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Backyard Ideas | Landscape Design Ideas - 26 May 2016 14:23

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[[html]]<object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y526mJdiEoI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y526mJdiEoI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Landscape Design<br><br>Landscaping Ideas<br><br>How to Landscape<br><br>Garden Landscape Design<br><br>Backyard Features<br><br>Patios<br><br>Swimming Pool Design<br><br>Outdoor BBQs<br><br>Outdoor Fireplace<br><br>Fire Pit Designs<br><br>Backyard Structures<br><br>Decks<br><br>Pergolas &amp; Patio Covers<br><br>Retaining Walls<br><br>Fencing &amp; Gates<br><br>Hardscapes &amp; Lighting<br><br>Concrete<br><br>Flagstone<br><br>Pavers<br><br>Landscape Lighting<br><br>Plants &amp; Lawns<br><br>Plants for Landscaping<br><br>Sprinklers &amp; Drip Irrigation<br><br>Lawns<br><br>Find a Local<br><br>Concrete Contractor<br><br>See contractor photos &amp; info in <br><br>your area on ConcreteNetwork.com<br><br>Search by city/state or postal code<br><br>Backyard Dimensions Infographic<br><br>Having trouble remembering how tall to make a seat wall? Not sure about the dimensions of a fire pit? Use this handy infographic to quickly look up the measurements of the most popular backyard amenities.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://www.reallifeblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Old-House-Landscaping.jpg" width="274" /><br><br>Backyard Landscape Dimensions (PDF)<br><br>Backyards have become a true extension of the home. When properly landscaped, a backyard will provide additional outdoor living space where you can spend time with family and friends. Backyards have become areas for recreation as well as relaxation. And many amenities that used to be just for the indoors, such as fireplaces and fully equipped kitchens, are finding their way into backyard decorating ideas.<br><br>With good planning, design and construction, your backyard living space can become a multipurpose area for relaxing, entertaining and playing. In addition, custom backyard landscaping can add to the monetary value of your home. When tackling a backyard landscaping project, it's always best to start with a plan in mind, so spend some time gathering landscaping ideas and looking at photos before jumping into your own backyard overhaul.<br><br>Get these tipsIn this section, you'll find tips from landscaping professionals on:<br><br>How they created inspiring backyard retreats, with project <a href="http://www.safemilk.org/tag/dumpster-rental-cost/">garden services</a> profiles from around the country.<br><br>Ideas for creating outdoor rooms, including kitchens, dining areas, living rooms, game rooms and even office spaces. <br><br>Design tricks for defining outdoor rooms without inhibiting the overall flow and unity of the yard.<br><br>Backyard patio styles for various activities, including outdoor dining, entertaining and sunbathing.<br><br>The most important <a href="http://www.minnesotaflooring.org/new-appliance-or-appliance-repair-for-your-remodel/">backyard design ideas</a> factors to consider when determining the best location for your patio, including proximity to the home, available space, exposure to sun and shade, and views.<br><br>Three easy steps to help you determine the right dimensions for your backyard patio.<br><br>Design solutions for small backyards to help you make the most of the limited space.<br><br>Design and planting tips for various backyard types, including yards for families, yards for empty nesters, and yards for nature lovers.<br><br>Popular geometrical layouts for backyard gardens, including curvilinear, radial, rectangular, arc-and-tangent and irregular.<br><br>The most popular backyard garden styles and themes, including modern, traditional, country, Mediterranean, tropical and desert. <br><br>How to create a backyard perfect for entertaining and recreation, where you can enjoy such activities as cooking gourmet meals, roasting marshmallows, throwing swim parties, and playing bocce ball. <br><br>Ideas for incorporating a pool, spa, fountain or pond in your backyard. <br><br>Design ideas for backyard hardscaping, including patios, decks, paths, pergolas, walls and fencing.<br><br>How to makeover your backyard living space, whether you want to enlarge your patio, dress up your existing paving, or turn a narrow space into a useable backyard.<br><br>Do you rarely spend time in your backyard? Is your backyard lacking space for entertaining or recreation? A good backyard landscape design will create a series of outdoor rooms that serve different purposes, whether you want to entertain, play, or simply relax and enjoy Mother Nature. <br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Phone Analytics Are Changing the Future of Marketing - 26 May 2016 08:36

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[[html]]Big data is growing bigger every day. It's so big, even the U.S. government is putting it to work, with an extensive plan investing millions every year. By 2020, our digital universe is expected to grow to 40 zettabytes (one zettabyte is ~1 billion terabytes) up from 3.2 zettabytes in 2014. About 85 percent of that data is coming from new sources.<br><br>Data is important for business success, but without the right tools for analysis, it becomes a double-edged sword. Unless you can understand what the data means and then use it to improve the business — it has no value to you.<br><br>Related: 4 Marketing Analytics Tools That Are Shaping the Industry<br><br>There are countless web analytics tools available to help you see how well your online marketing campaigns are doing — but what about phone analytics? With a deeper understanding of what happens with customers on the phone, your business can gain more of a competitive edge.<br><br>1. Nextiva analytics: phone call insights <br><br>Launched in March 2016, Nextiva Analytics offers the ability to harness the big data hiding in calls into and out of a business. Using the platform, it is possible to get an overview of all the call activity within a certain timeframe, see the activity for a select group of people, and compare real-time and historical data.<br><br>"As a data-driven company, we understand the importance of data for deep business insight and agile decision-making," says Tomas Gorny, Nextiva's chief executive officer. "Nextiva Analytics provides critical data and analysis to foster growth in businesses of every size. Stakeholders can now view, analyze and act like never before and get exponentially more value out of the NextOS platform."<br><br>While those in the call center industry would likely find the product most useful, the beauty is all businesses will be able to <a href="http://www.ipware-summit.com/tag/custom-signs/">local business listing robot</a> use it to make adjustments to strategy and processes. With more than 225 report combinations and the ability to customize reports and dashboards, it's easy to turn data into actionable insights.<br><br>For many small businesses, workforce management and analytics tools are costly and just don't fit into the budget. Nextiva's platform is priced at $50 a month for up to five users, and $5 a month for each additional user, making it an affordable way to tap into what big data has to offer.<br><br>Related: 10 Questions to Ask When Collecting Customer Data<br><br>2. How businesses will benefit <br><br>With phone-call analytics, call centers can keep an eye on quality and customer experience. Nextiva Analytics built-in gamification tools can help keep employees engaged and performing well.<br><br>Phone calls are a vital part of marketing campaigns, particularly for the business-to-business market, where calls are scheduled after lead information is entered into a web form. But, without call-tracking data, there's no way to know how well the sales team is doing with those follow-up calls. Learning how well the calls are working allows you to see where adjustments need to be made.