Monetizing IP Communications - Business development Archives

Women in Telecom Thank 360 Networks, Xorcom, AstraQom and DIDX

2011-09-19T18:27:28Z

Get the women from your company together with women from other companies, and business development is assured! We prove it at every IP communications event we participate in.

How? There is an informal gathering of some very bright and powerful engineers, marketers, executive officers, business owners, and software developers that meet for breakfast at IP communications and technologies shows such as PTC, ITW, CTIA Wireless, 4GWorld, CommunicAsia, ITCN Asia, and GSMA Mobile World Congress. The most recent was at ITEXPO West 2011 in Austin. Around 18 women convened to share coffee or tea and share best practices, anecdotes, and ideas for business, social and technical collaborations at the Convention Center. I'd like to thank 360 Networks, Xorcom, AstraQom, TMCnet.com and DIDX for making this possible.

Tom Michaels, senior sales executive at 360 Networks, snapped pictures to help us remember those inspiring conversations.

“Suzanne and I noticed that there are very few women in this field, telecom in particular and technology in general,” Bridger told TMCnet when asked why the breakfast was organized. “We thought it might be a good idea to get the women that are coming to ITEXPO to network and to reach out on this particular level. We don’t mean to be exclusive but the idea is to let other women know that they do have colleagues and people that are interested in networking with them.”

An Amazon Kindle and a beautiful red cocktail dress from XO were donated for a drawing. Loni Le Van-Etter won the Kindle, and Kimberly Drobney of Fonality won the designer dress. Conversation during the event ranged among the topics of HTML5, mobile application lifecycle management, a glass ceiling is only there if you say it is, the All Conference Party with Spazmatics, Starview Solutions' new Shango cloud service for telcos and their boat party that most of us were invited to, our social CRM experiences, and open source telephony.

Anyone can set up one of these breakfasts, but be sure to use Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks and media to get the word out for the biggest and most effective meetup. Contact me on Linkedin to find out more.

I know I didn't catch all the great conversations and collaborations that resulted from and occurred at this Breakfast. I wish I did, but Carrie Schmelkin, web editor, shares more on TMCnet.com.

Irv Shapiro and Andy Abramson on Cloud Computing in English and Tagalog

2011-08-09T22:28:22Z

Something that happens to me often is the realization that there is something I can do that will help and many of my friends and customers in business at one time. Since I started my new career with Astraqom, one of my favorite projects is business development and marketing for the PinoyKubo, a social network for Filipinos and Filipinas in The Philippines and abroad, but also people who just love the culture and maybe want to learn Tagalog. So ... two young men from Cebu asked me about cloud computing and the first thing I thought of was Andy Abramson talking with Irv Shapiro of IfbyPhone about that topic at an ITEXPO.

A friend who speaks Tagalog and can translate pretty fluently anything, even technical talk from English to the language of The Philippines. So, here for my Cebu business friends who are planning to start a business that will leverage cloud communications, a translation of the discussion between Irv and Andy in Tagalog:

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Plus a complete translation to Tagalog of the transcript:
Irv Shapiro Explains Build Your Own Programs on IfByPhone Infrastructure (Si Irv Shapiro ay nagpapaliwanag tungkol sa Paglikha ng Sariling Programa gamit ang imprastraktura ng Ifbyphone)

Suzanne: Okey, narito kame ngayon sa karagatan ng Miami dito sa ITEXPO East sa taong 2010. At isa sa mga paborito kong lugar ay ang “Press room” at nakita ko rito si Irv Shapiro ng IfbyPhone at saka si Andy Abramson, na isang napakapopular na blogger. Meron silang pag-uusapan ngayon kaya guys ibibigay ko na sa inyo ang karapatang magsalita.

Andy: So, marami ng mga tao ang nag-uusap tungkol sa pagbebenta ng mga bagay na iyong pinipili. At may binili kayo ngayon. Anu po ang nangyari?

