now and December 31, 2010.

"Few can argue that the U.S. income tax code is easy to navigate. To complicate matters further, taxpayers need to plan ahead to take advantage of recently enacted tax breaks that are scheduled to sunset at some point between now and December 31, 2010,” explains Andrew Schwartz, CPA, founder of the MDTAXES Network, an affiliation of CPAs throughout the country that specializes in tax planning and preparation for healthcare professionals.

Below are some of the current tax savings opportunities with a limited shelf life, starting with those scheduled to expire at the end of 2007.

Energy Efficient Expenditures:

Last year's Tax Act provides incentives for people who make energy efficient improvements to their homes or commercial buildings. Plus, manufacturers of energy efficient appliances get a tax credit for each unit produced, so consumers should ensure that this tax break is passed along to them with each qualifying purchase made. And homeowners who purchase a newly constructed energy efficient home, or have their home substantially rehabbed, need to be aware that the contractor is eligible for a $2,000 tax credit from the IRS. Most of these energy efficient tax breaks end on December 31, 2007.

Increased Section 179 Deduction:

Through the end of 2007, taxpayers can elect to write-off the first $108,000 (in 2006, up from $105,000 in 2005) of equipment purchased each year, instead of depreciating the cost of that equipment over its useful life of 5 or 7 years. Starting in 2008, the Section 179 deduction will once again be limited to just $25,000 per year. Professionals purchasing a practice or adding equipment to their existing practice should consider doing so before December 31, 2007, to allow for a much larger upfront tax deduction.

Here are a few tax breaks scheduled to expire in 2008 that will impact the capital gains tax rate.

Reduced Tax Rate on Capital Gains:

Currently, the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains (assets held for more than one year before being sold) is 15 percent. Effective January 1, 2009, the capital gains tax rate is scheduled to jump by one-third to 20 percent. Investors who plan to sell any of their investments at some point this decade, should consider selling appreciated assets on or before December 31, 2008 to lock in the lower tax rate.

Zero Percent Capital Gains Tax Rate:

Believe it or not, the 2003 Tax Act provides for a zero percent capital gains tax rate during 2008 only for people in the lowest tax bracket. Individuals should consider gifting appreciated assets to their children or grandchildren who will be 14 or older that year, and have them sell those investments. Provided the child realizes capital gains of about $30k, no tax will be owed on that gain (assuming the child has no other income). Parents hoping for financial aid for that child need to consider how this strategy might impact that child's potential college financial aid package.

Most everything else expires in 2010

The biggest tax planning challenge is what to do after 2010. On December 31, 2010, the 2001 Tax Act is scheduled to sunset, with the bulk of the tax rules returning to the pre-2001 rules. This means that the marriage penalty, stealth tax, and reduced retirement and education savings limits will return. How Congress and the President elected in 2008 will deal with the U.S. income tax code as the provisions of the 2001 Tax Act sunset is quite a mystery.

Plan Ahead

"Tax planning one year at a time used to do the trick. In 2006, with major tax breaks expiring in three out of the next four years, tax planning is now a five year proposition,” explains Schwartz.

Andrew D. Schwartz, CPA is the editor and a major contributor to www.MDTAXES.com, a website that provides income tax and financial planning information geared towards healthcare professionals. Schwartz has provided financial planning advice in interviews with various media, including the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. He is available for interviews.


Press Contact: Stacy Gillis
Company Name: The MDTAXES Network
Phone: 800-471-0045
Website: www.mdtaxes.com

Effective Marketing Process Ends the Tyranny of Tactical Marketing for Technology Companies

The two-day Effective Marketing Programs™ training seminar shows product marketers and marketing communications professionals how to think strategically as they plan, execute and measure marketing programs perfectly aligned with their budgets, market segments and sales processes.

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWeb) May 9, 2006 -- Thousands of product marketers and marketing communications professionals in hundreds of companies have become more effective for their companies and more valuable as employees by learning at the intensive and enjoyable two-day Effective Marketing Programs seminar taught by the technology industry product marketing experts at Pragmatic Marketing, Inc.

The Effective Marketing Programs seminar - www.pragmaticmarketing.com/emp - shows product marketers and marketing communications professionals how to think strategically as they plan, execute and measure product marketing programs. Through the process, marketing programs become perfectly aligned with their budgets, market segments and sales processes.

"Effective Marketing Programs generated immediate benefits for my organization," says Robert Thomas, Division Vice President of Marketing at ADP, Time and Labor Management.

Seminar developer and instructor Adele Revella says: "When I became a technology company VP in 1990, I knew that markets were dominated by the companies that could hire, train and retain the best product marketing managers. It was obvious that tactical "list" marketing would not get us where we needed to be. The Effective Marketing Program was the answer -- a standard set of marketing tools, ideas and frameworks that people with any level of experience or background could use to be strategic about everything from a single campaign to a product launch or sales enablement program."