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://www.mymarketingcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Small-Business-Marketing-Toolkit.jpg" width="360" /><br><br>Which days of the week perform better? Which times of day perform better? Are there trends in the lower performing days and times you could make adjustments to for better results in the future?<br><br>Maybe a <a href="http://www.2tsa.com/tag/marketing-firms-in-frederick-md/">yahoo local business listing</a> simple change of script could be enough to boost the conversion rate? Maybe certain agents need more training to effectively convert customers? Maybe you're spending too much of your marketing budget driving calls early in the sales funnel, when customers would be more responsive to hearing from you after they get information via other channels.<br><br>Go beyond analyzing the length, date and time of the call. Conversation analytics allow you to search conversations from keywords, to understand which ones are being used, how they're used and their impact on the conversation. Find out if agents are using the correct language on calls and how well customers are responding to it.<br><br>3. What this <a href="http://www.ipware-summit.com/tag/custom-signs/">local business listing service</a> means for the future of marketing <br><br>As Nextiva Analytics works to add more integrations to their software, it has the power to change the way marketers do their jobs. The more data we have available, the more precise and targeted campaigns can be.<br><br>Marketing is already focused on personalization and the mobile shift. Research shows U.S. businesses earn an estimated $1 trillion in revenue with "click to call" commerce. Using the analytics data, businesses can take steps to improve hold times and customer service response, reducing the call abandonment rate and boosting profits. The future of marketing remains reliant on the data we have available — and what we can learn from it.<br><br>Related: A Custom Landing Page, Call Intelligence and One Simple Question Will Maximize Your Marketing Money<br><br>If your business uses the phone to communicate with customers in any shape or form, skipping an investment in phone analytics could mean missing a major growth opportunity.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Q A: advertising & marketing roundtable. - 26 May 2016 08:30

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[[html]][ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]<br><br>David Blain&#13;<br><br>Saxton Home&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Brent Johnson&#13;<br><br>Hollands Hart, LLP&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Jeff Olsen&#13;<br><br>ThomasARTS&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Bill Brady&#13;<br><br>EKR&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Haley McLennan&#13;<br><br>Intrepid&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Chuck Penna&#13;<br><br>Penna Powers&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Mike Chase&#13;<br><br>Chase Marketing Group&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Andrew Melchior&#13;<br><br>Avalaunch Media&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Pauline Ploquin&#13;<br><br>Struck&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Brad Plothow&#13;<br><br>Method Communications&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Ted Roxbury&#13;<br><br>CLEARLINK&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Kelly Shelton&#13;<br><br>Boostability&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Todd Wolfenbarger&#13;<br><br>The Summit Group&#13;<br><br>Communications&#13;<br><br>Q A&#13;<br><br>What would you say was the biggest change that has taken place in&#13;<br><br>our industry in the last 12 to 18 months?&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>In the last five to seven years, PR has completely changed. We&#13;<br><br>spent a lot of time training to be journalists so we could run stuff&#13;<br><br>through a gatekeeper and hope that we found interest. Now we spend as&#13;<br><br>much time publishing as we do pitching stories. Content marketing has&#13;<br><br>really dramatically changed the way public relations professionals&#13;<br><br>workyou not only have to be a great writer, you have to be able to see&#13;<br><br>things visually. You have to be able to tell a story visually, and you&#13;<br><br>have to be able to edit.&#13;<br><br>~ Todd Wolfenbarger<br><br>WOLFENBARGER: What we've learned is you have to be curious. If&#13;<br><br>you're not curious, you're not going to survive in this&#13;<br><br>industry because it's evolving. And that's what makes it fun.&#13;<br><br>It's reinvented every year; it's something different. If&#13;<br><br>you're curious, it feels like a toy box. And if you're not, it&#13;<br><br>feels like a dentist chair.&#13;<br><br>SHELTON: Google, search engines, are a game changer. It's&#13;<br><br>really how consumers find products and services now. The key in search&#13;<br><br>is understanding intentwhy someone is visiting a site or using their&#13;<br><br>mobile deviceand then matching your content around that intent,&#13;<br><br>matching your experience around that intent. Search has changed the&#13;<br><br>landscape for the better. Consumers are in charge. They're&#13;<br><br>empowered more than ever. So it's not just about just selling,&#13;<br><br>selling, selling. It's about answering questions, it's about&#13;<br><br>providing resources.&#13;<br><br>ROXBURY: Over the last five to seven years there's been an&#13;<br><br>increasing amount of fragmentation within the marketplace, specifically&#13;<br><br>digital, where consumers are shifting from search to social to apps to&#13;<br><br>online/offline experiences. But over the last 12 to 18 months,&#13;<br><br>we're starting to see that fragmentation disappear from technology.&#13;<br><br>We're starting to see more integration across the consumer&#13;<br><br>experience, regardless of device or platform or medium or engagement&#13;<br><br>type. So, for example, you can interact with a customer on social, then&#13;<br><br>on search, and then maybe through a call center or a store, and you can&#13;<br><br>integrate all that data together and create one single experience.&#13;<br><br>MELCHIOR: Probably the biggest overall change is the lack of time&#13;<br><br>the consumer is willing to give you to share your message. Where you&#13;<br><br>used to have maybe minutes, now you have seconds. So you have to convey&#13;<br><br>your message in a very quick format. That's why visual content has&#13;<br><br>become so prevalent. You have sites out there like Instagram and&#13;<br><br>Pinterest that are really driving the market now, and that's what&#13;<br><br>we try to cater to for our clients.&#13;<br><br>BRADY For me it's the pervasiveness of mobile technology, the&#13;<br><br>bandwidth that you get in mobile now and the ubiquity of devices. Half&#13;<br><br>of adults in the states own tablets now. So it's tablets and&#13;<br><br>phones. Whereas it was once a big deal to have an experience that was&#13;<br><br>responsive and cater to that, now it's gone to a whole other level&#13;<br><br>where people are expecting content that's catered to exactly what&#13;<br><br>they need in that moment. That's a big opportunity for marketers.&#13;<br><br>CHASE: One of the biggest changes is the accountability that comes<br><br>from digital. Digital forces us to be accountable to the client on one<br><br>hand, but one of the great things you can do with that accountability is<br><br>very seriously reach out and target a consumer much easier than you<br><br>could, much more cost efficiently than you could. So you can still<br><br>create your brand, on the one hand, but on the other hand be accountable<br><br>to the client as well. One of the challenges of being accountable is if<br><br>you haven't done your homework. One of the good things about being<br><br>accountable is if you have, you can make changes almost instantaneously.