Irv:Bale kumikita kame sa pamamagitan ng pagbebenta ng mga tinatawag nating automated telephone applications. Kahit anung uri ng aplikasyon. Kung gusto mo ng Toll free no. para sayong negosyo, nang sa ganon maaari kang tawagan ng mga kustomer mo at malaman nila kung kelan darating ang kanilang mga order. O hindi kaya ay gusto lang nila makausap ang isang tao, maaari naming silang ikonekta sa mga taong nagtratrabaho kahit san pang sulok ng mundo.

O baka naman nais mong tawagan ang mga kliyente na padadalhan mo, halimbawa sa araw ng iyong pagdedeliver. Nang sa ganon alam mong hindi mo ipapadeliver ito kapag wala naman sila sa kanilang tahanan.

Kame ay gumagawa na napakaraming hanay ng mga awtomatikong mga aplikasyon ng telepono. Ginagawa na namin to sa loob ng dalawa at kalahating taon. Ang aming mga kustomer ay parating bumabalik samin at sinsabi nila na “Gusto naming gamitin ang imprastraktura niyo pero mas gusto naming gumawa ng sarili naming programa. Ayaw naming gamitin ang inyong mga Pre-built applications.”

Kaya ngayon inihahayag namin sa buong publiko sa aming pagkuha sa Cloudvox. Ang Cloudvox ay isang rebolusyonaryong teknolihiya na nagpapahintulot sa inyo na gumawa ng anumang mga asterisk applications. Asterisk dahil ito ang pinakapopular na open source PBX.

ANu mang asterisk applications at ililipat ito sa ulap. Kaya maaari ka ng gumawa ng aplikasyon gamit ang iyong computer kahit nasa opisina; pagkatapos ay palawakin ito gamit ang aming imprastraktura, at magkaroon ng access sa mga libo-libong mga linya ng telepono, gamit ang magagandang pasilidad at talagang maaasahan. Kami pa nga ang nasasabik dito.

Andy:Sino po sa mga customer ang talagang makikinabang sa lahat ng ito? At paano nito papalitan ang laro para sa mga kustomer na nangangailangan ng ganito?

Irv: Well unang mapapalitan nito ang laro para sa mga developer. Dahil kapag naghohost ng mga kompanya at organisasyon tulad ng amazon, mas murang-mura, mas madaling-madali para sa mga developers na ito, ang mag-eksperimento. At dito ay nagsisimula silang gumawa ng mas marami pang makabagong-likha. Ang Facebook, myspace at ebay, lahat ng mga ito ay nagmula sa mga pag-eeksperimento. Dati, napakahirap mag-eksperimento gamit ang telephone system. Dahil kahit maaari mong gamitin ang Asterisk, kailangan mo pa ring bumili ng mga linya ng telepono, mga tel. nos., at makipag-negosasyon sa mga kumpanya ng telepono. Ang daming kailangan pang gawin kaya nagiging mahirap ito.
Kaya ngayon gagawin nating mas madali para sa mga developer ang mag-eksperimento. Dahil sa pageeksperimento ng mga developer, ay nakakagawa sila ng mga makabagong-likha.na makakatulong naman ng malaki sa komunidad na nagnenegosyo. Kaya mas natutuwa kame pag naiisp naming na magkakaroon tayo ng mga developer sating komunidad.

Andy:Kapag ang isang tao ay isang developer o hindi kaya may isang tao na nangangailangan sa ganitong uri ng serbisyo, paano nila kayo mahahanap? Madali lang ba kayong tawagan?

Irv:Oo naman. Mahahanap nila kame sa maraming paraan. Maaari silang bumisita sa ifbyphone.com; o hindi kaya, kung nais nilang direktang makapunta sa mundo ng mga developers, maaari silang bumisita sa cloudvox. C-L-O-U-D-V-O-X.com at maaari silang mag sign-up para sa isang libreng account. Sa katunayan pa nga ay ipapagamit naming sa kanila ang Sip softphone nang magawa nila ang testing.
Hindi na nila kailangang gumamit ng telepono. Umupo nalang sila sa komyuter, mag-test, at gumawa ng mga aplikasyon sa loob ng ilang minuto sa anumang programming language na gusto nila. Mangyaring kami ay malaking tagahanga ng adhearsion ruby para sa mga rail technology. Pumunta lamang sa cloudvox.com o tumawag sa 877-295-50100

Suzanne: Napakahusay!. Yun ay ang Cloudvox.

