Recently in Personal Category

I wanted to alert my readers to some exciting news happening at TMC. As you likely know TMC is among a handful of media companies growing at a time when the media landscape is in dramatic decline. As you might imagine this growth is primarily online. Over the last decade and especially in the last few years we have focused on building online communities (Channels and GOCs) for customers who sponsor these areas as they rapidly attract focused decision-makers from around the world.

The visitors who come to these communities benefit from a massive amount of free content which helps them make informed purchasing decisions. For example people looking for products in Call Recording, Smart Data Centers, IP communications, HD Voice, Fixed Mobile Convergence or Next Generation Communications can come to the respective communities focused on these topics and have access to hundreds and in most cases thousands of TMC written articles detailing the news in their specific area of interest. Our business model is straightforward; aggregate massive amounts of focused and quality content using custom-built content targeting technology - make it relevant and pertinent so as to attract the right readers who need this information as they research the products and services they are looking to buy.

For our sponsors, these communities allow them to rank high organically on search engines to get their message out to a focused audience while simultaneously being able to measure the traffic to ensure they can justify their spend to the sales and executive management teams.

Basically, this suite of communities replicates the trade show model online and just like a trade show that attracts more attendees as the exhibitor base grows; the 120 monthly sponsored communities on TMCnet attract a massive audience which in turn attracts more sponsors.

In short, I am very confident we can continue to provide free quality content in all the areas we enter. Meaning while other media companies are beginning to charge for their once free content and many others are reducing their editorial teams, TMC is adding to its editorial, sales and marketing teams as we have a model which works exceptionally well for our readers and sponsors.

We are growing our team as we enter a slew of new markets with our business model of providing laser-focused content - backed by over a decade of proprietary content targeting technology; essentially building targeted online communities which rank high on search engines as they attract large amounts of focused traffic.

Here is my quote from a press release we put out today mentioning the hire of a brand new position - VP of Business Development. Matt Weiner is filling this position and his background of working for Penton and Yahoo! make him a good fit for the position."Over the last decade, TMC has invested in the technology and people necessary to build a next-generation media company which creates communities online, in-print and in-person," Tehrani continued. "By providing our audience with top quality news, training and information, we have attracted global purchasing decision-makers to our communities. As TMC's global communities have increased in size and quality, they have attracted hundreds of advertisers and sponsors who receive regular measurable results for their marketing and SEO budgets. Our future strategy involves continuing to build communities which draw large amounts of targeted traffic as we continue to connect buyers and sellers -- and adding Matt to the team is an integral element of that strategy."

Aside from Matt, we have added a number of other positions and just as importantly we continue to ink partnership after new partnership as we enter new spaces where we leverage our community building engine in combination with the thought leadership of individuals and/or corporations in new markets.

Thank you for continuing to support our rapid growth - thanks to our readers and existing and news sponsors - we look forward to helping all of your companies grow with ours.

I have been meaning to thank my tech vendors for a while - the companies which allow me to be as productive as possible on the road. I am going to be brutally honest and not sugar coat so brace yourselves.

Verizon EVDO - without this gem of a service I am not sure where I would be. I am able to upload 30Mb files in rapid-fire fashion as I perform video interviews worldwide. Moreover I am almost always connected to this service when there is no WiFi alternative. Amazingly, it is often faster than hotel broadband!

iPhone - Thank you Steve Jobs for reinventing the way a wireless phone works and in the process producing an environment where developers flourish providing applications which make the world a better place. In the interest of being honest, the lack of Flash support and multitasking for non-Apple apps is upsetting.

Verizon MiFi 2200 - All that you love about Verizon with the benefit of WiFi access.

Boingo* - A lifesaver when you have a few minutes to log onto a foreign WiFi network and don't want to establish an account. I have tested it worldwide and am happy with the service.

Dell Latitude E6500 - What an amazing laptop when it comes to battery life - but when it comes to Dell's ControlPoint Connection Manager which manages the wireless connections, this is the buggiest piece of crap I have ever used.

iGo AC power Adapter - they make a small and light adapter allowing me to power-up in the car and plane but it has lots of problems when it stops working from time to time. This is my third one in about five years and I am pretty fed up with its finickyness (Yes, I know that's not a word).

Plantronics** - I use this company's headsets in my office, on the go and even a stereo Bluetooth headset when I am in the need for great sound without wires. The company has solid products that are a pleasure to use. This was not always the case. They have evolved nicely over the last eight years.

CellPoint Flamingo Headphones* - Flamingos are the best wired headphones I have used from the perspective of staying in the ears. They are virtually impossible to shake out regardless of what you do.