<br><br>PLOTHOW: In the last 12 to 18 months, the rate of change is&#13;<br><br>increasing in such pronounced way. So the interval between the next&#13;<br><br>wrenching change is getting smaller and smaller. You also have this&#13;<br><br>proliferation of channels. We've talked about content marketing&#13;<br><br>being this self-publishing platform for brands in addition to your&#13;<br><br>traditional earned media and paid media channels.&#13;<br><br>The other thing that is really significant and changing rapidly is&#13;<br><br>the expectation that started with Web 2.0 and now has really come to&#13;<br><br>fruition of consumers and customers being participants in the brand and&#13;<br><br>feeling like they have a stake in the company and what it means and what&#13;<br><br>it delivers, whether or not they're shareholders. So engagement&#13;<br><br>with customers and the expectation of them being part and parcel of the&#13;<br><br>conversation around what the brand means and its relevance is here.&#13;<br><br>BLAIN: When you go from a finely crafted 30-second spot to a&#13;<br><br>six-second video, it has tons of implications in how you plan&#13;<br><br>strategically, in what you surround that content with, in how you target&#13;<br><br>that content. There's just so many implications to that&#13;<br><br>compression: compression of time, compression of content, compression of&#13;<br><br>thinking. Everything happens so much faster. That's probably driven&#13;<br><br>an enormous amount of change n everything that we do.&#13;<br><br>OLSEN: Everything from custom content and the way that's&#13;<br><br>delivered now, the accountability, to how that's&#13;<br><br>measuredit's everything I call the automated marketing platform.&#13;<br><br>What hasn't changed is you've still got to be interesting.&#13;<br><br>You've still got to engage in a way that's somebody says,&#13;<br><br>"Oh, wow, I want to look at that," whether it's six&#13;<br><br>seconds or 30 seconds or two seconds in a Instagram post. That's&#13;<br><br>where agencies can shine, that's where our expertise comes to&#13;<br><br>fruition, is being interesting and being engaging in a way that&#13;<br><br>consumers resonate with and want to be a part of, regardless of how&#13;<br><br>it's measured or whether it's on my tablet or mobile device or&#13;<br><br>through word of mouth on social media.&#13;<br><br>PLOQUIN: Forester predicted we were ushering ourselves into the age&#13;<br><br>of the customer, and that's what we're all talking aboutthe&#13;<br><br>empowered customer and, indeed, all of the implications that means from&#13;<br><br>the variety of devices that our customers are engaging with. What's&#13;<br><br>been interesting for us has been the rise of the user experience because&#13;<br><br>of the age of the customer and how important that is to really&#13;<br><br>understand what they are experiencing along the consumer path. And&#13;<br><br>really intriguing as well is this move from eyeballs to experiences.&#13;<br><br>It's not just about a visual cue, it's about that actual&#13;<br><br>physical experience. We're seeing brands move from just a digital&#13;<br><br>experience to actual physical experiences, which is really unique and&#13;<br><br>interesting. So what does this mean for an agency, what is our role? We&#13;<br><br>see our role as to really help our brands make an emotional connection&#13;<br><br>with consumers.&#13;<br><br>MCLENNAN: All of our brands have so many additional touch points of&#13;<br><br>people they're trying to influence. What's important and what&#13;<br><br>we keep coming back to is that the messages that go through all of those&#13;<br><br>channels need to be complementary and integrated, and they need to be&#13;<br><br>right on brand strategy, and they need to come back to that home base of&#13;<br><br>who you are, what you're trying to do. That's tricky, because&#13;<br><br>if you're doing things in silos, sometimes the message is not right&#13;<br><br>or they're not complementary. So it comes back to creating a&#13;<br><br>foundational strategy, really understanding who your audience is, what&#13;<br><br>they're looking for, and how they want to get that information.&#13;<br><br>JOHNSON: As a lawyer, I monitor change in the advertising marketing&#13;<br><br>industry based upon two metrics. First metric is the regulatory activity&#13;<br><br>in that area. The second metric is the class action Lanham action, which&#13;<br><br>is private actions against companies based upon the claims that they&#13;<br><br>make. And in the last 18 months, there has been a dramatic increase in&#13;<br><br>regulatory activity and litigation in two principle areas: e-commerce&#13;<br><br>and functionality claims. When you only have six seconds to convey a&#13;<br><br>message now, you tend to want to hit key words, and key words equal&#13;<br><br>claims and claims are where the FTC gets involved and the lawsuits&#13;<br><br>occur.&#13;<br><br>So functionality claims of any kind, whether or not something is&#13;<br><br>"green," for examplethe FTC has come up this year with green&#13;<br><br>guidelines. If you're going to make a claim that your product is&#13;<br><br>recyclable or anything else that relates to the environment, you better&#13;<br><br>know those guidelines because the FTC will come down on you.&#13;<br><br>This year Blue Buffalo settled a major Lanham case brought by&#13;<br><br>Purina over their claim that their dog food did not contain byproducts,&#13;<br><br>but also spun off a number of class actions by pet owners that Blue&#13;<br><br>Buffalo also had to settle. The notion here is we're now&#13;<br><br>constricted in advertising to a very short time frame, we need to&#13;<br><br>differentiate our product. Consumers are demanding functionality in&#13;<br><br>their products more and more. And yet all of those factors create a&#13;<br><br>perfect storm where if we're not careful, we end up making claims&#13;<br><br>that result in more trouble than they're worth.&#13;<br><br>Q A&#13;<br><br>Are you having to adapt to other psychological or sociological&#13;<br><br>changes that have affected your business?&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>Consumers are shifting more and more toward third-party reviews of&#13;<br><br>products and services. There's an increased demand for consumers to&#13;<br><br>get the official review or the official low-down on a brand or service&#13;<br><br>before they buy it. So with that, we've decided to start building&#13;<br><br>our own sites and content outside of the brands that help users makes a&#13;<br><br>decision about which product or service or brand they should use.&#13;<br><br>~ Ted Roxbury&#13;<br><br>MCLENNAN: Just thinking about roles within a B2B environment, where&#13;<br><br>you have different decision makers and technology has changed the way&#13;<br><br>they do their job. Those lines are getting crossed, and people are&#13;<br><br>taking on new roles and responsibilities and trying to stay relevant&#13;<br><br>there. What are they looking for, how do you create an experience?&#13;<br><br>That's changing so much on the internal, business side. So keeping&#13;<br><br>up with changes in decision makers' roles and trying to figure out&#13;<br><br>how to create content and reach audiences that cross over in terms of&#13;<br><br>interests and agendas has been an interesting change.