Andy: Maraming salamat sa inyo!

Outside of Your Box at CommunicAsia with Successful Systems like Joget Workflow

2011-06-13T23:05:50Z

Tien Soon. Law is the co-founder of Joget Workflow, an open source workflow managment system that is simple to use, with no license fees, and it supports many of mobile platforms even. He spemcializes in technical consulting. The group started this project about 19 months ago. He and we will be at CommunicAsia 2011 along with Nokia and 100s of exhibitors and 1000s of other types of participants. Tien Soon's enthusiasm and passion about this system is what led me to ask him for an interview.

Some of the most interesting quotes and a summary from the podcast interview with Tien Soon ...

Listen to the audio podcast or download it to your device from: http://www.didx.net/podcast/?p=episode&name=2011-06-08_jogetworkflow.mp3.

1. "The ideal thing is for people to pay for what they need as is needed in services by users instead of paying up front before knowing what the user really needs."

2. "We had always been into the proprietary software that we developed for ourselves and for enterprise markets in early 2000 after the dotcom bubble ... Later we realized why not get into BPM and open source workflow ... a project came in by a well-known company that we cannot name."

3. He does a great job explaining the difference between proprietary and open sources, naming examples and how they work. This may seem like a silly topic, but our podcast channel is designed to educate as well as to showcase innovation.

4. "The main difference between proprietary and open source is not who is better, but instead, on the licensing model. Open source, as we know, has no license cost. This brings down implementation cost ... in the past people just accepted to pay for proprietary licenses. There are actually right now many open source opportunities available which meet the same objective even in the sectors of multi-media recording. We have an alternative at a lower cost. Pay for what you need for services you do need and not paying up front for what you may not need."

5. Tien Soon describes the people and organizations who stand to benefit the most from Joget Workflow.

6. "Our focus is on the niche of simplicity because for example, BPM (Business Project Managements ... see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_management ) software has always been a very complicated software ... For those who do not have programming skills, but are able to implement process and to automate it. These are the people that Joget is looking for. System integrators are a good example."

From Steve Cayona

7. Tien Soon explains Joget Workflow's partner programs, and how each fits different types of people and organizations.

"Let's say that a person is interested in Joget Workflow, and they reside in China, but because of his command of language, he is more comfortable speaking Mandarin ... he will be more comfortable in calling the reseller in China to inquire for services. It is a competitive edge for us when we find ISV, Accredited or OEM Partners for potential users," is the gist of Tien Soon's comments here.

"Also, maybe a company would like to embed Joget Workflow into their solutions or their products. We release the code as open source. This is the typical company who can opt to become an OEM partner. We have a partner in Thailand who adopted Joget Workflow with OEM licensing. In Thailand, English is not a popular language, and the people there, know that this company ... being in Thailand itself is able to provide dedicated support to the customers in Thailand. He rebranded Joget Workflow ...," Tien Soon further states.

Joget Workflow's Tien Soon just returned from a trip to large Saudi Arabian construction company who has more than 10,000 employees on each of their construction projects ... one of their newest partners. They are using Joget's process automation for important projects.

8. So what about trends, what is hot now?

Tien Soon shares, "Are you talking about tends in investing? Much of this has to do with social media. I think that the loyalty and location-based services will be a lot of th potential at the moment. We are talking about Web 2 which is about collecting user details. It's about getting users' engagement to interact with services and to use and contribute the data into the services."

But ... it will grow, and the data will get more useful. The next thing is how do we make sense of the data available from different sources. The next trend is to make sense of the data. These silos in terms of social media .. yeah!" He continues.

Also noted on their website, "sign up online for FREE (subject to verification and approval by Joget Workflow) for their partner program at http://www.joget.org/partners. See their growing list of partners at http://www.joget.org/partners/partners-listing.

