Getting back to basics
By · CommentsWith the recession still casting its shadows business people continue to face serious difficulties when trying to build their companies or while just keeping them alive. One way is to adapt ones business approach and look for more innovative solutions.
This is not always easy. It’s hard enough trying to keep going in territory that one knows never mind inventing new ways of doing things. But it is sometimes that thinking outside of the box that can bring some winning combinations into play.
Reading about Google’s latest strategy to serve the African market made me wonder whether this was going to be a winning move or not.
Business thinkers in the Western World tend to over think things and make an easy situation into something totally complex. If one just looks at labour law in the UK. Workers or employees are able to bring 70 different formal complaints against their employers.
Whatever happened to ‘here’s a job let’s work together’. No longer. Companies need to protect themselves with insurance, consultants and voluminous legal documents just to keep their staff at bay.
If business is killing itself due to complexity in the developed world, no such thing can be said about most of Africa. There most things are fairly straight forward. The boss man/tribal chief/president or whatever else you might want to call him, gets all the benefits and the workers get the scraps. After all they are lucky to have work.
Looking at the very simplistic solution that Google is considering offering the dark continent one wonders whether this might just be too simplistic and basic to work or whether the service is going to be a winner.
What many Western folk probably don’t know is that sub-Sahara Africa is badly served by fixed line operators. This could be because traditionally fixed line providers have been government owned entities. And we all know what governments get up to in Africa. Corruption and fraud rules.
So no service that depends on government is going to be of any great use. Enter the private sector and suddenly Africa has telecommunications via the mobile phone technology.
Millions of people have the use of mobile phones. The service is slightly different in that the phone is dirt cheap, round about the $10 mark and the phone service is generally prepaid. No sophisticated service contracts with high end tech phone sets in these countries.
Without fixed lines or any form of cabling one can imagine that internet access is restricted to very few lucky people and those would generally be using mobile telephony for accessing data.
But here we have millions of mobile phone users. How does one tap into this market if one is Google? With a very innovative service! After all what can one offer to a mobile phone user when the phone can handle voice calls and text. And that’s about it.
You offer Google SMS, that’s what you do. You text a search term and it responds via SMS with the result. Searches can be narrowed down by using specific keywords such as ‘weather’, ‘news’ or ‘maps’.
Added to this is Google Trader which allows people to post items for sale as well as jobs on offer. You upload, and others find by searching with the word ‘buy’ preceding the search term. Each listing also provides the seller’s mobile phone number.
In one easy move mobile phones are now instant trading instruments and at a fraction of the cost of having to use a laptop with data card and expensive software. No operating system is required, no browser software. The system taps into the text feature.
Africa is already using mobile phones for banking operations. As user you are able to buy airtime, then send the air time credit to another phone and that phone owner/user is able to cash in the amount from an air time seller at a commission of course. Western Union with a twist!
In the more sophisticated African countries such as South Africa you can text a pin and you are then able to withdraw from an ATM the pre-arranged amount by using the pin as your access code.
Now Google will be offering a further service, besides the cash in transit offer, to the mobile phone users. Well, we ain’t seen nothing as yet as to what that little gadget is going to be able to deliver to users in years to come.
Instant communication, instant education, instant money, instant information and instant trade. This is just the start of a mobile phone revolution. And Africa is starving for it. Just alone the speed that it happened and numbers of the mobile phone users in this continent is an indicator of the need.
Would you be proud to be an iPorn Girl
By · CommentsDo you ever wonder when enough is enough? Where are your boundaries? What does it take to step over them? At what stage do you say that’s enough!
It seems that nowadays there are no more boundaries. It’s all grey. No more black and white. This thought crossed my mind when I saw the iPorn girls. That is I saw pictures of them.
Do you walk around in a skimpy bikini with the words iPorn on your bottom? Would you do this for money? Of course looking at girls walking around in bikinis is not an unusual sight on a beach.
Is it different if they walk around in bikinis at a geek conference? Where do you draw the line?
In the economic down turn does it matter how you make your living as long as you can. And if you are a pretty girl, why not sell your body. After all models do this all day and every day. They might just wear more clothes, but they are definitely selling themselves and their look.
What about films where some actors and actresses seem to have no qualms in throwing off their clothes and pretending, one thinks, to have sex. They get a fair amount of money for that. Do you agree with that? It is after all for their ‘craft’ that they are stripping. For the story.
It’s a moot point really. Is this any different to big company CEO’s who lie and cheat to shareholders, the media, their staff and anybody else they can get hold of.
What about sports people. Lewis Hamilton last year’s F1 champion got caught lying during a race. Prince Harry got caught cheating in a final exam at school. Member’s of Parliament in the UK have just been caught with their fingers in the honey pot. I’m sure you can think of a few famous people who seemed to have overstepped the mark a little.