&#13;<br><br>PLOTHOW: We work with B2B clients, too. They are not as interested&#13;<br><br>in having very transactional relationships with the companies they do&#13;<br><br>business with. They want to believe in them, too. This has always been&#13;<br><br>the case, but I think people are getting more tribal about this. They&#13;<br><br>want to resonate not just to your value proposition and the speeds and&#13;<br><br>feeds and how you stack up against competitors, but what do you stand&#13;<br><br>for? What are the ideas that resonate with them? There's an&#13;<br><br>alignment that they're looking for philosophically.&#13;<br><br>JOHNSON: I always like to be able to buy products that have been&#13;<br><br>extensively reviewed. Nevertheless, there are questions as to how the&#13;<br><br>review got to that site: Who wrote it? Was there any compensation&#13;<br><br>associated with it? How did it get generated? And more and more&#13;<br><br>we're starting to see the beginnings of FTC regulation and&#13;<br><br>litigation associated with online reviews. People claiming they were&#13;<br><br>misled into believing a product had benefits or values that it&#13;<br><br>didn't have based upon reviews that were not&#13;<br><br>"legitimate," however you want to define that. So obviously&#13;<br><br>reviews are very important because they're a subject of litigation&#13;<br><br>and also the subject of regulation.&#13;<br><br>WOLFENBARGER: I have a 21-year-old daughter who buys stuff online&#13;<br><br>and she always looks at reviews. I said to her, "Do you know where&#13;<br><br>those coming from?" She said, "No, but I know that they&#13;<br><br>don't work for the company." That to her was a big deal. I&#13;<br><br>think it's because she views the people who are on the site as&#13;<br><br>being helpful versus selling to her. That's what marketers have got&#13;<br><br>to get their head around. They have to trust that being helpful is&#13;<br><br>really the way things are sold, not by hammering on people. My daughter&#13;<br><br>will find somebody she doesn't know who she thinks is helpful over&#13;<br><br>a company that probably knows 10 times more about their product and why&#13;<br><br>she really should be interested.&#13;<br><br>MELCHIOR: Consumers care more about brand ambassadors than what the&#13;<br><br>CMOs say all day long.&#13;<br><br>CHASE: Which is interesting because we have a client in San Diego&#13;<br><br>who has discovered that a lot of the negative reviews that they are&#13;<br><br>getting right now are from their competitor. People that have been hired&#13;<br><br>within the competitor.&#13;<br><br>JOHNSON: To show how prevalent is it, there's a bill in the&#13;<br><br>U.S. Senate to prevent companies from having anti-negative clauses in&#13;<br><br>their contracts. So, for instance, the most famous case right now is&#13;<br><br>around a company that rents people's homes out for them in resort&#13;<br><br>communities. And the individuals themselves would enter into a contract&#13;<br><br>with the lessee, which would say you can't post a negative review&#13;<br><br>on this website regarding the property, and they'll still get a&#13;<br><br>negative review posted. There have actually been lawsuits over that. The&#13;<br><br>U.S. Senate has viewed this as a significant enough impediment on free&#13;<br><br>speech that there's a bill that will prevent people from entering&#13;<br><br>into those kinds of contracts or asking for them.&#13;<br><br>ROXBURY: I think Amazon is doing a very good job with their&#13;<br><br>verified purchase. So basically they're letting anybody review, but&#13;<br><br>they're saying this person actually bought this product.&#13;<br><br>That's a good first step to gain that consumer trust.&#13;<br><br>Q A&#13;<br><br>How are you positioning your company to meet the challenges of the&#13;<br><br>next two years?&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>In preparing for the future there are three things we're&#13;<br><br>looking at: data, data and data. When I got into this business, it was&#13;<br><br>really the art of marketing and it's really become the science of&#13;<br><br>marketing, of understanding behavior in predictive analytics and being&#13;<br><br>able to look at what's happening and then plug that back in and&#13;<br><br>respond to that. So using data to make decisions to craft messages, to&#13;<br><br>reach audiences.&#13;<br><br>~ David Blain&#13;<br><br>PLOTHOW: I'm on the agency side, so what I look at is a lot of&#13;<br><br>consolidation. You've seen a ton of proliferation of the&#13;<br><br>advertising shops, the PR shops. It used to be those were your choices.&#13;<br><br>Now you have this entire integrated marketing, digital marketing middle&#13;<br><br>ground. You have analytics to prove the value and merchandise the&#13;<br><br>results of those kinds of activities. And all of these things have been&#13;<br><br>fertile ground for startups and for companies to grow businesses. They&#13;<br><br>need to coexist, though, in a more integrative way. We're seeing&#13;<br><br>that clients increasingly do want a central strategy.&#13;<br><br>And then you think about all of these paid earned and owned&#13;<br><br>channels as channels for delivery of message and engagement of clients,&#13;<br><br>and it makes a lot more sense to have those things integrated from the&#13;<br><br>start, including the analytics, and doing the research on the front end&#13;<br><br>to inform your hypothesis that it doesn't have these things living&#13;<br><br>disparately. So I think a lot of consolidation is in our future.&#13;<br><br>OLSEN: We're taking a big step into becoming more strategic&#13;<br><br>partners of these big companies. What they're really looking for is&#13;<br><br>the expertise and strategy in creative execution, because the&#13;<br><br>implementation is becoming table stakes. Everybody is going to become&#13;<br><br>content generators, everybody is going to become distributors in a way.&#13;<br><br>And so our next big step is to really become the trusted strategic&#13;<br><br>partner, where we can sit at the sea level and say, "based on what&#13;<br><br>we see, all the analytics, all the information, here's the key&#13;<br><br>insights, here's the key consumer behaviors that indicate where we&#13;<br><br>can go, where the messaging is going to get to, and what's going to&#13;<br><br>resonate and connect emotionally with these consumers that are your&#13;<br><br>audience."&#13;<br><br>CHASE: One of the challenges our long-time clients are going&#13;<br><br>through is they want to be part of the new digital media, not just the&#13;<br><br>traditional. But some of the traditional has been very successful for&#13;<br><br>them. They're trying to figure out where do we go next? One of the&#13;<br><br>things they're asking us to figure out is how do we not become&#13;<br><br>diluted in our budgets, because now there's so many places that we&#13;<br><br>can go. Are we going to dilute our message? Are we going to dilute our&#13;<br><br>presentation to a customer? So what we're doing more and more, even&#13;<br><br>with the traditional media, is we're trying to be as accountable as&#13;<br><br>we can to the dollar because they will spend the money if they can track&#13;<br><br>the return on that investment.&#13;<br><br>PENN A: Just attended a conference on digital strategy. And a CMO&#13;<br><br>said the thing they used to tell agencies is speed, quality, price. You&#13;<br><br>get two. And now we all want faster, cheaper, faster. So if agencies&#13;<br><br>can't deliver that, they're not going to be around. That goes&#13;<br><br>back to agencies becoming content factories. Clients expect agencies to&#13;<br><br>move fast.&#13;<br><br>DISHMAN: As you're having to create more content marketing, do&#13;<br><br>your costs go up?