9. The entrepreneur and developer next ... shares names of big clients his company has served as well as how the project is compatible with mobile platforms and their partner programs.

Listen to the podcast for complete knowledge of Joget Workflow. Tien Soon will be at CommunicAsia. So will we! We hope to meet as many of the listeners there. Visit http://www.joget.org, http://www.communicasia.com, http://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannebowen and http://my.linkedin.com/in/tiensoon.

Time Warp ... Well, One Hour's Worth

2010-11-07T16:08:59Z

Image via Wikipedia

In preparation for international business teleconferences, as of today November 7, 2010, we will have to ask first; who observes this time saving and who does not? Whereas, we might have been '11 hours apart' in time yesterday; today we are 10 hours apart in 'time.'

Do we need daylight added to afternoon hours? Some Wikipedia contributors state and believe that "the practice has never been criticized."

But it has been criticized. For one, there may be a better way to add daylight to our days than the current method. Second, some complain of the inconvenience of changing clocks and getting used to a different sleep schedule.

But doesn't everyone today use only digital clocks on internet devices that automatically update as applicable? Oh, right, the watch is still a popular fashion accessory of the *GOD theorum, and we crave the good old days. The analog clock, the Cuckoo and other old-style clocks are collectors' pieces that we still actually use.

Another argument against DST: There is some evidence that auto accidents and pedestrian accidents increase while work efficiency decreases among those having a difficult time adjusting.

Do we need another hour of sleep? If we could have another hour, we could be more productive, right? Thanks to George Vernon Hudson (because of his disgust with Europeans who slept late into the day and who did not like his golf game being interrupted at dusk,) we get to experience that every autumn. Well, not all of us. A majority of Asia, Africa and Australia do not observe day light saving time. In fact, Japan, India and China, three high industrialized countries do not.

The areas near the equator that do not observe Daylight Saving Time have plenty of reason not to. Their daylight and night-time hours are almost the same, about 12 hours each. On the other hand the areas such as the country Russia and the continent of North America are nearer to a pole, the North Pole, making daylight hours longer in the summer, and the closer to the pole, the longer. But look at the southern part of Australia which is nearer to the South Pole. Even its days get much longer during the summer, it does not observe DST.

Robertson Davies wrote in 1947 in The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks, "I don't really care how time is reckoned so long as there is some agreement about it, but I object to being told that I am saving daylight when my reason tells me that I am doing nothing of the kind. I even object to the implication that I am wasting something valuable if I stay in bed after the sun has risen."

Me personally, I like waking and feeling as if I stealthily stole another hour of sleep, and on other mornings, I wake my smug-feeling self one hour earlier than others to accomplish more than ever ... I think! Forget mind-reading, mind-control, or ESP. Going back and forth in time is real ... and cool.

Verizon Stops Fee to Customers Paying for Service with Credit Cards

2010-10-19T19:01:30Z

Bravo, Verizon!

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) apparently realized that if it wants to attract more FiOS subscribers, not to mention keeping its current subscribers happy, it should not charge users $3.50 to pay their bill on line with a credit card.

On its Twitter account, Verizon spokesman Bill Kula says the company is going to "evaluate" the fee.

More at FierceTelecom...

I hope consumers and organizations see more of this from their service providers and vendors. It has always made me cringe when I knew that our company or any other company considers charging its customers for paying them money. I mean ... think about it. Definitely, it is not the customer's fault that a bank charges you to receive a bank wire transfer or that Paypal charges some fees and so on. Don't punish the customer for paying you.

Exercise Ball as Office Chair and DID Testing

2010-10-13T01:11:03Z

I was discussing with a friend about different In-Country DID testing services. He recommends Global Telecom Testing.

I remember visiting this industry friend at their HQ about one mile from the Los Angeles airport and was intrigued by his exercise ball as his office chair. I have an exercise ball as my chair that I use sometimes in my office and do a few crunches here and there.

So I asked him, if he had any more tips. He replies, " We're doing pretty well over here. The ball is still in the rotation along with the standard office chair.

