Headquartered in San Diego, Fallbrook® Technologies Inc. is dedicated to improving the performance and flexibility of transmissions for vehicles and equipment.  The company’s revolutionary NuVinci® continuously variable planetary (CVP) technology is applicable to virtually any machines that use a transmission, including bicycles, light electric vehicles, automobiles, agricultural equipment and wind turbines.  NuVinci technology offers companies the flexibility to design and produce next-generation products that are better tailored to their unique business, market and competitive requirements.

Fallbrook Technologies has built an extensive portfolio of over 325 patents and patent applications worldwide.

Be on the lookout for positive press soon on this company, thanks to Stalwart Communications!

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What IT folks can learn from the acrimonious Arizona Immigration debate

Max Huang says the biggest lesson is that one-off solutions can bring about more problems than solutions

September 02, 2010 —

I’m not much of a political junkie, mostly because I think a great deal of the discussion ends up being a shouting match between people of different parties and loses its solution-solving capabilities. Nowhere have I seen this more apparent of late than with the heated debate related to the Arizona Immigration Law. To be honest, I’m no longer really cognizant of the substantive points surrounding the issue.

However, it dawned on me recently that I’ve seen this saga before, but in a different context. On certain occasions, I’ve seen CISOs execute well-intentioned responses to one particular threat or instance that fall outside their existing security policies and leave other aspects of their networks exposed or, at the very least, disconnected. The discovery of this back draft usually precedes a “finger-pointing” evolution, pitting employees and supervisors against one another with the underlying question being who didn’t see the negative effect coming.

Here’s the bottom line. IT security cannot and should never be conducted in a vacuum. Instead, strong care and consideration must be taken to ensure that not only does it fit within a more comprehensive communications infrastructure, but also one that directly benefits the organization’s overall strategic goals. It’s easy to follow the latest threat, but the real benefit is in a security plan’s preventative capabilities. So before the next CISO starts a heated argument with his CIO counterpart, I would suggest that person count to 10 and ask themselves these three basic questions.

Read the rest of the article here.

GreenRope is a startup service by Lars Helgeson, co-founder of CoolerEmail, and is designed to empower small businesses and strategic consultants with the ability to manage their contact database, marketing communications, calendaring and project management initiatives from one user-friendly platform for much lower cost than what they are currently paying for each service al a carte. Its secure system enables companies to automatically back up their customer lists and leverage them across multiple – and until now disparate – channels such as accounts receivable reports, customer surveys, meeting requests and project timesheets, all without having to rekey contact information each time. Thanks to GreenRope, a contract can now be written, submitted, assigned, tracked and billed from only one place. The platform’s centralized management console also provides small businesses and consulting firms with the ability to track the effectiveness of ongoing initiatives at the click of a mouse.

Be on the lookout for positive press soon on this company, thanks to Stalwart Communications!

Take a look!

Schools Going Solar Will Save Million$

The Jersey Shore Season 2 Parody: Snooky and Pauly Dee Go Back to School

The Jersey Shore goes back to school? Whaaaaat?? http://www.valorebooks.com/campus-life/
Bad News for the cast of The Jersey Shore. Check it out in this exclusive Back To School Video At The Jersey Shore Parody.

In order to keep The Jersey Shore Season 2 on air, the network requested that Snooky and Pauly Dee get more educated. The only problem is that the only school that would accept them this late in the year is in Wisconsin!

Take a sneak peak at this exclusive video which reveals all.

Be sure to subscribe to our channel for future episodes in the series and to watch things develop. Be sure to leave your comments below the video or Pauly Dee is coming to get you!

For more amazing The Jersey Shore Season 2 Parody content and back to school savings, check out Valore Books:
http://www.valorebooks.com/

Happy reading!

Fast-fashion retailers slow down to engage with customers

Aug. 24 2010
By Crosby Noricks
Email: cnoricks@reddoor.biz

Fast-fashion retailers provide shoppers with the latest trends that, in many cases, are in one minute and out the next. So if the customer experience changes so frequently, how do brands form meaningful relationships?

The answer lies not in having merchandising tunnel vision, or in vague brand statements, but by creating a community that connects patrons with the brand and with each other, and social networks have staked a modern claim in fostering these relationships. Once retailers fulfill their shoppers’ latest fashion craving, the next step is to keep them involved (and shopping!) through meaningful, one-on-one conversations, no matter the season or sale. Facebook and Twitter both provide real-time engagement opportunities that can extend brand affinity, word-of-mouth and yes, even increased purchases away from the storefront, away from the brand website — right where shoppers are spending the majority of their online time. Here are five tips that fast fashion retailers can do to better amplify customer interaction through social media:

1) Offer exclusive “Social Media Only” promotions
Sharing special offers exclusively for those individuals that follow a particular outlet’s brand increases shopper’s desire to pay attention to that brand’s Facebook or Twitter updates. Furthermore, tracking the ROI of social initiatives can be easily done through coupons and social media sales — just wait until that LBD (little black dress) sells out an hour after you post a Twitter sneak sale!

2) Share accolades
Today’s mass market culture inundates young women with celebrity style and celebrity stylists. Take advantage of traditional PR for social media content. For example, Charlotte Russe’s skinny jeans were recently featured in Seventeen and that led to a conversation on Facebook about the skinny jean trend. Tying this print feature into a current denim promotion just fed the fashion fire.

3) Play games
Hosting contests or polls via Facebook, Twitter and similar sites is an effective strategy to engage with customers and increase brand awareness in a fun way. It allows fans to become excited about the brand and will keep shoppers coming back. For example, Charlotte Russe hosts a weekly “play fashion stylist” poll that allows followers to share their preferences by pairing one clothing item with another, such as a particular set of shoes with a certain dress. Posing questions gives fans a platform to voice what they like or don’t like about current trends.