&#13;<br><br><img style="float:right;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://alleecreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/small-business-marketing-strategy11.png" width="376" /><br><br>PENNA: It's a challenge, it really is. Agencies have had to&#13;<br><br>become production companies. We used to farm all of that out. Clients&#13;<br><br>want you to have all those tools so that you can put the right package&#13;<br><br>together. If you're missing a key component, that's a concern&#13;<br><br>to a client now. Why wouldn't you recommend that? Well, because we&#13;<br><br>don't have it. It's really important to be that integrated&#13;<br><br>communications company always ahead of technology.&#13;<br><br>BRADY: As we're preparing for the future, our next big hires&#13;<br><br>will be marketing information officer peoplepeople that have the&#13;<br><br>mindset of a CMO but the technical ability of a CIO. And people that can&#13;<br><br>take the great work that we do in targeting, positioning and messaging&#13;<br><br>and go deeper than we've ever gone before in analytics and&#13;<br><br>automation and really tracking content to every user <a href="http://www.uf-coaching.com/use-google-maps-to-locate-businesses/">business marketing</a> and showing the ROI&#13;<br><br>from that.&#13;<br><br>Q A&#13;<br><br>How are you providing proof of ROI to your clients and potential&#13;<br><br>clients? Are you using different techniques than you used a few years&#13;<br><br>ago?&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>For us it's easy. We bill our clients on an acquisition model.&#13;<br><br>So every time we get with a customer they pay us a commission. So&#13;<br><br>it's black or white.&#13;<br><br>~ Ted Roxbury&#13;<br><br>DISHMAN: What about customer retention?&#13;<br><br>ROXBURY: That's what we're working onlayering in the&#13;<br><br>customer support, customer care, technical support side of things,&#13;<br><br>having some type of incentive for a long-term retention. Again, our&#13;<br><br>model there is performance based. It's about how long that customer&#13;<br><br>stays. It's a fee per year if the customer stays with our client.&#13;<br><br>BRADY: For clients that have the interest and the budget, we do&#13;<br><br>brand awareness, name recognition, favorability studies. Most clients&#13;<br><br>would say they like that information but aren't willing to pay for&#13;<br><br>it. Anything that's digital, that's been the biggest boon to&#13;<br><br>marketersthe shift to a digital-first approach where things are much&#13;<br><br>more trackable and we can show immediate cause and effect. We're&#13;<br><br>not like Clearlink, we're not performance based on everything. But&#13;<br><br>when it makes sense, we do have performance-based accounts where this&#13;<br><br>acquisition, this sale equals dollars to us and that's how we get&#13;<br><br>paid.&#13;<br><br>PLOTHOW: We're at the finesse end of the marketing umbrella,&#13;<br><br>where we're really integrated into the story-telling aspects of the&#13;<br><br>brand. So it is an elusive thing for us. There's no silver bullet&#13;<br><br>in terms of how we demonstrate the value and track the return on&#13;<br><br>investment. But the biggest thing we've seen in PR in particular&#13;<br><br>(integrated marketing is a little different), is the share of voice. So&#13;<br><br>we'll cut up the conversation into a pie, show a client what they&#13;<br><br>have currently, and track over time how it's growing. People want&#13;<br><br>to know how much of a conversation they're owning.&#13;<br><br>MCLENNAN : From our point of view, we're divided fairly evenly&#13;<br><br>in two buckets. Brand awarenesswe do a lot research around that. So&#13;<br><br>focus groups, surveys, going back to talking to customerswe're&#13;<br><br>engaging in more traditional primary research to ensure that the&#13;<br><br>platforms and messages we're putting together are on point&#13;<br><br>immediately and will be pertinent in the future. And on the digital end,&#13;<br><br>we're looking at traditional metrics for all things&#13;<br><br>website-related, email, automation, social, etc.&#13;<br><br>PENNA : We always sit down with a new client and say: How do you&#13;<br><br>measure success? What's the metric we want to create together? That&#13;<br><br>has changed over years, but the one thing that hasn't changed is&#13;<br><br>ROI. Do they feel like they're getting value of what they're&#13;<br><br>investing?&#13;<br><br>BLAIN: If I'm running a search campaign, it's pretty easy&#13;<br><br>to see what I'm getting. My cost per click is pretty easy to&#13;<br><br>measure. But what about the behavior after that? What about the shopping&#13;<br><br>cart that goes all the way to a sale? You can measure everything along&#13;<br><br>that continuum. And you can get caught up in measurement for&#13;<br><br>measurement's sake too. Really, I think Chuck said it well: What&#13;<br><br>does the client want? What does success look like to the client, and are&#13;<br><br>we working with them to achieve what they want? Are we moving the needle&#13;<br><br>for their business?&#13;<br><br>WOLFEN BARGER: If you have clients who understand how they sell,&#13;<br><br>and they're measuring on how they sell, that helps us a lot. We do&#13;<br><br>a lot of work for T Mobile retail stores all over the country and our&#13;<br><br>assignment is pretty basic: get people into their stores. They actually&#13;<br><br>have door counts, and we get those reports daily. They have their own&#13;<br><br>closing percentages around that. Once you're in, we're kind of&#13;<br><br>done.&#13;<br><br>Marketing today is about thought leadership. That's what&#13;<br><br>really great people who specialize in public relations have come to&#13;<br><br>understand. If we can help convince people of what they instinctively&#13;<br><br>know, that being helped in their decision-making feels right and being&#13;<br><br>trusted feels right. That's where that finesse part of the&#13;<br><br>marketing spectrum comes into play, and it helps it get to the ultimate&#13;<br><br>empirical thingif you can deliver a customer back to somebody.&#13;<br><br>We're going to have to play in all that, because it is about&#13;<br><br>accountability right now. People will pay for really great marketers,&#13;<br><br>and they will spit out the ones that say, "Hey, we think we're&#13;<br><br>really helping out." Doesn't work anymore.&#13;<br><br>OLSEN : We have a very astute internal analytics department, a&#13;<br><br>whole department dedicated to providing dashboards, typically on a&#13;<br><br>weekly basis, but sometimes on a daily basis. The value we add beyond&#13;<br><br>just the reporting and analytics is giving insights on what it means,&#13;<br><br>what is the experience? What are the key measurables? Doing that in a&#13;<br><br>holistic way becomes very important.&#13;<br><br>We had a client on the West Coast, and they were doing everything.&#13;<br><br>It was a total integrated campaign, including traditional&#13;<br><br>direct-response television. And yet what they were finding was nobody&#13;<br><br>was responding to the direct-response television. But on the other end,&#13;<br><br>their sales were doing fantastic. They dropped the DRTV and all the&#13;<br><br>sudden the sales dropped down. What was actually happening is every <a href="http://www.totallybritney.com/tag/business-signs-nyc">business promotion products</a> time&#13;<br><br>the direct response TV traditional media was running, their organic&#13;<br><br>Google search would go through the roof, and nobody had put those pieces&#13;<br><br>together until we took a holistic approach.&#13;<br><br>But the bottom line is sales. If we're not moving product or&#13;<br><br>moving traffic, whatever the key measurable fact is, then the marketing&#13;<br><br>is not working and it has to be accountable. But not just the&#13;<br><br>analyticsthe key insights to what the analytics means are what become&#13;<br><br>very valuable.