Good tip... hmmm...well I recently realized and read that if you find yourself having cravings in the early afternoon hours, it may not be because you're hungry but because you're tired. So a little coffee, nap or walking around will keep you from reaching for the candy jar.

Hope that helps! It has for me."

VP of Intellicom Group in Kenya, Willy Aoll

2010-09-30T16:01:02Z

Let me introduce you to a friend in VoIP and wireless business in Kenya via his answers to a survey I sent out to many on Linkedin ... Willy Aoll, VP of Intellicom Group.

1) Question: Do you have any experience with using any kind of voice over internet? How about Skype? Any other?

Answer: Suzie, I not only use VOIP, I sell IP Telephony and Broadband Telephony [Voice Over Broadband (VoBB)].In addition I'm Cisco & Avaya Certified. I have deployed several Unified Communication Solutions to Mobile Network Operators, WISPs and Enterprises. Yes,I use Skype [willy.aoll] and I have just included in my Skype contact list.

2) Question: Do you use Facebook or other social networking sites for business?

Answer: Yes, I use Facebook and have sent you a message requesting you to send me an INVITE.

3) Question: Do you use Twitter? If yes, let's follow each other there. I am @suzannebowen.

Answer: Yes, I'm on Twitter. Hit me on http://twitter.com/willyaoll, and I'll hit the follow button shortly!

4) Question: What do you think makes an excellent salesperson?

Answer: An excellent salesperson is in an extremely good listener, he/she empathizes with the prospect and sells solutions not products. I sell solutions and I influence the sales deal(s). An excellent salesperson knows when and how to knock on that closed door, overcome objections and reach the top buying officer without distractions! The excellent salesperson is a self-motivator, influences outcomes and ever energetic, resilient and stays focused. That is how I have managed to be honored by Marquis Who's Who in the World 2011 [28th Edition].

5) Question: How, in your opinion, do mobile phones and wireless Internet help anyone with anything in life, whether in the East, West, developed nation, emerging one ...

Answer: Mobile Phones, Internet and Wireless Technologies have revolutionized the way we communicate...whether in the developed or emerging markets, businesses and persons need to communicate.In business, communication is Key..the Internet has made the world a global village! Gone are the days of 'snail mail' which could take ages and disrupt mission critical business operations.

Mobile Phones have become a lifestyle....Mobile Operators have gone beyond offering the traditional Voice Solution to offering Data Solutions...the battle is in Value Added Services [VAS]. The Internet being the 'network of networks' has revolutinized the way we do business and interaction ....speed is key..

In mobile telephony, the future is in Mobile Internet and Mobile TV...which have pushed Operators to now improve infrastructures and increase bandwidth to accomodate the additional traffic...that's a topic for another day.

6) Question: What is most important to you in your career, personal/social life and goals?

Answer: In my career, personal/social life what matters most is growth and ability to bond with people...in few words I value relationships. My goals, actions & aspirations are embodied in SIX key values: Fear of GOD; Integrity; Mutual Respect for Humanity; Hardwork; Loyalty and Love. Everything I do, has become, will be, has been and will continue to be shaped by these SIX values!

Suzie, please feel free to ask any additional Qs.

Willy Aoll
VP Marketing & Sales, AFRICA at Intellicom Group - Intellicom Group Inc

Unresolved Customer Complaints Can Affect the Whole IP Communications Industry

2010-09-07T18:46:18Z

How we as IP communications companies deal with customer complaints can make or break our success as well as the "industry's." Many people switching from PSTN or other traditional communications to IP can be immediately turned off by the industry in general with just a few minutes of uppity, rude customer service responses or even worse, ignoring complaints.

Our company has been a member of the USA Better Business Bureau since 2004. We do this openly because we wish to be transparent, effective, satisfying as possible for our customers. We have had many complaints in-house and posted to BBB, but have managed to resolve all with a resulting A+ BBB rating throughout the years.