Brookstone NXT flat-panel speaker - just plug it into a laptop or phone and play music from this device the size of stack of 25 postcards. It chews through batteries fast but packs the most sound for its weight and space.

Macbook Air - Great for presentations - people love this thing. The downside is it is finicky and I still haven't figured out how its keychain works.

Glance Networks* - One of the best services for screen sharing around... It doesn't have all the bells and whistles but is dead easy to use.

Targus Rolling Laptop Case - It works well, and takes a beating - carrying everything in this blog entry and more.

D-Link DWL-G730AP - This little gadget turns any wired connection into a wireless hotspot/access point. It works flawlessly and has been a pleasure to use.

Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones - they work great but are too pricey and should at least let you listen to music when the battery dies.

TomTom Go 740 Live - this GPS unit is not especially small or easy to read in the sun but it does let you connect to Google search and gives you real-time traffic alerts for $10/month. During a massive rainstorm it rerouted me twice in an hour and saved me precious time. It is a good, not great product which has proven to be more and less accurate than an equivalent Garmin unit. Its graphics are far inferior to Garmin. Also the connection with the base unit is flaky and not reliable.

Skype - Lets me talk to and see my family on the go - likewise with coworkers and colleagues. I hate when someone I don't know too well sees I am online and wants to have a lengthy chat discussion. Just because I am online doesn't mean I am not in a meeting, etc. Presence is not always accurate especially for me as I am always online. What I am saying is - hey, how about asking if I have a moment? Pretty please.smile

Google - Do I need to explain? I must search 100 times a day at least.

Remote Desktop - Microsoft Software which has saved my life allowing me to be as productive as possible on the road by "pretending" to be in the office. It hangs one out of a hundred times or so but otherwise it is great.

There is probably more but this is enough for now. Time to get back and put some of this tech to work.smile

The FTC has a new rule on disclosure of paid blogs/reviews with an $11,000 fine per offense so * denotes a free product/service and ** denotes some free products.

I applaud the FTC on this great idea which should reduce conflict of interest and wonder if they will move forward to ensure financial rating agencies, other government agencies and elected officials will have to play by the same rules as bloggers. I would love to know which laws are influenced by lobbyists and gifts on corporate jets for example. I am looking forward to seeing this happen but am not holding my breath.

Off to Canada Today

September 29, 2009 6:44 AM | 0 Comments
More coming soon.

Live Life

September 26, 2009 5:22 PM | 0 Comments
Om Malik has some excellent thoughts about enjoying life after celebrating the birth of a new baby boy and attending a memorial service for a friend.
Sir Terry Matthews gave a fascinating keynote address today to a standing room only crowd at TMC's ITEXPO and started his address by discussing the opportunity he sees in the communications and technology markets. You know from my past writing that I consider Terry to be one of the most incredible people I have met - he has started 89 companies primarily in communications. He has also started companies in the leisure space - hotels and golf resorts.

He is worth billions and he still works as hard as anyone I know. He travels the world and closes business. He actually said selling things turns him on. It shows - the companies he has started are some of the most successful around. I hope to have a fraction of his energy at his age.

Based upon the crowd here at his address and the focus by audience members on every word Terry is saying, it seems we picked a great keynoter for this event. Here is a clip of Terry speaking and the crowd shot of who was there.


ITEXPO West 2009 Day 2 Start

September 2, 2009 10:50 AM | 0 Comments
I had a great time last night networking with people from ITEXPO, 4GWE, M2M Evolution Smart Grid Summit and the other events here in downtown Los Angeles.

After the reception, I went to a dinner at the Westin Bonaventure show hotel and then a local restaurant. Then I went back to the TMC suite at the hotel where a bunch of attendees and the TMC team gathered, discussed the state of the markets and exchanged stories and analysis.

Some of the topics worth sharing were debates on the importance of the cloud as well as whether social networking is important in the business to consumer space. There were many more discussions and I hope to share them soon.

I am headed to the Los Angeles Convention Center soon and hope to see you there.
John W. Combs took the stage at ITEXPO West 2009 to kickoff the keynote addresses of the show. Speaking to a packed room he explained how communications and technology can be integrated to change how information technology professionals are viewed in their organizations. He cited FEDEX as an example of how technology empowered customers and improved the company's bottom line. Another example worth mentioning (my example) is Wal-Mart, an organization using technology to improve supply chain efficiency in order to put competitors out of business.

His went on to share UC best practices and shared what he believes you should look for when buying new communications systems.

Here is a brief video of the the presentation and the crown in attendance.

Here is a release in "rough" form which means it may change before its gets sent out by the team. I thought it was useful enough to get to you early and I hope it helps.

