Professional Business Networking

Dallas Social Media Marketing Consultant and Trainer Lee Thurburn offers advice on how to kick off 2010 with social media marketing. We have all heard plenty about Social Media. The last decade may be best recognized as the time when the concept of Social Media rose and gained a foothold in both our national psyche and in our technical lives. We all know about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Most of us have an account with one or more of these online services, but, for the most part there has been very little real business done through these systems. Pronouncements are abundant that social media is the business tool of the future and the truth is that we will most likely see that over the next decade social media will become  [more info...]

Dallas Social Media Consultant Lee Thurburn, President of NetOffer, offers specific advice on how to use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to market your business. One of the key things to keep in mind is that blatant sales pitches are generally considered extremely impolite and inappropriate on all three of these services, with a few exceptions. With that thought in mind you should focus your efforts on being a good 'citizen' of the community before you start trying to use your status as a good citizen to promote your products or services. Q: What does it take to become a good citizen? A: For the most part the secret is to share things of value and interest with others. That leads to the next question... Q: What kinds of   [more info...]

Dallas Business Social Media Marketing Expert Lee Thurburn, President of NetOffer, Inc., explains the concept of synchronicity and why it is important to search marketing. According to Wikipedia: Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are causally unrelated occurring together in a meaningful manner. To count as synchronicity, the events should be unlikely to occur together by chance. The reason that synchronicity is important to Search Marketing is that the concept that they are causally related means that there is a heightened level of importance that is directly related to the frequency of occurrence of the events. Stated another way, if a specific search term occurs more than once in an article the probability   [more info...]

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Dallas Social Media Consultant Lee Thurburn is reprinting this article by a recognized social media expert: Social Media Puts Fortress Journalism Under Siege By John Sylvester (c) 2009 In a recent report by Peter Horrocks, Director of BBC World Service, it is clear that as society becomes more networked, the fortress mentality of the mainstream media is increasingly under siege by social media, but they are adapting. There's a lesson for us all in this. For so long now, Web 2.0 has been working in the background to subtly but unwittingly undermine mainstream media, especially in America where, for example, RSS is understood and used far more readily than in most other nations. In this, the role of the "fortress journalism" is bei  [more info...]

Dallas Business Social Media consultant Lee Thurburn, President of NetOffer, shares what he calls the Monte Cristo 'sandwich' recipe for BLOG success. Have you ever had a Monte Cristo sandwich? If so you know that if it is prepared correctly it is one of the most delicious sandwiches ever invented. Now the wikipedia recipe for a true Monte Cristo has it fried then served, but variations that I prefer have it covered with melted cheese. Basically, a Monte Cristo Sandwich, according to my recipe, is two layers of toast, covered with melted cheese sauce, and with meat in the middle between the toast. If we use that analogy for creating a BLOG you can think of the BLOG this way: Cheese on Top = BLOG Title Top Layer of Toast = 1st P  [more info...]

Dallas Social Marketing Consultant Lee Thurburn, President of NetOffer, Inc. provides a variety of ideas for BLOG Content. One of the challenges that many business people have when they consider starting a BLOG marketing campaign is deciding what to write about. I think that a good starting point is to consider what NOT to write about. The first thing that most business people think of writing about is to create a sales pitch and place it in a BLOG. That 180 Degrees off target. The best topics to write about are topics that contain story based information about how the products and services that you offer can benefit people, but not in a sales-pitchy sort of format. Some good alternatives are: Case Studies - a case study about a c  [more info...]

Business Social Media advisor Lee Thurburn gives tips on writing BLOGs. Lets face it, you have two audiences and the most important one is Google. No GOOGLE = No CLIENTS! Of course everyone wants to have prospective clients see their wonderful content and wonderful content starts with a snappy title that captivates attention and causes the reader to click on the title and get more information. The problem with snappy titles is that in the attempt to create a really cool title people often forget that the main purpose of the title is to get Google to properly index the article so that someone searching for your type of business can find you based on the title. What this means is that each title should focus on what I call a Specific  [more info...]