We're still not satisfied. We have an "I wish" button in the portal of for example, every DIDX member, and we have a presence in social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, blogs and Techistan where we are often confronted with complaints and issues by customers or competitors. We do our best to settle every issue with communication, discussion and resolution.

The Better Business Bureau recently sent members the following advice, which I think is excellent, so I want to pass it on..

The old adage is that a satisfied customer will tell three people and an unsatisfied customer will tell ten. However, with the advent of blogs, Twitter, YouTube and more, disgruntled customers can now share their rants for the world to hear.

Just as an online rant can damage a business' reputation, successfully handling complaints online can showcase a business' dedication to customer service, setting it apart from competition. BBB offers the following advice:

Continually monitor the online conversation. Even simply doing an Internet search of your business' name every couple days can help you monitor what's being said about your business.Pick your battles. It may not be possible to address every blog post, comment or tweet. Look for complaints that are less than a few days old, on prominent sites and are about problems that you can solve.

Offer full disclosure. When defending your business online, don't pretend to be an unbiased consumer. Tech savvy individuals can easily deduce who's behind comments so it's best to be honest and admit up-front that you represent the business.

Take the conversation offline. Don't make the mistake of hashing out disputes online for everyone to see. Instead, keep online responses polite and direct and ask the customer if you can contact them directly by e-mail or phone to discuss the specific details of their complaint.

Don't say anything privately that you wouldn't want public. Just because you've taken the conversation offline, it doesn't mean that your e-mails and phone conversations won't end up on the Internet, so always remain polite and professional.

Follow through. Don't drop the conversation when resolving a dispute and always follow through on promises. * Consider providing a little extra perk, such as coupons, after the issue has been resolved.

Know when to walk away. There's no satisfying some angry customers and at times a small business owner can only offer a sincere apology and walk away from the conversation.

For additional BBB advice on providing great customer service both on and off-line start with bbb.org.

Well-crafted Tweet on Migrating from Proprietary to Open Source-based PBX

2010-08-24T19:41:35Z

RT @cloudvox we have dev help & custom pricing for migrating voice apps off of proprietary platforms or DIY. spending >$200/mo? mail support@ for a quote

... You can meet CloudVox, our DIDXchange including several hundred of our clients and vendors, and thousands of other IT, IP, etc. expertise at ITEXPO West October 4-6, 2010.

Geography Teacher in Past Life, Local Presence in New Life, Romania this Time

2010-08-17T14:32:52Z

As a middle school instructor and grant writer for over 15 years, I had the challenging experience of teaching English, gifted studies, Introduction to Foreign Languages, Introduction to Mechanics for Girls, American History, Civics and Geography.

All were enough to make me where I could not wait to awake each morning to go to work! Geography and Civics were two of my favorites, especially when I used Sim City as the basis, the focal point! So today class, let's talk about Romania. (Is this Charlie Brown's teacher? I hope not.)

Romania is usually on the list of every termination exchange, marketplace, and ecosystem. Our company's DIDXchange offers Romanian DID on wholesale rates even.

So what's to know about Romania and why would anyone want a Romanian phone number even if they do not physically live and work there? That is what I asked several Romanians, and here are the results, no changes made to the answers.

"About Romanian ex-pats - there are big communities in Spain, Italy , United States and Canada. Smaller Romanian communities in France, UK, Ireland, Portugal , Germany, Austria.

I don't know of any big Romanian websites oriented towards ex-pats, but there are some big Romanian online communities (oriented towards general public):

http://forum.softpedia.com/
http://forum.computergames.ro/

Below a list (top) of Romanian blogs (I have no clue how positions in top are calculated):

http://www.zelist.ro/bloguri.html

About technology blogs:

http://www.bobbyvoicu.ro/
http://www.manafu.ro/
http://www.orlando.ro/
(taken from zelist.ro as well)

Some of these are blogs of different companies (such as orlando.ro )

Language - Romanian , but most of the urban population will understand English language

Culture - not sure what to say here ... a good movie industry (they got some good prizes at Cannes, etc) , some good and not so good musical scene .