&#13;<br><br>MELCHIOR: Attribution is a really tricky thing in today's&#13;<br><br>marketing universe. Often if there are two things we're doing, we&#13;<br><br>don't know which one is working. It's so complex. You can&#13;<br><br>track those users from start to finish. But you don't know if they&#13;<br><br>first found out about you from a radio ad or a billboard or a TV&#13;<br><br>commercial or friend referring them or they read a review online. Your&#13;<br><br>consumer can hit your site, they can visit your Facebook page or Twitter&#13;<br><br>profile, read reviews, fill out a form, talk to a salesperson, then hit&#13;<br><br>a paper click ad and buy. And if you're focused on that last click&#13;<br><br>conversion, then your paper click campaign is what worked. But really,&#13;<br><br>there's a much bigger story that's being told there. And so&#13;<br><br>you need to spend time focusing on understanding that attribution, and&#13;<br><br>then putting those dollars where you see the conversions coming from.&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>We service primarily small businesses. We have analytics that show&#13;<br><br>traffic and last click attribution and rankings and likes and followers&#13;<br><br>and all those metrics that demonstrate, yes, the service is getting you&#13;<br><br>in front of people. We have our clients ask the person that called: Did&#13;<br><br>you see us on Facebook? How did you find us? How did you hear about us?&#13;<br><br>As simple as that is, it became the most powerful demonstration of ROI.&#13;<br><br>We could show your traffic gone through roof. You're now ranking&#13;<br><br>one for five different terms. And when the business owner actually&#13;<br><br>started asking the customer: How did you hear about us? Where did you&#13;<br><br>see us? You see me on Google? That then translated to the business&#13;<br><br>ownerthis is working. I'm getting clients from this.&#13;<br><br>~ Kelly Shelton&#13;<br><br>Q A&#13;<br><br>If a business is thinking about hiring an ad agency, PR agency,&#13;<br><br>digital agency or an integrated agency, what would be the most&#13;<br><br>significant question they should ask of that service provider?&#13;<br><br>[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]&#13;<br><br>My single most important question would be "where do I&#13;<br><br>start?" If you can come up with somebody who can start to put you&#13;<br><br>in the right place to move forward, then great. But you're going to&#13;<br><br>get a reaction from people that's going to be telling about how&#13;<br><br>they treat your brand and how they think you should move forward.&#13;<br><br>~ Haley McLennan&#13;<br><br>BRADY: I would take it a step further and ask for quantifiable&#13;<br><br>examples showing you've helped people like me before. I want to&#13;<br><br>know as a potential buyer that you've produced results and can give&#13;<br><br>me a high level of trust that you can produce the results.&#13;<br><br>CHASE: Could you show me how you understand my business now and&#13;<br><br>what you think you can do to make a difference for my business?&#13;<br><br>BLAIN: Demonstrate your knowledge of my business. Because the more&#13;<br><br>knowledge you have of your client's business, the better&#13;<br><br>understanding you have of what makes their business work, the more&#13;<br><br>successful they're going to be in working with you.&#13;<br><br>PLOQUIN: Who are the people who are going to work on my business&#13;<br><br>and do I like them? Do we want to get along?&#13;<br><br>PLOTHOW: They should ask "what should I do." And then&#13;<br><br>they should see if I give them a prescription right off the bat or if I&#13;<br><br>ask questions of them. Because absent you having some prior conversation&#13;<br><br>with them, the answer to that question varies so much depending on what&#13;<br><br>they're trying to accomplish and the moment in their life cycle for&#13;<br><br>the company. There has to be fact-finding before you can answer that&#13;<br><br>question.&#13;<br><br>MELCHIOR: Ask the agency to show three cultural elements of the&#13;<br><br>agency that are going to help them as a business owner accomplish their&#13;<br><br>goals. And I would want to know that the agency is extremely loyal and&#13;<br><br>that they're willing to fight to help that business owner win.&#13;<br><br>WOLFENBARGER: know where I would go deep on: It would absolutely be&#13;<br><br>about the people. I would say: Can you articulate to me what you hire&#13;<br><br>for and what you fire for? Can I tell you five things we look for. If&#13;<br><br>you're three of the five, you'll probably be able to hang;&#13;<br><br>four of the five you'll do well; five you're a star. If&#13;<br><br>you're two, you'll either spit us or we'll spit you out.&#13;<br><br>Every time I interview somebody to come work for us or every single&#13;<br><br>time we're in a pitch, I tell them what we hire for and what we&#13;<br><br>fire for. Because it's the combination of the skill set, the&#13;<br><br>expertise, the cultural elements of the agency, and just the chemistry&#13;<br><br>that comes from that fit. I never promise somebody you're going to&#13;<br><br>get the same people all the time. If you all know how to keep&#13;<br><br>28-year-old people from leaving jobs every 15 minutes, I'd be&#13;<br><br>interested in that, but I don't know how to do that. So what I tell&#13;<br><br>people is we know what we hire for and we know what we fire for.&#13;<br><br>ROXBURY: What happens if it doesn't work? If we enter into&#13;<br><br>this agreement and my volume or my sales go down, what happens? How&#13;<br><br>would I mitigate my risk of working with you or working with an agency?&#13;<br><br>OLSEN: Show me how you create a powerful emotional connection to&#13;<br><br>consumers. And they better start asking questions about those consumers&#13;<br><br>before they say, "Oh, here's how we do it."&#13;<br><br>JOHNSON: It wouldn't be my first question, but somewhere in&#13;<br><br>there I would ask: Do you promise that you always give it to me&#13;<br><br>straight? Companies that bring products or services to market are&#13;<br><br>excited about them. There's a reason they did it, there's a&#13;<br><br>benefit, there's something that's really important that&#13;<br><br>they're very proud of. And yet at times a company needs somebody to&#13;<br><br>tell them, "that pitch, that concept isn't really going to do&#13;<br><br>much for your bottom line." And the question is: Does it expose you&#13;<br><br>to risk? How much is that claim worth? And I wonder whether or not&#13;<br><br>advertisers are willing to give it to clients straight. When they hear&#13;<br><br>something and they think to themselves, that's not really going to&#13;<br><br>sell and it's kind of dangerous if the advertising company is&#13;<br><br>willing to say it. If they're not, then they don't really do&#13;<br><br>the customer much good.&#13;<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Kerb Maintenance by Shawnee Rayen - 26 May 2016 07:13