4) Showcase new arrivals
Inform customers when new merchandise is available whether it’s in-store or online. Whenever possible, raise interest by “leaking” new looks through social first. Charlotte Russe shares behind the scenes photos of fashion shoots for upcoming styles and builds conversation around these sneak peeks. Nowadays, more and more shoppers are conducting the majority of purchases online. By giving them a head’s up on new arrivals via social network pages, a store increases their chances getting their new looks to shoppers through social media sharing and word of mouth, upping the ante for at higher sales.

5) Compliment other marketing programs
While a social media strategy is a phenomenal way to interact with fans and build a brand, it’s also important for retailers to create one that compliments other programs in place such as email marketing. Brands should also promote social programs in-store — at point-of-sale, on receipts, even on shopping bags. Make it impossible for shoppers to miss out on all the goods you have to offer them through your social pages.

Since fast fashion means one day it’s in and the next it’s out, retailers must perform the delicate act of keeping up with key trends while, at the same time, slowing down to connect personally with shoppers. A high-engagement social media strategy allows retailers to keep customers front and center by formulating a connection that helps drive word-of-mouth and repeat purchases. While a customer’s last purchase might be “so last year,” these platforms are crucial all season long.

Crosby Noricks is the senior strategist of Social Media for Red Door Interactive, an Internet presence management firm with offices in San Diego and Denver that helps organizations profit from their web initiatives. Clients include Charlotte Russe, Cricket Communications, Garden Fresh Corp, California Avocado Commission, Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill and PETCO. She can be reached at cnoricks@reddoor.biz.

Cali Bamboo CaliCork Cork Flooring

Cali Bamboo.  CaliCork flooring is a ready-to-lay product made from cork used in wineries. It features a proprietary ceramic wear-resistant technology that minimizes the appearance of scratches, scuffs, scoring, and rough spots. The material also helps insulate against temperature and noise and uses a no-glue click-lock system for easy, environmentally friendly installation. CaliCork is suitable for use on floors and walls. 888.788.2254. www.calibamboo.com.

I picked up an Entrepreneur Magazine at the airport this weekend and came across a fantastic Q&A with Ronn Torossian, founder of New York-based 5W Public Relations, about dealing with a PR nightmare. Great advice for both public relations professionals and businesses.

How to Handle a PR Crisis
By: Jennifer Wang, Entrepreneur Magazine – August 2010

Q: How do I deal with a PR nightmare?

A: There are times when you can get away with burying your head in the sand, but a business crisis isn’t one of them. You need to drop everything and fix it. Now.

“Small-business owners think they can put their heads down and outwork everything,” says Ronn Torossian, founder of 5W Public Relations, based in New York. “But you can’t outwork crisis. For the people it impacts, it will feel like the end of the world.”

Torossian has seen major corporations, small businesses and celebrities through a fair number of troubling times (Lil’ Kim’s perjury case and financial scandals of a Fortune 100 company). By now, he’s got a few standard rules for managing crises of any scale.

First, he says, come up with a message that addresses what went wrong and how you’ll handle it. Don’t wait to apologize.

Then communicate that message to everyone who’s been affected–in person, if possible. A newsletter won’t cut it, and letting the media provide updates will make matters worse. And don’t pass things on through lawyers or spokespeople. Delegating raises the probability of more disaster. Warns Torossian: “It won’t keep your employees from all walking out or vendors from suddenly saying, ‘We want immediate payment because we don’t know if you’re going to be here next month.’”

Work on your delivery, too, because how you say things in public can be more important than what you actually say. (Wrong: Tiger Woods’ 13-minute ramble of an apology. Right: Bill Clinton’s direct, sincere four-minute apology.) “Americans are very forgiving, but they need to believe you actually care,” Torossian says. So leave the script at home and be prepared for scrutiny, because if you’re uncomfortable, it will show. Do everything you can to make yourself and your audience more comfortable–grab water, enunciate, avoid jargon and fancy words and be ready for discussion. “Speak compassionately and honestly, and don’t pretend to be on a higher level than your audience,” he advises. “It’s the best way to put people at ease.”

In the end, be resigned to some fallout. Not all will be forgiven, but you can minimize the damage. Fortunately, Torossian says, small-business owners can move faster than big companies, and they should take advantage of that.

DefenseWeb receives contract from Marine Corps

By Daily Transcript staff report

DefenseWeb Technologies Inc., a San Diego-based software developer and systems integrator for the Department of Defense, has been contracted by Marine Corps Forces, Pacific to build a virtual Family Readiness Community platform.

The wholly-owned subsidiary of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) will serve as a Family Readiness Officer, helping deal with complex emotional and psychological issues, such as deployments, long periods away from family, friends, and loved ones, the birth of a child and bereavement. Such issues are more challenging with a growing number of service members stationed away from military installations, struggling to communicate on a regular basis.

“DefenseWeb developed a similar program for the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command with great success,” said Col. Brian A. Mace at Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. “We’ve got very similar needs in ensuring that our Marines and their loved ones have access to the support services they need and deserve. Doing so has a direct and positive impact on our military readiness.”

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Manufacturer Makes Stellar Deal, Gains East Coast Office

Quake Global Inc. is buying Stellar Satellite Communications Ltd. from New Jersey-based Orbcomm Inc. for undisclosed terms, the companies announced Aug. 9. Stellar’s Virginia facilities will become Quake’s East Coast office.

Stellar is an Orbcomm subsidiary that sells satellite hardware. Locally based Quake Global manufactures machine-to-machine satellite and terrestrial communicators. Orbcomm is a satellite data communications company. One of its specialties is tracking trucks, containers and heavy construction equipment.

— Brad Graves