Ways of doing business:
- inside Romania, local companies - probably not a very good market since everybody is struggling right now with the economic crisis , but nevertheless, lots of companies would probably appreciate a country wide presence

- outside Romania, foreign companies doing business in Romania - they benefit from low costs and low taxation, but suffer from high bureaucracy, but if they already have a presence here, DIDx could just help them have a presence in cities they are not present in already

- foreign companies just seeking customers in Romania - DIDx could help them establish a virtual presence there.

Another interesting aspect: Romania has some big ports on the Black Sea : Constanta and Agigea . Therefore, there are lots of shipping companies (foreign and local) in these two cities. Also, lots of agents for other foreign shipping/transportation companies.

What Romania is famous for, where people go when they are tourists there, and which countries do Romanians usually go to study in, get a job in, vacation in, etc.?

Romania is famous for foods and for breath-taking mountains. Maybe also famous as the birthplace of "Dracula". People will usually go to the mountain side, or to the sea side (although I also used to live in the sea side, I wouldn't recommend it since it's very crowded during summer). Some people will probably visit old cities (such as Sighisoara , Brasov, Sibiu or Bran - some of them being old fortresses - such as Bran or Sighisoara).

Countries Romanians usually go to study in : UK , Germany, Austria, Italy, France , USA

Countries Romanians usually get a job in :
-        middle class / educated people seeking jobs outside Romania : UK, Ireland, Germany, France, US, etc
-        lower class seeking jobs outside Romania : Spain, Italy, France, Portugal mostly

Countries Romanians vacation in:
-        Spain, Italy, Portugal , Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Bulgaria, etc (Basically whatever countries are in the southern/sunnier side of European Union or don't require a visa). You will also see a smaller percentage of people going to UK, France, Holland, etc."

Thank you, Dan, Anica, and Mihai, from me Suzanne Bowen, for sharing from your view... Romania.

Who am I? We should all ask this.

2010-08-17T12:35:16Z

So who am I? Let's get this straight, world. I am not a good salesperson. I never was. If I sold anything, it was by accident and because I knew someone really needed what I was wishing they would take.

I am, instead, a good and natural communicator, collaborator, idea person, mentor, trainer, and marketer.

For example, just this last week, I brought in around nine new wholesale members to www.didx.net because together among me, them, and our DIDX Care Team, we were able to find out "their" needs and were able to help them find what they need using DIDXchange.

Another example ... people keep asking me to speak publicly on social networking and media for business. They want me to share a scientific plan of action. I do not have one.

Instead, I am aware of everyone around me virtually in every situation: email, blogs, video sharing sites, social networking sites, exchange sites like eBay, and so on. If I see anyone with a need and I think I can help them, I do. If I see any person or organization doing anything that is like WOW!

I do my best to showcase that and them to the world in every way I can.

So forgive me, but I am not a good salesperson. That is not even my goal in life, work, or play.

MagicJack not sent yet ... #whatisgoodsocialnetworking collaboration?

2010-08-12T15:32:52Z

I didn't receive the MagicJack device yet, but did get the Nettalk new UNO. Waiting to get the MJ gadget first, so I can do a true comparison with videos, pics, charts, and text review mix.

Meanwhile, hey, the last 9 days of July and first 12 of August were FTL. I stopped to breathe for a second today and realized I haven't blogged on here in a while. Let me ask my thousands of wonderful IP communications related industry friends for one small favor.

Do you tweet? If yes, would you use Twitter to give your opinion on What is good social networking? But be sure to refer to the phrase #whatisgoodsocialnetworking. We've started the feed here: http://twitter.com/#search?q=whatisgoodsocialnetworking.

Let me know what I can do for you, too. Looking forward to meeting you, doing business with you, having a meal with you, running with you, referring customers to you, interviewing you on video or audio for our many media channels, writing about you, or all of the above at conferences my company partners with at http://www.didx.net/events.