Business Social Media system creator Lee Thurburn, President of NetOffer, Inc., offers advice on writing articles about your business that people will want to read. Most business owners and managers, even marketing managers, have difficulty figuring out what to write about when they first engage in a social media campaign for their business. In a prior article (Business Social Media improves TOMA score with Classified Ads) I described general topics about which you can write if you are having trouble understanding the kinds of information that people are generally interested in received. But when you decide that you want to actually write about your business it may be helpful to consider the following possible subjects to write about.   [more info...]

Business Social Mediasoftware provider NetOffer, Inc. integrates Classified Ads with a miniBLOG system to make social media more business friendly. In a previous article I talked about how most business people using social media go through at least a couple of phases. The first phase is thinking that social media represents a great new way to spread the word about their products and services to a new audience. Sort of like broadcast email marketing. Hopefully the new social media user will arrive at the realization that social media is not about marketing but is about sharing 'information of value' with others. What stumps many people is figuring out what the 'information of value' is and how to relate it to the products or services tha  [more info...]

Effective use of social media requires that businesses think differently. This article offers specific steps for effective use of social media by businesses. Business owners who are new to social media usually go through a couple of different stages of awareness and use as they learn the lessons of social media etiquete and effectiveness. The first thing that most business owners think of is "Great. Another way to push my products and services out to the market!" Actually, experience shows that the very worst thing that you can do in a social media environment is to treat the media as if you were a traditional broadcast media and start trying to push messages out to those who have connected to you. Think of social media as being an an  [more info...]

Coppell Chiropractic Clinic owner, Dr. Ron Carpenter of Coppell Family Chiropractic, advises you to eat healthy local foods from the Coppell Farmers Market. Everyone knows the Coppell Farmers Market is the place to go for the healthiest choices of fruits, vegetables, and meats, but sometimes in their pursuit of the Best Veggies, one of the best products in the market is overlooked. Now as a Doctor I know too much about the horrible problems and risks associated with synthetic sweeteners, and the best solution I know of for a healthy sweetener, is good old fashioned Honey! Honey is as old as written history, dating back to 2100 B.C. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Israel was often referred to as "the land of milk and honey." Mead,   [more info...]

Lewisville Chiropractor, Ron Carpenter, owner of Carpenter Family Chiropractic, advises that if you are stressed out you should eat more onions. The sprinkles we got Saturday didn't slow Farmers Market traffic down, (or the produce to be picked over the next couple of weeks). Those who went looking for variety certaintly found it. Shoppers could find farm-raised meat, fresh seafood, handmade soaps, honey, breads, pasta, tea, nuts, plants and an awesome collection of farm-fresh fruits & vegetables including spinach, chard, lettuce, potatoes, beets, turnips, radishes, tomatoes, greens, strawberries, and onions. Oh, the lowly and boring onion. Onions are one of those vegetables people tend to love or hate. If you happen to be from the   [more info...]

Coppell Chiropractor Ron Carpenter, owner of Coppell Family Chiropractic, asks if you are a Lavacore? Locavores are people who derive their foods from local sources. They do this for a variety of reasons, including; They are fresher (and last longer), they preserve green space and farmland, local farms have less negative environmental impact, they promote food safety, they create community, supports our local economy and promotes variety. Locally grown produce is also healthier for you. When you buy a tomato from a grocer, there is a real good chance that tomato came from somewhere else. The problem is that if you pick a ripe tomato in San Diego, it is very hard to get it to Texas before it begins to decompose. What happens is the t  [more info...]

With the proliferation of social networks like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter you can spend your entire day staying connected to the detriment of your real life. How much is enough and when do you cross the line from enough to too much? I have spent a lot of time considering this recently as more and more people that I talk with are having trouble understanding what the true benefits of online social networking are and as they weigh those benefits against the costs. What are the costs? The main cost is time, and as anyone over the age of 40 knows, time is valuable. In fact, the older you get the more valuable time becomes... but we will not digress into that discussion. Lets take a quick overview of the origins and growt  [more info...]

Coppell Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Broker Owner of Ideal Real Estate Group, offers some advice on Installing a TV above a Fireplace. Here's some helpful tips if you are buying a new home or renovating your current one, and are considering where to place that new flat screen in your family room. PAIN IN THE NECK Be thoughtful about the height you are mounting you screen. A TV screen displayed too high can be a literal pain in the neck, especially in a small room or room where the seating is close to the screen. To avoid having to look up, rather than straight ahead, you'd should be seated 13-15' from the screen...if you're mounting on or above a fireplace with a mantle 64" off the floor, according to Jean-Pierre Garcia (home th  [more info...]