It seems to me that the world, and this statement most probably only applies to the developed world, does whatever it wants. It’s only when you get caught that it becomes bad. Hamilton is embarrassed because he got caught. MP’s are resigning suddenly, only because they got caught.
Madoff got caught. While everybody was reaping the outrageous interest he was paying, nobody complained. Where do you get such high interest. Nowhere. Be suspicious. Nope. Greed won out. Now he’s the evil one. Because he got caught.
Is that not the same then when girls parade around their naked bodies with two little strips of clothes hiding whatever in a convention centre. Body for sale. They haven’t overstepped any line because there isn’t one anymore.
Is that better for our society or worse? I’m just asking.
What should our kids learn at school
By · CommentsSome suggestions on what our kids should really learn at school. The recession is not only show casing the failure of the economic systems but also the failure of the educational programs at learning institutions.
How are 11 million Americans going to find jobs, when there are no jobs to be had? The big buzz on the internet via social media traffic is all about how to find another job. What is the advice to job seekers when the employment market has radically changed?
I was watching Fred Wilson talk about disruptive industries. He made a good point about education going through a major change. So many more kids are being schooled at home. Parents are realising that the educational system is not serving their children.
That decision, whether to school a child at home or not, is not something I would want to argue about. It’s a personal decision. The only question I have is whether the parents who have lived through an educational system that has not kept up with the times will be any better in understanding what their children need to cope with in a changing world.
There are two main elements to this current problem. The first one is that there are dwindling job numbers and these will not be resurrected. As an example, the auto industry is shedding jobs on their assembly lines. That is people who have been trained to bolt a mirror onto a car will not get a job like this again.
The auto industry is going to shrink. There is no doubt. The consumer is not going to buy a new car every year. Those days are over. Thousands of jobs on assembly lines will be lost forever. What will happen to the people who used to do those jobs? And there are many more examples of this.
In other words, the jobs that provide people with low skilled work are shrinking. What that means is that kids who were neglected by the formal school system will not have work.
The second element is that the educational system is focused on bringing out academic high achievers. That is, the focus is on educating young people ready for University or College.
Those that can’t cope with this are left to drop out and do some basic courses in vocational colleges. With other words you achieve high academic honours or go and do hair dressing. The system is geared towards ten percent of the population.
What would I suggest for a school curriculum? Reading, writing and speaking your home language. Reading, writing and speaking a world language such as English, if this is not your home language. And reading, writing and speaking one other world language such as Mandarin.
Number skills which includes the most important element of how to balance your bank account! Many courses on world cultures, traditions, religions, gender issues and how to accept and respect each others differences. Many years of training on this. Our world is shrinking. We need to teach young people how to deal with it.
Business skills such as sales, marketing, advertising and financial skills. Teach them about politics, how to look after the environment and other elements that will allow them to become good citizens.
Everything about computers, how to fix them, how to program them and as basic as how to type. The most important tool in the world right now is totally neglected in the school syllabus.
Knowing how to use Windows is not enough. Young people must learn how to set up blogs, interact on social media and how to look after themselves on the internet. Include mobile phone skills in this. In fact have one module that discusses new technology and software as it happens.
Creative thinking and how to tackle problems and hurdles that life throws at you. Back to some of those subject they taught in the classical times. How to think through moral issues and learning some ethics. Bring back Plato!
So where do traditional subjects like Geography, History, Maths, Physics etc fit into this model? There’s no harm in adding some kind of academic stream to a school system at a much later stage.
But we don’t need the entire school system to focus on teaching young people these subject There are a tiny percentage of kids who have the aptitude to become scientists. Why does everybody else have to suffer through the same curriculum?
Will all this general knowledge be lost then? Of course not. It’s available at a click of the button on the internet. Why do we need to spend years on drumming it into young people’s head when they can find the information in seconds? Teach them where to look. That’s all that’s required.
It would require a huge rethink of the education system. It’s beyond the capabilities of the existing educational authorities who are focused on seemingly wanting to improve the current offering. Regrettably, that’s not where the focus should be.
What to do and suggest? Maybe parents could take over a bit of that function again. Teach your kids how to think creatively and to problem solve. Encourage them to learn another language. Teach computer skills at home and provide them with moral and ethical codes.
That could be something!
Blog Carnival on Observations on Life 7 June 2009
By · CommentsIntroducing the latest Blog Carnival. It’s certainly an interesting range of topics and discussions this time around. Enjoy!
The Digital Archives introduce their Article Writing Service. This is for YOU the Internet Marketer!