About Pragmatic Marketing®
The industry standard for technology product management and marketing education, Pragmatic Marketing teaches a practical, market-driven approach to creating and delivering technology products, based on the Pragmatic Marketing Framework. Founded in 1993, Pragmatic Marketing has trained over 30,000 product managers and marketers with more than 90% of alumni rating the seminars as essential or very useful to their careers. Visit www.PragmaticMarketing.com to learn more.

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Press Contact: Adele Revella
Company Name: Pragmatic Marketing
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 360-378-2684
Website: www.PragmaticMarketing.com

ePharmaceuticals Launches Drug Safety Newsletter

ePharmaceuticals, a division of healthcare regulatory publisher HCPro, has launched of Briefings on Drug Safety, a monthly electronic newsletter that will provide information and guidance to help pharmaceutical professionals make smart drug safety, risk management, and marketing decisions.

Marblehead, MA (PRWEB) May 8, 2006 -- ePharmaceuticals, a division of health care regulatory publisher HCPro, has launched of Briefings on Drug Safety, a monthly electronic newsletter that will provide information and guidance to help pharmaceutical professionals make smart drug safety, risk management, and marketing decisions.

With thousands of Vioxx-related product liability lawsuits, tighter oversight by the FDA’s new Office of Drug Safety, FDA-mandated risk management plans and risk communication, and intense Congressional and media scrutiny, drug safety is in the spotlight more than ever before. These factors have created an environment in which pre- and post-approval drug safety, risk management, and risk communications can make or break a drug.

“The drug safety stakes have never been higher, and that’s why drug safety, regulatory, legal, and marketing professionals in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries need this newsletter,” said David Beardsley, publisher of Briefings on Drug Safety.

Briefings on Drug Safety is designed to help readers effectively initiate post-approval safety studies, prepare for rigorous FDA oversight of drug safety, comply with adverse event reporting requirements, and design risk management and risk communications plans.

This new launch further expands ePharmaceuticals’ line of informational and training products on regulatory compliance in the life sciences industries. These products and services take the form of newsletters, audio conferences, webcasts, training handbooks, e-learning, and on-site workshops. They cover such topics as drug safety/risk management, Part D compliance, formulary and reimbursement issues under Medicare Parts B & D, and marketing innovation.

For more information, including a complimentary copy of Briefings on Part D Compliance, please visit: http://www.hcmarketplace.com/prod-4032-EN44013A.html

About ePharmaceuticals
ePharmaceuticals, a division of health care regulatory publisher HCPro, Inc., provides business intelligence, compliance training, market research reports and custom publishing services to the pharmaceutical industry.

Publications include ePharm5, a daily business and marketing innovation newsletter, Medicare & Reimbursement Advisor Weekly, Briefings on Part D Compliance, Briefings on Drug Safety, and Pharmaceutical Compliance Alert.

Our compliance training resources include handbooks, audioconferences, live workshops, and online learning courses.

Contact: David Beardsley
Company Name: ePharmaceuticals
Phone: 8774374276
Website: http://www.hcmarketplace.com/prod-4032-EN44013A.html

Pharmaconference Uses Internet and OnDemand Technologies to Connect Pharma/Biotech with Policy Makers

Web conferencing, webcasting, podcasting and recorded web events offer pharmaceutical marketers cost and time savings over traditional face-to-face communications, while increasing audience participation and attention.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) May 7, 2006 -- Web conferencing, webcasting, podcasting and recorded web events offer pharmaceutical marketers cost and time savings over traditional face-to-face communications, while increasing audience participation and attention.

Those are the key findings of “Online Events for the Pharmaceutical Industry: It’s All In The Numbers!,” a comparative analysis of live online and OnDemand delivery of pharmaceutical marketing and product information versus traditional methods, published today by The Maxwell Group, a leading producer of pharmaceutical web conferences, webcasts, podcasts and OnDemand events.

The study investigates newer web technologies as “turn-key” services allowing for timelier, more reliable, easier communications within industry. The primary technologies discussed are: live events including web conferencing—designed for smaller groups (250 or fewer) and which encourage two-way interaction between the presenter and audience, and webcasting—which deliver one-way communication from presenter to large audiences; and OnDemand programs, including recordings of previously live programs that are hosted on a web site for viewing at the participant’s discretion, and podcasts—portable files that may be downloaded to a subscriber’s computer or portable media player. Podcasts are offered by subscription service and provide alerts regarding the availability of new content in the areas of interest to the subscriber.