Flower Mound Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Broker Owner of Ideal Real Estate Group, offers information about Short Sales and the Dallas Housing Market. MORE ABOUT SHORT SALES: "What exactly is a short sale? And can I really get a good deal on a short sale property?" In a short sale, a seller (who is either behind on their mortgage or has stopped making payments altogether) and their mortgage lender have agreed to sell the property "short" or for less than the total amount due on the mortgage. As part of a short sale, the lender forgives the remaining balance of the loan. In terms of buying a short sale property, buyers can get a discounted price and there are deals to be had. However, buying a short sale property is a little more c  [more info...]

Coppell Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Broker Owner of Ideal Real Estate Group, offers this information to help you understand the benefits of the Stimulus Plan. Just signed and sealed...a $787 Billion Stimulus Plan made up of tax cuts and spending programs aims at reviving the US economy. Although the package was scaled down from nearly $1 Trillion, it still stands as the largest anti-recession effort since World War II. Home owners and potential homebuyers stand to gain from key provisions in this stimulus plan. Here is what we know as of today... Additional Housing-Related Provisions Tax Incentives to Spur Energy Savings and Green Jobs - This provision is designed to help promote energy-efficient investments in homes by exte  [more info...]

Flower Mound Realtor, Sandy Luedke (Broker Owner) of Ideal Real Estate Group, offers an alert. More help for homeowners is coming in the near future. Another thing to keep an eye on in the coming weeks is President Obama's plan to help struggling borrowers before they are faced with a default on their mortgage. According to reports, the Obama administration is discussing plans to help borrowers who are struggling to stay afloat, but who have not yet fallen behind on their payments. At this point, details are scarce; however, reports indicate that President Obama is looking to spend approximately $50 Billion to directly help homeowners before they face foreclosure and financial disaster. While this is good news for individual homeowners  [more info...]

Flower Mound Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Owner Broker of Ideal Real Estate Group, Describes the Tax Credit for Homebuyers designed to stimulate home sales. First-time homebuyers who purchase homes from the start of the year until the end of November 2009 may be eligible for the lower of an $8,000 or 10% of the value of the home tax credit. Remember a tax credit is very different than a tax deduction - a tax credit is equivalent to money in your hand, as opposed to a tax deduction which only reduces your taxable income. The tax credit starts phasing out for couples with incomes above $150,000 and single filers with incomes above $75,000. Buyers will have to repay the credit if they sell their homes within three years. Flower Mound   [more info...]

Lewisville Chiropractor, Dr. Ron Carpenter, owner of the Coppell Family Chiropractic Clinic, has written extensively on the dangers of toxins in our foods. Prior Articles in the Series: Coppell Chiropractor explains toxins and why they are harmful. Grapevine Chiropractor offers more advice on living toxin free. Coppell Chiropractor warns that toxins are nearly everywhere. Coppell Chiropractic Center offers more information about toxins. Lewisville Chiropractor offers ways to eliminate toxins from your body What do we do about it now? Now that I've raised your blood pressure and concern about toxins being everywhere, let's get this problem solved. How can I get rid of toxins? Not as hard as you might think. Most peop  [more info...]

Coppell Chiropractor, Dr. Ron Carpenter with Coppell Family Chiropractic, has been advocating changes in nutrition to eliminate toxins and improve health and wellness. Are folks just starting to realize that there are toxins in nearly everything that we eat and touch? This isn't something new. Let's start with TOXINS 101: Generally speaking, a toxin is something the body does not recognize. The body seldom even takes the risk to distinguish good from bad toxins. If the body doesn't recognize it, it will try to destroy it. If that doesn't work it will engulf it in a ball of fat and bury it in as deep a hole as it can, hoping you never need to burn it. Our skin is great in helping protect us from some toxins. If the body recognizes a  [more info...]