Pinkblocks presents: We need to redefine what we mean by success!
We build your blog talks about:Remove Your Stress Of Writing And Use An Article Writing Service
Easy Way Diets offers some info on: Take note of these Energy Boosts
Matthew Paulson presents Refund Policies More Lenient Due to Swine Flu Outbreak posted at American Consumer News.
Marketingfundi shares this advice: Save thousands with an Article Writing Service
Ruoall Chapman presents Cheap ways to make your own online beats posted at Make Online Beats.
Colin Timberlake presents Suicide and Organ Donation: A System to Save Lives? posted at colintimberlake.com
Nothing like the great outdoors to empower your life. gp presents Roundup’s on the Rider’s Creed « Manely Montana posted at Manely Montana.
Aparna presents Keep your voice young and healthy posted at Beauty and Personal Grooming.
Margaret O’Hare presents Wee rabin posted at Get Her.
Stressed? Pressed for time? Do you have a million things to do and no time to do them? Sooner or later you will be in a pressure situation. Ralph Jean-Paul presents Perform Under Pressure posted at Potential 2 Success.
Yoav B presents Things you know that you don’t know posted at Israeli Soldier’s LIFE & THOUGHTS.
Dana presents Bad parenting gone awry posted at A Very Nearly Tea
Ryan McArthur presents Online Home Business and Legitimate Money Making Opportunities posted at Ideal Income.
It is important to watch the words that you use and the thoughts that may be ruminating around in your head. Catherine VanWetter presents To the Heart of the Matter - The Power of Words and Thoughts posted at To The Heart of the Matter.
Jacques Groenewald presents Microsoft money machine posted at Monkeyprofit.
Marsha Hudnall presents Weighing In: Spring Break Weight Loss Panic posted at A Weight Lifted.
Ben presents How Do You Cope With Fear posted at MoneySmartLife.com.
Mikkal Travvis presents American Christians Approve Of Torture? posted at The Last Days.
Tisha Tolar presents You Must Be Able to Say No posted at Empowering Mom: The Work At Home Moms Blog.
Raising Whiskers presents Cat Pregnancy Birth ? Cat pregnancy - Cat Pregnancy Labor posted at Cat Care.
GrrlScientist presents Tough Love for City’s Homeless: Pay Rent or Get Out! posted at Living the Scientific Life.
Jessica Nagel presents Spring is in the air! posted at Sustainable Halo.
apply4-credit presents Credit Card Tips for Travelers Abroad posted at Apply4-Credit.com.
How people react to miracles when their reality is turned upside down. Carole Gold presents Miracle Healing posted at Carole Gold.
howlingmadjay presents Greetings from Diaper Town posted at The World’s Greatest Blog.
Brooke Allen presents Dirty Laundry posted at Rambling Brooke.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. FlaxMatters presents Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Aging posted at Acids and Aging.
lena presents Men vs Women posted at The Colors Magazine.
Margaret Garcia presents How Vital is Vitamin D for Bones? posted at Online Nurse Practitioner Schools.
Margaret Garcia presents 50 Must Read Articles for Those Undergoing Physical Therapy posted at Physical Therapy Assistant Schools.
Jacques Groenewald presents Alternative Health Tips posted at The Fitness And Health Guru.
As we start to adjust to changes within our environment especially to do with issues surrounding the heating up of the earth and the speed of which we are living life, there is going to be issues that arise within our bodies. Stacey T Pollock presents Changes Within Our World posted at Creation Theory Revised Blog.
The Family Wallet presents Five Common Financial Lies posted at The Family Wallet.
A British local council only filled in half of a pothole because the other half was not technically on council land. Michael presents Local council only fills in half a pothole posted at The Odd Herald.
The reasons people love Costa Rica. Erika presents Reasons to Visit Costa Rica. Why Do People Enjoy Costa Rica? posted at Spanish Country Travel.
Franklin presents Peace Through Music : Playing for Change | fanciano.com posted at Franklin.
Effortless Abundance presents Feeling good and the Law of Attraction posted at Effortless Abundance.
AdmirableIndia.com presents Maitri Bagh, Bhilai: Part 1 posted at AdmirableIndia.com.
Taking a vacation to visit relatives is always fun and can be a surprising adventure when one is open to discovering all that the local culture has to offer. Jim DeSantis presents How To Stop Road Rage. What I Learned In Driver Friendly Texas! posted at On Line Tribune.
Few things compare to the beauty of nature, and the earth is home to countless enchanting, serene and beautiful places. Brian Maxwell presents 10 Most Beautiful Places on Earth posted at Live Your Life With Prosperity and Success.