TMC Prepares to Host ITEXPO This Week in Downtown Los Angeles


Exhibit Hall Filled, Hotels Sold Out as TMC Prepares to Host Leading IP Communications Conference at Los Angeles Convention Center

 

NORWALK, CT- August 31, 2009 - Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) today announced that their editorial and conference teams have completed final preparations for this week's ITEXPO West 2009 at the L.A Convention Center in Los Angeles. The conference and EXPO, being held for the 20th time since its launch in 1999, features a robust conference program, keynotes by industry leaders and visionaries, and networking opportunities where buyers and sellers can meet and forge relationships.

ITEXPO officially opens Tuesday, September 1 with a full-day of conference sessions, workshops, keynotes, and a networking reception.

The ITEXPO exhibit hall is open during the following hours:

Wednesday, September 2: 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Thursday, September 3: 11:15am - 5:00pm

 

TMC also reported that all dedicated hotel room blocks at the Westin Bonaventure, the official show hotel, have completely sold out.

 

"The hotels are sold out, pre-registered exhibit hall attendance is up over 2008, and the exhibit hall is filled with companies displaying some of the most innovative communications technologies. All elements are pointing toward a terrific event," proclaimed TMC CEO Rich Tehrani.

 

Tehrani added, "And what's most exciting is that the registration figures that are trending ahead of last year suggests that companies are ready once again serious about investing in technologies that can help be more productive. It appears that buyers and sellers are once again poised to gather in L.A. to close deals, form partnerships and develop new relationships - the hallmarks of the ITEXPO experience."

Highlights of ITEXPO West 2009 include:

  • Conference tracks covering Enterprise and Service Provider solutions, unified communications, SIP, and Wireless/Mobility solutions
  • TMCUniversity Certification Courses: IP Network Security and Microsoft OCS
  • Fonality trixbox Open Communication Certification (FtOCC)
  • Ingate's Free SIP Trunking Workshop
  • Sipera's UC Security Workshop
  • Collocated M2M Evolution Conference
  • Collocated Smart Grid Summit Conference
  • Collocated 4GWE Conference
  • Asterisk Training Courses
  • Reseller Solutions Day free workshop
  • Keynotes by ShoreTel, Aspect, Paetec, Alvarion, Sir Terry Matthews of Wesley Clover, Clearwire, and Interactive Intelligence
  • Open Source Pavilion on the exhibit floor, showcasing open source solutions

In addition to the educational and networking opportunities, attendees have the chance to win a brand new Jeep, an iPhone, Slingbox, or HP Netbook.

Visit www.itexpo.com for more information or to register for ITEXPO West 2009.

About TMC:
Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) publishes Customer Interaction Solutions, INTERNET TELEPHONY, Unified Communications, and NGN magazines. TMCnet, TMC's Web site, is the leading source of news and articles for the communications and technology industries. Ranked in the top 3,500 most visited Web sites in the world by Quantcast, an independent Web traffic ranking site, TMCnet serves an average of two million unique visitors each month. TMC is also the first publisher to test new products in its own on-site laboratories, TMC Labs. In addition, TMC produces INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO (ITEXPO), 4GWE Conference (in conjunction with Crossfire Media), and Digium|Asterisk World (in conjunction with Digium, Inc.). For more information about TMC, visit www.tmcnet.com.
 
# # #
 

Contact Information:

Todd Keefe
For Immediate Release PR (for ITEXPO)
617-262-1968 x 101
This is "rough" press release meaning it may change a bit before it goes live. Regardless, I thought it was useful enough to share. I hope it helps.


Hi, all -- just wanted to let you know we are here at the Los Angeles Convention Center (I have been here since last Friday actually) and have been monitoring the situation regarding the fires in the LA mountains. We have been in close contact with the Convention Center and other city officials who want to make sure you know the Convention Center is far from the fires and in a safe area.

The specifics posted on the Los Angeles Convention Center Website are as follows:

REGIONAL FIRE UPDATE: The Los Angeles Convention Center is Outside of the Impact Region, and All Events are Operating Normally.

I am headed to the Avaya Social Media event soon and so far there are over a 1,000 people who have flown into LA to set up for the show and get ready for the conferences. I hope to see you tonight.

It's just what you have been waiting for - the 76-page show directory for ITEXPO which will give you lots of needed information regarding the show (Sept 1-3 in LA) . Virtually everything you need is in here - sponsors, floor plan, exhibitor list, TMC University, Trixbox training, Ingate's SIP trunking workshop, Reseller solutions day, keynotes, Asterisk Training, WiNOG, Sipera SIP Security, Wireless Broadband training, M2M, Smart Grid Summit, 4GWE, agenda and Q&As with industry thought leaders. Get it while it's hotsmile and download it to your smartphone or laptop/netbook so you can refer to it often.

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