Dr. Ron Carpenter, a Coppell Chiropractor, share thoughts on a serious subject, taking responsibility for your own health and wellness. I need to apologize ahead of time.....because I am about to rant. I got an email asking my opinion on synthetic sugars, Aspartame to be exact. It just so happens I do have an opinion on this.......and you won't have to be an attorney to understand which way I'm leaning on this one. I spoke earlier of toxins, and I believe the very easiest way to get good food without toxins is to get food that God made. It seems the more some clever guy in a lab coat fiddles around with something, the better chance it has of being dangerous. Back to synthetic sugars, I don't like them, not one little bit. I don'  [more info...]

Grapevine Chiropractor Dr. Ron Carpenter offers continuing guidance and suggestions for how to keep your body toxin free and help restore you to optimum health. Prior Articles in the Series: Coppell Chiropractor warns that toxins are nearly everywhere. Coppell Chiropractic Center offers more information about toxins. Lewisville Chiropractor offers ways to eliminate toxins from your body What do we do about it now? It amazes me how some people wait a week or two to evaluate an injury, they just keep going when their body is screaming at them to stop. THAT IS WHAT SYMPTOMS ARE. We grow up being taught to "walk it off", or "get back up on the horse" , and that's what people do, thinking it's going to go away like it did last t  [more info...]

Grapevine Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, owner Broker of Ideal Real Estate Group offers these tips on things to after your move in. Notify the sender of any mail forwarded to you of your new address. This is only necessary if there is a yellow address label on it, which indicates it has been forwarded. Register to vote so that when election time rolls around, you will be eligible. Get a change of address on your driver's license if you have moved within the state and make application for one if you have moved out of state. Make contact with a local insurance agent to transfer policies. Complete a Household Inventory of your new home. Find out when the trash and garbage is picked up and whether there is a re-cycling program avai  [more info...]

Flower Mound Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, the owner Broker of Ideal Real Estate Group, offers this advice for moving pets. Moving Your Pets Your pets need your special care and handling when being transported to your new home. Here are a few tips on moving them. Dogs and Cats Dogs and cats can either ride in your car or can be shipped by air. Taking them in the car is fairly simple, but be prepared to clean up after them if they get carsick. Be sure to bring along their food and water and dishes for each. Stop every couple of hours at rest stops to walk dogs on leashes (more often for puppies). Remember to use a leash; even well behaved dogs may run away at rest stops because traveling and strange places make them nervous and  [more info...]

Flower Mound Realtor Sandy Luedke, owner Broker of Ideal Real Estate Group, has this advice for Moving Your House Plants. Here are some tips on moving your plants without harming them: If you are moving to a different state, call your local US Department of Agriculture to check on regulations. Many states have restrictions on certain kinds of plants. These restrictions are usually to prevent the importation of pests or insects that can destroy the important cash crops of that state. A couple of weeks before you move prune plants to facilitate packing. If you're not familiar with how best to prune, consult your florist or a plant book for instructions. A Week before you move, kill any possible pests or insects on your plants. Take  [more info...]

Lewisville Chiropractor Dr. Ron Carpenter continues with his series of articles about toxins effects on health and wellness and ways to get rid of toxins. Now that I've raised your blood pressure and concern about toxins being everywhere, let's get this problem solved. How can I get rid of toxins? Not as hard as you might think. Most people understand that a large risk involves our largest organ, the skin. We are literally swimming around in toxins most of everyday, and our layers of skin do a remarkable job keeping us safe from most toxins. Nearly just as important is our second largest organ, the liver. Of its many jobs, one of the most critical is its ability to pull toxins out of everything that passes through it. Think of it l  [more info...]

Coppell Chiropractic Center Owner, Dr. Ron Carpenter, a Chiropractor, know that toxins can kill and wants to share things you can do to keep optimum health. NOTE: Be sure to read the 1st Article in the Live Toxin Free series and also the 2nd Article. So someone emailed me and asked: where do these toxins come from? Honestly, the list of where toxins are not would be a shorter list. They are in the air, our water, prescription medications, vaccinations, and food. The most toxic place we spend time everyday is our own homes. Even if a home is new enough that you don't have to worry about radon, asbestos, and black mold, it's likely that dust mites and pollen and other airborne agents are milling around. Also, there are arsenides in m  [more info...]