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[[html]]<object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mpz2tbqxqNE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mpz2tbqxqNE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Concrete curbing or garden edging is the most popular and efficient method to give neat look to landscapes. You can choose from a wide range of kerbings available, according to your <a href="http://www.homedesignsense.com/properly-maintain-heating-cooling-systems/">garden design plans</a> requirements. Concrete kerbing is the most popular type of kerbing, which includes slate impression, smooth kerbing, stamped concrete or brick and mortar kerbing. Concrete kerbing needs lesser maintenance. Every few years, only resealing is required to maintain it. <br><br>Kwik Kerb provides the most efficient kerbing technique. Before installation, customers are consulted about their requirements. Right from locking away your pets that can damage the fresh edges, to setting up a barricade in high traffic areas, kerbing staff takes care of everything. &#13;<br><br>Also keep your irrigation system off for at least two days from the day of Kwik Kerb installation. Avoid activities like weed trimming, digging, mowing, edging and others, around the fresh Kwik Kerb. All of these measures help strengthen the Kerbing. It takes around 30 days to gain full strength. &#13;<br><br>Heavy rains within six hours of the installation of kerbing can cause damage. So take proper measures, like covering the edges when heavy rains are imminent. &#13;<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/61/52/1615226_0e4804b2.jpg" width="304" /><br><br>Cracks are unavoidable in a kerb, but steps can be taken to minimise them. Control joints are applied at particular places at the time of installation, which allow the concrete edging to crack at particular location. &#13;<br><br>If you are looking <a href="http://www.safemilk.org/tag/rent-a-dumpster/">small garden designs</a> for someone who can install a pretty and durable kerb, you can visit http://www.concreteedgingsydney.com.au. Here you can find all the resources and services in relation to kerb.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Page Not Found | Reuters.com - 23 May 2016 23:08

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[[html]]<object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dbiiisISpIE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dbiiisISpIE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>News and Media Division of Thomson Reuters<br><br>Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.<br><br><img style="float:right;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://c.searspartsdirect.com/lis_png/PLDM/G0606087-00003.png" width="280" /><br><br>NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1AXWEuKCBChvM0O5wxuyHCc1sDe4" width="640" height="480"></iframe>For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Patent Attorney - India Agarwal & Co. – Trademark, Patent Attorneys - 23 May 2016 10:37

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[[html]]LEGISLATION<br><br>The Indian law of patents is enshrined in the Patents Act, 1970. The Act seeks to provide for legal protection for inventions. The rights granted under the Act, are operative in the whole of India.<br><br>OBJECT<br><br>The object of the patent law is to provides a statutory right to owner of the patent for a certain period of time and disclose invention to use it and practice that invention and make it work thus encourage scientific research and new technology, stimulate new inventions of commercial utility and pass invention into public domain after the expiry of the fixed period of the monopoly.<br><br>PRIORITY CLAIMS<br><br>India is one of the countries party to the Paris Convention so the right of priority are applicable. The applicant may within the six months apply for protection.<br><br>WHAT IS A PATENT<br><br>A Patent is an exclusive monopoly <a href="http://www.promom.org/how-to-protect-your-ideas/">patent lawyer cost</a> granted to an inventor over his invention for a limited period of time. It provides an enforceable legal right to prevent others from exploiting an invention.<br><br>RIGHTS CONFERRED BY REGISTRATION<br><br>Patent represents one of the powerful intellectual property rights. The registration of a patent confers on the patentee the exclusive right to use, manufacture or sell his invention for the term of the patent. It means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed or sold without the patentee's consent. The patent rights can usually be enforced in a court of law.<br><br>WHO CAN APPLY<br><br>Any person claming to be the true and first inventor of the invention;<br><br>Any person being the assignee of the person claming to be the true and first inventor in respect of the right to make such an application;<br><br>Any legal representative of any deceased person who immediately before his death was entitled to make such application Patent Search;<br><br>It is prudent to conduct searches as early as possible to avoid spending time and money re-inventing a known matter. A patent is not granted to an invention if it is already available with the public either in the form of published literature or common knowledge.<br><br>PATENTABLE INVENTIONS<br><br>To be patentable, an invention must, in general, satisfy certain criteria. The invention must be of industrial applicability, must be new and must show an inventive step which could not be deduced by a person reasonably skilled in the field. Above all, its subject matter must be accepted as "patentable" under law. As for example, Inventions which are frivolous or claim anything contrary to well established natural laws are not patentable. There are also other specific categories of inventions which are declared as non-patentable.<br><br>PATENT SPECIFICATION<br><br>The process of patenting typically involves conducting prior art searches to distinguish the invention and develop a description that illustrates the best method of working the invention. The description of the invention is called specification. Depending upon the sufficiency of the description a specification may be either provisional or complete Specification.<br><br>PROVISIONAL AND COMPLETE SPECIFICATION<br><br>A provisional specification is often the first application filed in respect of an invention, and usually contains only a brief description of the invention. It need not contain claims. Compared with the provisional, the complete specification contains the full description of the invention, and the best method of making the invention work. The complete specification comprises a title, field of invention, the background of the invention, the description of the related art, drawbacks of the prior art, the summary of the invention, the brief description of the figures, the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, claims and abstract. Complete specification must be filed within 12 months from the date of filing of the provisional specification.<br><br>Claims are the most important component in the patent specification as it is the legal operative part which define and determine the legal protection sought for. The extent of patent protection for an invention shall be determined by the terms of the claims. The description and the appended drawings may be used to interpret the claims.<br><br>FILING AND PROSECUTING PATENT APPLICATIONS<br><br>The procedure for the grant of a patent starts with filing of the patent application along with the prescribed fees at the patent office followed by filing of request for examination in the prescribed format, after the publication of the application. The applications are examined substantively and a first examination report stating the objections is communicated to the applicant. Application may be amended in order to meet the objections. If the applicant does not comply with the objection, the application will be abandoned. After complying off the requirements the application is published in the Official Journal. At that time, opposition can be filed on limited grounds, but hearing is not mandatory. Patent will be granted if the application is found to be in order. Then, the application and other related documents will be open for public inspection. Thereafter, at any time after the grant but before the expiry of a period of one year from the date of publication opposition on substantive grounds is available. The whole process typically takes at least two years.<br><br>DURATION OF A PATENT<br><br>The tenure for patents is 20 years from the date of filing of the application for the patent before the patent office. It is the responsibility of the patentee to maintain an issued patent by paying the annuities until the patent expires. After 20 years term the invention claimed in the patent falls into the public domain.