An article about returning home after living abroad for more than a year, and how it seems that everything has been frozen in time. About motivating yourself and others toward change. Vera Nadine presents When Nothing Changes But Yourself posted at Vera Nadine.
The easiest way to make money on twitter. Jacques presents Making Money On Twitter posted at Monkeyprofit.
A report of a lucid dream. Glowing Face Man presents Lucid Dream Report, 08 May 2009 posted at Glowing Face Man.
Greg Laden presents When Your Field School Goes Into the Toilet posted at Quiche Moraine.
Mikkal Travvis presents How To Survive A Flu Pandemic posted at Bird Flu Pandemic
While most of us have heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” very few understand what “it” means, or how to properly “use it” in order to maintain brain function and fitness. Here’s the story on how my interest turned into a blog and now a book! Alvaro Fernandez presents Book Announcement: The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness posted at SharpBrains.
Your first reaction may be the wrong one. Really wrong. Take a lesson from my sister and do the opposite of what she would the next time a grasshopper jumps on you. Josh Hanagarne presents Why You Should Question Your First Reaction posted at World’s Strongest Librarian.
Jon Chambers presents The Pedestal Illusion (Article) posted at The Mind Of Jon.
Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ode To Mark Krikorian posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
Often we brush off ideas which may seem impossible for the time being. Those brave souls who pursue their interest lead tomorrow’s industries. It’s about time we cultivate our ideas to better the world we live in. Jerry Esperanza presents Black Swan Phenomena posted at Thriving and Living.
See what are the best weight loss pills on the market with ephedrine and not. dietypes presents TOP 10 WEIGHT LOSS PILLS | Best Types of Diets posted at Best Types of Diets.
Great vegetarian culinary recipe for spicy chicken with the delicious green chillies. Mmm! vegefood presents Spicy Chicken with Green Chillies | Vegetarian Culinary Recipes posted at Vegetarian Culinary.
Emma Evans presents Before And After the Baby posted at Baby-Log.
Ella Moss presents ABOUT HAPPINESS « Zodiac Times posted at Zodiac Times.
It sure is tough being a girl. It is amazing the things we go through to take care of ourselves, that most men don’t even have to worry about! The Better Homemaking Network presents Day of Beauty posted at Better Homemaking: Personal Development.
Dealing with insane earwax buildup, even with perceived deafness around the bend, can be quite cathartic. MVD presents Lead Us Not Into Deafness, But Deliver Us From Earwax posted at THE ESSENTIAL BASTARD.
Helping parents and teachers educate children. Erin presents Note from the Teacher: Free Tutoring posted at Note from the Teacher.
We all get stuck in routine patterns in our day to day lives, but breaking out of them requires a bit more effort… Travis presents Getting Stuck in Negative Patterns posted at Personal Web Guide.
Scientific Living presents What Is Scientific Living? posted at Scientific Living.
“…the weirdness and funny bits of life.” I think this one fully qualifies. A. Decker presents A Temporary Escape(from the bonds of time) posted at Resonant Enigma.
Margaret Garcia presents The Top 50 Court Reporter Blogs posted at Court Reporter Schools.
People who are fit still do suffer from heart disease on occasion. Brian presents Plaque Build Up In The Arteries: What To Look For posted at How To Live a Longer Life.
We often are reminded about the importance and necessity of tolerance. However, I think, I do not like the idea of tolerance so much. Isabel Rodríguez presents Tolerance versus understanding posted at Trying to keep an open mind and an open heart.
You could have so much more time for sex
By · CommentsThere! That got your attention. Didn’t it. But then they say sex can sell anything, even cars. Maybe GM should have more sexy girls. Buy a car and get one free. Or use an article writing service and get one free. Ah right, probably not.
But that’s not the purpose of this post, to speculate about General Motors and sexy girls. It’s about having more time whether it’s for sex or for knitting your favourite cardigan.
If you are like me, an internet marketer, then you spend hours in front of the computer trying to write articles because you know this is something that needs to be done for most successful internet businesses.
I say most, because the porn industry relies on images of course. Words are not that important. I mean how many times can you write aaah and oooh? Kind of kills the ‘romance’ bit. If one can call it romance.
Alright. Enough of the sexy references! I think I’ve made my point here.
The real point I want to make is that as an internet marketer you should consider an article writing service. It will free your time up considerably so that you can do other more worthwhile things. Either make more money or have some fun.
So go here to check it out. You have a few days of free articles just to try them out. Thereafter it costs you less than one Tall Latte from Starbucks to get 20 articles per month. And how much more time for the fun bits of life such as…..
Did I mention that I write them? Just to reassure you, there are no sexy ones. Just good ones for good business.
Go here right now to try it out.