Coppell Chiropractor Dr. Ron Carpenter, owner of Coppell Family Chiropractic, warns that toxins are nearly everywhere and they negatively impact your health. NOTE: Be sure to read the 1st Article in the Live Toxin Free series Are folks just starting to realize that there are toxins in nearly everything that we eat, breathe, drink and touch? Let's start with TOXINS 101: Generally speaking, a toxin is something that isn't natural and the body does not recognize. The body seldom even takes the risk to distinguish good from bad toxins. If the body doesn't recognize it, it will try to destroy it. If that doesn't work it will engulf it in a ball of fat and bury it in as deep a hole as it can, hoping you never need to burn it.  [more info...]

Coppell Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Broker Owner of Ideal Real Estate Group, discusses Closing Documents. The Closing The closing is the final step to purchasing a home; where you take ownership of the property. It is recommended that you perform a final walk through of the house prior to closing. The closing will take place at a title company where you will sign the necessary papers and pay for the down payment and other costs involved in the transaction. DOCUMENTS: You will receive a number of important documents at the closing: HUD 1: This document is the final figures for the closing of the house and will itemized all closing costs and who is responsible for paying them, them buyer or the seller. It will reflect   [more info...]

Grapevine Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Broker Owner of Ideal Real Estate Group, suggests that you Video Your Personal Property for insurance purposes. In recent years the price of video cameras has come down so low that many households have one. Even if you haven't gotten around to buying one yet, you probably know someone who has one or you can rent one for a very reasonable price. Most are very simple to operate and don't require any skilled training. The microphone is built into most of the cameras and some don't even require additional lighting. Why not use this technology to make a video record of all of the personal possessions in your home just in case you have a burglary or fire. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a  [more info...]

Flower Mound Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke, Broker Owner of Ideal Real Estate Group, suggests a Moving Timeline Check List. One Month Before Move Arrange for moving your furniture and personal belongings either by hiring a moving company or renting a truck. Accumulate moving supplies such as boxes, tape, rope, and anything else you might need. Plan your travel route if you are driving to your new home. Some moving expenses are tax deductible, so you should save all moving related expenses including meals, lodging, and gasoline. Develop a plan for packing such as packing last the things you use the most. Notify the Post Office of your move by using the Change of Address form. Notify friends, family, and businesses of your  [more info...]

Grapevine Realtor Sandy Luedke, Ideal Real Estate Group Broker, provides a list of things to keep in mind regarding Mail Forwarding. Q. Which form do I need to fill out to have my mail forwarded? A. The Change of Address Order form supplied at any United States Post Office or the one in this moving guide. Q. Does each person in the household have to have a form filled out? A. If each member has the same last name and they are all moving to the same address, only one Change of Address form needs to be filled out. However, if this is not the case, each individual must complete his or her own Change of Address form. Q. When does the Change of Address form need to be sent in? A. To insure that there is no unnecessary delay, the Chan  [more info...]

Flower Mound Realtor Sandy Luedke, Ideal Real Estate Group Broker, provides a DEFINITION OF CLOSING COSTS list so that you understand closing statements. APPRAISED VALUE: An opinion of the value of a property at a given time, based on facts regarding the location, improvements, etc. of the property and surroundings. LOAN APPLICATION FEE: Paid to the lender at the time of application; cost varies by lender. CREDIT REPORT: A report on the past ability of a loan applicant to pay installments payments. POINT: One percent of the loan amount. ORIGINATION FEE: Fee buyer pays lender to originate a new loan. LOAN DISCOUNT: Points lender charges; may be paid by either buyer or seller on conventional loans; number of points f  [more info...]

Grapevine Realtor, Sandy Luedke owner broker of Ideal Real Estate Group explains $15,000 tax credit. A number of readers have written in asking for details about the home buyer tax credit amendment that was recently added to the Senate version of the economic stimulus package. The provision, introduced by Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia, would provide a tax credit of as much as $15,000--or 10 percent of the home's price tag, whichever is less--to anyone buying a primary residence during a one-year period beginning on the date of enactment. After reading through your questions, here's a list of six things to know about the amendment. 1. I recently bought a home and qualified for the $7,500 new home buyer tax credit. Sho  [more info...]