Maxwell’s analysis indicates that online programs, live or OnDemand, advance pharmaceutical business objectives more efficiently than traditional, face-to-face communications in five key areas:

Direct-to-Physician Marketing—Maxwell’s analysis shows that live online and OnDemand programs are better attended with an average attendance of 75 participants at a typical 60-minute live online event and an unlimited capacity for OnDemand programs. In contrast, the typical dinner meeting averages 15 physicians at twice the cost of the live online meeting and a significantly higher cost per contact. The analysis further indicates that only 12% of all sales calls result in a live meeting with physicians with an average sales call duration of 30 seconds to 3 minutes while 45% of physicians are using the Internet to seek out information about disease states and product benefits.

Direct-to-Consumer Marketing and Education—the analysis indicates that 80% of Internet users—74 million consumers—have searched for health information online. 1 in 5 have sought out health and treatment advice from other online consumers. 64% have researched specific prescription drug information. With Direct-to-Consumer advertising driving 44% of consumers to the product website, Maxwell suggests a comprehensive web communication strategy may enable pharmaceutical marketers to increase demand and consumer interest in products and to increase interactions with consumers via access to key opinion leaders and streamlined access to consumers with similar interests.

Clinical Training and Communications—the study indicates that online events may be used to positively impact the efficiency of the clinical process, supporting activities such as physician/hospital recruitment, site training and communication, and study subject focus groups. Replacing or enhancing traditional trial communications with live and OnDemand events has been shown to boost trial participation, increase retention rates and reduce costs—as this study indicates, a single live online event attended by 100 clinicians may be produced at 16% of the cost of a typical, 50-person dinner meeting.

Sales Force Training and Communications—as reported, 74% of pharmaceutical training directors, managers and decision makers surveyed said that an online learning format would facilitate better communications, better leverage resources and save time and money. 91% agreed with the importance of leveraging the latest technologies for “rapid knowledge transfer” in the industry’s quickly changing environment. (Larstan Business Reports) Maxwell’s study examines how implementation of a web-based strategy for sales training and communication may increase participation, increase reach—as web technologies remove geographic barriers, and reduce costs. Maxwell’s cost analysis indicates that a live online event to 500 sales representatives may be produced at 1/3 the cost of the traditional dinner meeting to the same 500. An OnDemand event can be produced with a managed service provider for 55% of the cost and offers an unlimited attendance capacity.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)—Maxwell’s analysis shows that more than 19% of CME programs are now conducted online. 50% of traditional CME attendees plan to increase their online attendance and more than 75% of physicians plan to complete more hours of CME online next year. Implementing a web-based CME program allows companies to increase physician participation, increase message effectiveness through multimedia, and increase reach—reaching more physicians in shorter time periods and without regard to geography—while reducing costs. As reported, a live online CME event to 150 physicians may be accomplished for 18% of the cost for a traditional 25-person face-to-face program.

Maxwell’s study also includes and a discussion of managed service versus “do-it-yourself” event production, an overview of the landscape of online event vendors, best practices for each solution area, and detailed cost analyses for each of the five key areas noted above.

To receive the full-text analysis, contact James J. Miller, Jr. at 1-800-292-0450, ext. 1220 (1-610-292-0450, ext. 1220 outside of the US) or email protected from spam bots.

To learn about Maxwell’s live, online and OnDemand solutions for pharmaceutical marketing and communication, go to: http://www.themaxwellgroupinc.com.

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Press Contact: Amy Alderfer
Company Name: THE MAXWELL GROUP INC.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 610-292-0450
Website: http://themaxwellgroupinc.com/

Probably The Most Unique Business Listed on Ebay, Toll Free Directory; Yellow Pages Are Now In The Cross Hairs

With the high prices and poor results of too many phone books to advertise in, as well as too much competition in them, aggressive toll free marketing company takes aim at the Yellow Pages and opens it’s doors to investors.

Colorado Springs, CO (PRWEB) May 7, 2006 -- Mark Russell, President of Venturis Systems Inc, put what could arguably be the most unique businesses ever posted up for sale on Ebay- “The 1-800-Certified Network”. The network takes aim at the inflated prices, and poor results, of the Yellow Pages by creating a One-Number directory where callers can reach any type of business, in any city, nationwide.

Service business owners know leads that come from the Yellow Pages are more likely to be price shoppers. With more competition and more books to advertise in, it’s disaster to profits. The answer is to become branded by an easy-to-remember number so clients aren’t forced to it up. (Ex. 1-800- FLOWERS, 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, 1-800-COLLECT). Also, there is no competition within the network because membership is limited to one high-quality business per industry, per marketing area. When customers call, live agents route the call to the business they are seeking.

Mark Russell, president and founder, stated, “We are very excited accept bids for full or part ownership of this business. Numbers like 1-800-CERTIFIED never come available, especially combined with a marketing strategy like this. The potential size and scope of 1-800-CERTIFIED will give instant brand name recognition and great marketing position to companies in the network. When 40+ companies in one metro area all have the same easy-to-remember number, no one will forget it”

1-800-CERTIFIED is currently focused on the auto industry, however the call routing model will be opened to all industries upon completion of this deal.