Connect with Middle East and Asia News, Partners, and Customers

2010-07-19T19:23:02Z

Take advantage of the excellent news sites in the East. We've got the best of the best here in the West like http://www.tmcnet.com ... also RCR Wireless, Fierce, TechCrunch, etc., but what about the other billions of people, services, investors, partners, customers, and other organizations in the East who would love to do business with you. None of these have religious or radical undertones unless you call merging, buy-outs, hiring professionals, and new business development radical?

Some that I recommend:
1. http://teletechwire.com/ for press releases, based in U.A.E and Pakistan.
2. http://www.it-oc.com/ict/ for interviews, events, articles, based in Egypt.
3. http://telecomyou.com/ for social business networking, targeted to IP communications entities... the site is awesomely filled with unique opportunities, but a little slow and hard to understand. Based in Saudi Arabia ...
4. http://arabcrunch.com/ ... very open to sharing news, etc. in Saudi Arabia

I will add more as I think of the rest of Asia and the Middle East.

Twitter Search Your Way to New Business

2010-07-14T12:16:11Z

Try any search term in the block on the right side of your Twitter page. Here are some I found which have already led to my being able to get new customers for some of our www.didx.net wholesale IP communications service provider members.

I just have to use a POS slide phone from 2002, and the only numbers I have are my My Favs. IT SUCKS! and Sorry 2 hear that!

Also, he repeats phone numbers he sees on the TV...lol! I'm excited about it because the kid wasn't talking a few months ago...

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Yes someone handed me a business card w/2 of the phone numbers scratched out. http://twitpic.com/256mhz

I hate online forms that allow you to pick your country but only allow USA phone numbers.

unfair comment on phone area code. Our cell phones r a lifeline w same numbers over 10yrs personal & bus can't give that up

I hate when filling forms and the only area code offered is +1 for phone number.

haha like i said theyre old so go ahead :D i change my numbers pretty often :D god i've had so many phone numbers :D

How can PR people continue to send e mails WITH NO PHONE NUMBERS - elementary my dear watsons

Loads of the phone numbers on this spreadsheet are incorrectly parsed.I am fixing them all.

deleted some twitter peoples phone numbers =)

Bought a new phone. And apparently, I didn't save any numbers in my sim card. Damn it, I can't even make a hair cut appointment. FML.

Just found this... Poll: Support for Arizona Immigration Law Hits 57 Percent: Phone numbers were dialed from rando... http://bit.ly/bdsEPA

!@#$%^, your phone support numbers suck arse. If you can't say all option tiers in ONE BREATH, THERE ARE TOO MANY LEVELS.

Later on today...ii'm postin' the phone numbers and locations to ALL the FREE CLiNiCS!! ...so stay posted for a CLiNiC near yu'.

yeah, these are updatable online which makes me kind of want them as I keep changing phone numbers, emails etc

I also have yet to accept the 8 digit phone numbers..

Yeah! Tollfreeforwarding.com! Business Phone Numbers: TollFreeForwarding.com provides local and toll-free business phone numbers in 70+ http://url4.eu/5mfTT

haha yeah! I'm gonna write the radio stations numbers in my phone when I am properly up and txt them loads from work!

Which Asterisk Server Provider Do You Choose?

2010-07-08T16:32:59Z

Yesterday, one friend, a guy whose clients are musicians in the USA and around the world. He does video, PR, and social networking training with and for them. He asked me if I would connect him to different Asterisk Server Providers because he needs that.

I used Facebook email to introduce him to each of them because there I am connected with around 2000 or so (slow accumulation of wonderful, quality, organically-grown relationships since early 2006) friends, most of them some how related to telecommunications.

Here are the responses he received from each and so I was wondering if you were the Musician PR guy, which answer gives you the best first impression? What are the pros and cons of each? What should have been said openly to me and the person I am referring to each. Just something to think about.

1. I'd like to talk with him. I have experience with Asterisk as a developer and entrepreneur and have helped others to do what is requested. Besides, anyone you think highly of, Suzanne, has to be pretty cool.

2. First response: Absolutely. Direct email: ...
Second response same person: Direct message sent to your friend, Suzanne.

3. Thanks, Suzanne. It'd be my pleasure. What method is most convenient for him to communicate to get started?