Flower Mound Realtor Sandy Luedke with ideal Real Estate Group advises home owners to save money by shopping for insurance. With the tough times many of us are facing today due to the economic downturn, we're all re-evaluating the fixed costs in our lives and businesses and seeing where we can cut corners. For those of us living in Texas, we now have a valuable resource to determine if we are paying a competive rate on our home and auto insurance. Consumers can now shop for better rates at a new state web site: www.helpinsure.com The site, run by the Texas State Department of Insurance, offers a breakdown of premiums for areas around the state. Comparisons show that the cost of homeowner's policies can differ by hundreds of dol  [more info...]

Lee Thurburn, often referred to as Mr. Google, describes in detail what rich media content based search marketing is and how you can use it to grow your business. Ever wondered why the most sought after American export is the produced in Hollywood? Ever wondered why people around the world crave movies and television shows that are produced in the U.S.? I think that the answer is that Hollywood has attracted the most talented group of writers that can be found anywhere in the world. True, other countries and other parts of the U.S. produce quality theater, but, as soon as a writer gets enough experience to get hired by a studio in Hollywood they head that way. Why? Because Hollywood pays best and they get to interact with other creati  [more info...]

Click Fraud is a significant added cost if you use Pay-Per-Click marketing. Click fraud is not a problem if you use a content based search marketing strategy. As discussed in a recent article about content based search marketing I stated that one of the major reasons that people have taken the Pay-per-Click advertising model into their marketing mix is that it is so easy to implement and you can basically pay your money and sit back and see traffic to your website based on the click-through rates. The ugly downside is that the more expensive your search term is (more competition drives up the cost per click) the more rampant click fraud is. Some estimates of click fraud are that the fraud percentage approaches 50% of the clicks, espec  [more info...]

Content Based Search Marketing is at the core of what the Internet is about. Back in the mid 1990s when the Internet first began to reach critical mass everything was free. I first heard about the Internet in the early summer of 1995. I was fortunate to get involved during that summer and managed to start an ISP that eventually became a public company. During the time from 1995 through 2000 there was rapid growth in all aspects of the Internet along with a growing concern for how this wonderful new technology would end up paying for itself. Many of the early businesses that became household names stuggled to find a revenue model that would support their growth. The problem was that people were competing with each other for traffic wit  [more info...]

Rich Media Content Based Search Marketing is the most effective way of gaining top position in search engine results pages when you want to get your message noticed. A definition of some of the terms used may be useful: Content: the message that you want a consumer to hear, read, or see that will explain to the consumer why they should elect to contact you and do business with you. Rich-media: using tools other than just text to deliver your message. Rich media includes videos, audios, flash presentations, photos and pod casts to deliver your message. Search marketing: using search engines to deliver your content to your audience. Since search engines have very specific 'metrics' that they measure when gauging which websites to d  [more info...]

'Coppell Chiropractic care is more than just making the pain disappear. It is about learning, understanding and taking care of your body to improve your quality of life.' We aim to educate our patients about Chiropractic and other natural solutions to common health problems in order to motivate you to take a more active and responsible role in restoring and maintaining your own health as well as the people around you. As a chiropractor, we understand that although our patients may be diagnosed with the same condition, they respond very differently to treatments. For this reason, we tailor a specific plan of action to meet your needs, goals & unique medical and physical condition. Finding a chiropractor who understands changing heal  [more info...]

Frisco Business Security Company NTX Security offers some advice to the home owner regarding how to protect from burglary. Here are some security tips for the perimeter of your home to help you avoid the situation featured below: Maintain landscaping from a security point of view: Shrubbery shouldn't be high enough for a burglar to hide behind or too near windows or doors. Trees shouldn't be positioned so that a burglar can use them to climb into a window. House numbers should be clearly visible from the street. Allow all entrances to be seen clearly from the street or other public areas. Lighting near garage and other parking areas should allow clear view of anyone present. Ladders shouldn't be in the yard or in   [more info...]