With this unique listing on ebay, this is THE time for an entrepreneur to walk into this one of a kind business that will change small business marketing and create a whole new advertising medium. If you would like more information,the auction can be found by searching Ebay for the term “1-800-CERTIFIED”. The auction will end on May-14-06 18:15:20 PDT
It can also be found with the following link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-800-CERTIFIED-Toll-Free-800-Number-Marketing-Business_W0QQitemZ7616712539QQcategoryZ46690QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For more information please call 1-800-CERTIFIED.

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Press Contact: Mark Russell
Company Name: VENTURIS SYSTEMS INC.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 719-272-6747
Website: www.1800CERTIFIED.COM

Bankruptcy Filings Rising Across the Country

As the impact of last year’s rush to file before the bankruptcy reforms took effect and the consumer confusion over the new law fades, bankruptcy filings have begun a slow but steady climb. As consumers in difficult circumstances once again turn to bankruptcy protection, the Total Bankruptcy website at www.TotalBankruptcy.com provides extensive resources to help consumers sort out the process, determine whether Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is appropriate, and even schedule a free consultation with a bankruptcy attorney.

(PRWEB) May 2, 2006 -- Immediately after the new bankruptcy law took effect in October of 2005, bankruptcy filings dropped dramatically, but that trend is rapidly reversing itself. The abrupt drop-off in bankruptcy filings might have many causes, but two of the most significant are surely the rush to file that took place immediately before the law change and the misinformation that created the impression among consumers that it would be far more difficult to file for bankruptcy protection after October 17, 2005.

Nearly half a million people filed for bankruptcy in the weeks leading up to the law change. Since that number represented about a third of the average annual filings, that rush surely cut down the number of potential filers in the upcoming months. More importantly, though, many consumers were misled into believing that they were no longer eligible to file.

That’s why Total Bankruptcy’s website at Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy, articles about trends in filing, information about what the changes really mean to consumers, and a detailed explanation of the “means test” that is largely responsible for the misconception that many people are now disqualified from filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 7.

Total Bankruptcy also maintains a bankruptcy blog with current posts about bankruptcy developments, cases in the news, and credit issues of interest to people considering or recovering from bankruptcy.

Once a consumer has looked at the statutes, the options, recent decisions in bankruptcy courts, and other relevant information, he can fill out a brief form or make a toll-free phone call to schedule a free consultation with a bankruptcy attorney in his area. During this no-obligation consultation, the bankruptcy attorney will answer questions to help the consumer make good decisions about which type of bankruptcy—if any—he should pursue.

As the impact of the huge number of filings in the fall of 2005 dissipates and the public becomes aware that only a tiny fraction of intended bankruptcy petitioners are actually affected by the credit counseling and means testing requirements, the number of petitions filed is growing each month, with many states reporting three times as many filings—or more—in March as they saw in January. If this trend continues, the new statutes may turn out to have had little effect beyond making the process more complicated for consumers and their attorneys.

Press Contact: Tiffany Sanders
Company Name: TOTAL ATTORNEYS
Phone: 312-753-6921
Website: www.TotalBankruptcy.com

PRODEGE Allows Members, Community and Supporters to Make Contributions to Organization Just by Searching the Internet

PRODEGE makes it simple to use this new way to raise funds. PRODEGE provides organizations with private label search engine portals that offer a unique approach to fundraising. PRODEGE is simple to use and free to all qualified organizations.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 1, 2006 -- PRODEGE is the first socially-conscious search engine. We have pioneered a new way for charities to raise contributions with a cost-free vehicle. With PRODEGE, each participating charitable organization has its own private-label search site.

PRODEGE was designed by members of charitable organizations. We understand how difficult and time-consuming fund-raising can be. That’s why we developed this new and revolutionary tool.

PRODEGE transforms the simple act of Internet searches into a new and continuous revenue-producing stream.

Our mission is simple: Provide a state-of-the-art Internet search experience, while simultaneously raising money for the user’s favorite charity.

PRODEGE puts the power of the Internet to work for NPO's. Last year, Internet searches generated nearly $5 billion in revenue from advertisers. PRODEGE provides charitable organizations with a unique way to tap into increased Internet search revenues.

Our strong relationship with leading search engine companies ensures the best search results, while generating a potentially endless stream of income for charitable organizations.

Private Label Search Engine Sample: www.takemehome.prodege.com

Please visit us at: www.prodege.com/organization

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Press Contact: Josef Gorowitz
Company Name: PRODEGE, LLC
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 310 542 0901
Website: www.prodege.com/organization

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[Editor's note: Charities don't have to lose between  50%-70% of the revenue in a plan like this, they can open their own account and keep 100% of any revenue. (hris ]