Frisco Business Security Company offers 5 tips to protect your business from these flat screen bandits. Take extra effort to secure TV's to the wall. Anything you can do to delay its removal will deter thieves from taking the time to steal it. Have a 24/7 fast response monitored security system with a GSM Cellular backup communicator in case your phone lines are disabled. Use glass breakage and motion detectors. Glass breakage detectors are essential if used properly as they will detect the intruder while he or she is still on the outside of your facility. Motion detectors are used to pick up any interior movement once the intruders are inside the building. Use exterior sirens and strobes where applicable. Strobes should r  [more info...]

Crime affects businesses and charities alike. It hits especially hard during the holidays. Let NTX Security help your business or organization stay secure 24/7 with a custom designed 3-D Security Package. 3-D Security is a multifaceted approach to protecting you property. Deterrent - Use signs and window decals notifying everyone that your premise is protected by a professional security company. Many businesses are starting to use digital deterrents that use a recorded voice when motion is detected after hours notifying the individuals their activity is being monitored. Detection - This is your custom designed business security system. At NTX Security, we like to start with perimeter detection that announces when someone is attemp  [more info...]

Here is the NTX Security Top Ten List of Reasons NOT to protect your business. There are many reasons why you should protect your business with a professionally installed video surveillance system. We have discussed many of those in previous posts; however in a "effort" to be fair and balanced, here are the Top 10 Reason Not to Protect Your Business. ... Drum roll please.... 10) Being profitable is not in style. Wall Street is in the tank, why not go with the flow? 9) You like paying too much for your GL and Workers Comp insurance. 8) You like the perks of running a non-profit entity. 7) Your employees are perfect and never need supervision while you are away. 6) Vacation? Who wants to spend time with their family   [more info...]

There has much written about the changing SEO landscape. The simple fact is that Search Engines no longer rely as heavily on Meta-tags like they used to. Back in the 'early days'... way back in the 20th Century, and even as little as 3-4 years ago the importance of Meta-tags was greater than it is now. Now, the only Meta-tag that is still important is the Title Tag. The Title Tag, which can be either a Meta-tag for Title or simple Title tag, is still of primary importance to the Search Engines. The Meta-tags for Keywords and Description are dramatically less important, however, there is still value in having them properly configured. It has been my observation that over 50% of the websites that I am asked to review have problems with  [more info...]

Flower Mound Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke with Ideal Real Estate Group warns that replacing items is often more costly than fixing them. The word "renovation" implies that you're replacing something old and worn out with something new and better. Yet too many so-called renovations simply involve replacing things that are old and substantial with ones that are cheap and flimsy but just happen to be new. That seems less like renovation and more like ruinovation. If every modern building product were better than its counterpart of 50 years ago, meaningful renovation would be easy. But they're not, and so it isn't. While some things really have improved - modern heating systems, for example, are vastly superior to those of years pas  [more info...]

In times past many home sellers held the belief made popular by the Kevin Costner Movie, Field of Dreams...that if you list it they will buy! Truth be told in today's crowded marketplace you can sell your home, but you've got to go above and beyond the norm to make sure you get top dollar for your home. That's where a Realtor experienced in staging your home properly and the nuances of what turns buyers on and off, is so important. Here's some information that may help you get some extra value out of your home sale: Don't Let Tiny Closets Shut Out Buyers Experts in home staging and closet organization share their best tips on how to make the most of sparse storage space. By Kelly Quigley Walk-in closets and roomy pantries a  [more info...]

If you're considering taking advantage of this incredible buyers market to purchase for your first home, here's some more good news that will help lesson the financial sting. The $7,500 home ownership tax credit, which the federal government created earlier this year as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 3221) is a tool created by our government to encourage buyers, who may be sitting on the fence, to jump off and get into the real estate market. When you combine the tax credit with today's low interest rates, wide selection of for-sale inventory, and affordable home prices, many of the pieces are in place for you to buy now. But I understand that our tax codes and system of tax credits can be confusing. So, to help  [more info...]

Hey gang! I wanted to take a minute to let you know, that while all we're are hearing from the media is doom and gloom in the financial and credit markets, there is business being done and money to lend out there for home buyers. Take for example people interested in buying a single family home or townhome in certain rural areas around DFW, TX (including: Corinth, Lake Dallas, Little Elm, Sanger, Justin and Ponder). There is a lender in this area who has a program that allows for 100% financing, which is not credit score based and can even provide you with 6 months of no interest payments! If this is an area you're interested in, than by all means contact Kevin Harrigan today (@ Executive Home Mortgage) 972-355-4423 x222. So t  [more info...]

Flower Mound Real Estate Agent Sandy Luedke says getting your home ready for the winter is one of the easiest things you can do to save energy costs. The few items outlined below can save you lots of time and money later. You will need to check your furnace to make sure the thermostat is in proper working order. You'll also need to change the filter before you need to use it and then every month throughout the winter. Make sure the caulking around all the windows and the doors of your home are in good repair. Check for peeling and cracks in the caulking. Replace the caulking, if necessary. If you have a fireplace, before starting a fire this winter, make sure to have your fireplace cleaned. A fire could start if a bird has built  [more info...]

It used to be that Meta-Tags were King. That is also no longer true. It used to be that Content was King. That is no longer true. It used to be that Search Engines did not like Frames, Java, and Flash. That is no longer true. What has changed? Search Engines have become more sophisticated as the Internet has grown. The ability of Search Engines to determine how valuable your site is based on the only metric that really counts. If you boil all of the different things that search engines look at down to the fundamentals what they want to know is whether or not other people value your site when then need information about a search topic. How do they make that determination? Simple. They look for three things, in roughly this order:  [more info...]

Many small business owners are members of local networking and referral groups that meet on a weekly or monthly basis. The purpose of most of these groups is to build relationships with other businesses with whom you become comfortable referring business. Groups such as these make an excellent network within which you can build a BLOG Network. A BLOG Network is a group of BLOGS which have links between themselves. The concept is very simple and is best explained by an example: Lets say that you are in a weekly Referral Group with 10 other people. Each of those people set up a BLOG and post entries on the topics that pertain to their businesses. Each of the BLOGs invite each of the other Referral Group Members to post comments with lin  [more info...]

If you are like me you have become frustrated with the high cost of marketing and the lack of results from many of the available marketing mediums and programs that exist. Sure, everyone tells you that they have a great way to get your message to the market but when you ask about a guarantee they will either laugh out loud or they will simply state that they can not offer a guarantee. The fact is that if they were truly confident of their ability to generate results... if they truly knew that they could deliver your message to a quality audience... they would not laugh. NetOffer can guarantee results! How? We own our own medium. We have a Classified Ad system similar to Craigslist.org. We have an Online Directory system similar   [more info...]

You have something to sell and you want to sell or promote it over the internet. Great. First you need a strategy to drive traffic to a Landing Page where you deliver a specific, strong, call to action. How do you deliver a strong call to action? Easy. You use a combination of technology and graphics and old fashioned text to quickly capture the visitors attention and get them to abosorb your message. I would like to invite you to check these client websites to see what a strong call to action can look like: 1) Joes Collision and Detailing is an auto body shop 2) Plano Chiropractic Clinic is located in the North Dallas, Texas area. 3) Underwood Speakers Bureau provides speakers to groups. 4) Tornado Alley Roofing is a multistat  [more info...]

The field of Search Engine Optimization is filled with countless businesses that offer inumerable solutions. The simple fact is that getting your website to the top of the organic search section is dependent upon some very simple factors: Inbound Page Links Content Quality Time Lets talk about each of these factors in turn. Inbound Page Links Ever since Google developed the concept that a website with more inbound links and inbound traffic is exhibiting a higher value ranking than other websites all search engines have changed their search algorithms to incorporate that concept into how they display search results. Inbound links are the number of other websites that have a link to the target website. Inbound traffic is a coun  [more info...]

Video Blogs are similar to text blogs in that they offer a great vehicle for conveying information to the public. Naturally, many people will prefer to watch you talk about a subject as opposed to preferring to read a text blog. Unfortunately, the search engines can not easily catalog the content of a video like they can text so it is important that the keywords and description attached to the Video Blog clearly describe the content. It is through the keywords and descriptive text that the search engines are able to properly indes the content and provide links to your Video Blog in appropriate searches. NetOffer uses Video Blogs with well documented keywords and descriptions to assist in marketing your website. Search engines can easily   [more info...]