<br><br>RESTORATION<br><br>Restoration of a patent that lapses due to non-payment of renewal fees can be made within one year of lapse. However, certain limitations will be imposed on the rights of the patentee when the patent is restored.<br><br>LIST OF INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR PATENT REGISTRATION<br><br>1. Name address of the applicant.<br><br>2. Complete Specification.<br><br>3. Drawing.<br><br>4. Request.<br><br>5. Abstract.<br><br>6. Power of Attorney.<br><br>7. Priority documents (if any).<br><br>There is no international or world patent. An inventor has to file an application in each country, where he seeks to protect his invention. However, there are regional and/or International treaties to facilitate the procedure to seek protection like Patent co-operation Treaty (PCT) or European Patent Convention (EPC).<br><br>Saket Agarwal<br><br>Agarwal &amp; Co.<br><br>Trademarks, Patent Attorneys<br><br>94, Ajanta Apartment, 36, I.P. Extension<br><br>New Delhi - 110092 (INDIA)<br><br>+91-11-22732540; +91-9810176867<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

How much is it to get a DJ for a birthday party....?? - 19 May 2016 08:53

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[[html]]You might pay anywhere between $200 and $500 or more - depending on how experienced your DJ is and how long you want him to play for you. I would caution against hiring someone at the low price point unless you know they are good. The last thing you want is to spend money on a DJ that brings your party down! Asking for and checking references is also <a href="http://www.nfcoman.com/tag/party-games-dj/">party entertainment for kids</a> recommended. <br><br>What exactly are you looking for from a DJ? If you don't need the high power sound system and are just looking for someone who can play dance music, you might be able to get away with your own setup using an iPod with songs you can pre-select before the party. It would take more work from you on the front end, but it could save some bucks and you would ensure that the songs <a href="http://www.nfcoman.com/tag/party-games-dj/">dj party mix</a> played are the ones you really want to dance to. <br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Front Yard Landscaping Plans - 18 May 2016 11:42

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[[html]]Front yard landscaping should be done in such a way that it merges the man-made house with natural elements easily and softens the overall look. Front yard landscape should be an inviting place which directs the visitor to the house easily.<br><br><object width="400" height="241"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SSOpzEBcLKc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SSOpzEBcLKc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="241"></embed></object><br><br>Certain principles should be taken into consideration when you are creating your front yard landscape design.<br><br>Given below are some landscaping plans and pictures of front yard landscape that will give you ideas to which will help in creating your front yard landscape.<br><br>PICTURES OF FRONT YARD LANDSCAPES<br><br>The Layout Plan<br><br>There are two types of layout designs, the symmetrical design and the asymmetrical design. No matter which pattern you choose, it is important that you balance out all the elements of the landscape, and importantly create a feeling of unity within the elements.<br><br>Symmetrical Design<br><br>&#13;<br><br>Symmetrical designs mean having a mirror like division of the front yard and house. Symmetrical designs are suitable for houses which have a central driveway, a door in the center of the house, and equal number of windows on either side of the door. For such houses, a symmetrical landscape design works well. In a symmetrical design, plant the elements in the yard like trees and shrubs in almost an equal number to give a balanced look. Though, symmetrical landscape design can be a bit difficult to achieve, they complement nicely with houses which have symmetrical design and a formal look.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://dev.easyturf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/artificial-grass-lawn-after-11249_1.jpg" width="295" /><br><br>Asymmetrical Design<br><br>&#13;<br><br>On the other hand asymmetrical designs give a more relaxed look and are easier to create and plan. However, it is important that you balance out the asymmetrical landscaping plans in front of the house properly. Also, arrange all the elements in such a way that everything gives a feeling of unity. An example of asymmetrical landscape design would be having the location of the sidewalk somewhere towards the left side of the house. To balance out this house, plant the shrubs and bushes in front of the house, on either side of the sidewalk and trees at the edges of the house. You can see images in the above picture gallery which show landscaping done using the asymmetrical pattern. This was about planning the basic layout, which lays down the foundation of the softscape and hardscape elements.<br><br>Adding Softscape Elements<br><br>&#13;<br><br>The softscape materials or elements used in front yard landscaping are the plants such as, the trees, shrubs, flowering plants, the lawn, etc.<br><br>Choosing Trees &amp; Shrubs<br><br>&#13;<br><br>After deciding your layout, you need to make a wise choice of the trees and shrubs which you want to plant in your front yard. Make sure you go with the trees and shrubs which are a mix of two seasons, so that they help to accentuate the yard in both summer and winter season. Another important point when choosing the shrubs and trees is making sure that trees <a href="http://www.markconsumption.com/choosing-best-landscaping-company/">lawn services</a> and shrubs together are compatible. It is better to go for native plants, as they have already adapted to the soil, water and weather.<br><br>Planting Trees &amp; Shrubs<br><br>&#13;<br><br>The right placement of the shrubs and the trees is very important, so keep in mind these front yard landscaping ideas. Never plant trees right in front of <a href="http://www.markconsumption.com/tag/landscaping-pictures-backyard/">landscape architecture design</a> the house, and avoid planting the shrubs too close to the sidewalk or driveway. Shrubs should be planted on either side of the driveway, and should be placed in an odd-numbered group of 3 or 5. While planting trees, consider the size and space that a full-grown tree will take and have enough space around it. Plant the trees at the edges of the house, to soften the pointed edges of the roof. You can plant some trees at the front, near the edges of <a href="http://www.markconsumption.com/tag/backyard-landscaping-design-plans/">backyard landscape designs</a> the house, and few at the back, which will blend the man-made house nicely in the front yard and backdrop.<br><br>Adding Flowering Plants<br><br>&#13;<br><br>To add flowers to the yard, make sure you just go for a few number of plants like 2 - 3 flowers of contrasting colors, and avoid a riot of colors. Too many accents should be avoided, as it will spoil the look. You can see in the first image of the scroll, the yard has very few flowering plants, but still the house and the yard looks good and inviting. Even without adding any flower plants, you can create a good-looking front yard landscape. For ground cover, you can either go for a lawn, or spread plants evenly which have a maximum growth of around one foot. The choice of hedges is up to you, depending on whether you want a screen and boundary around your house. Make sure you select the hedge type wisely, and plant it around 15 - 20 feet away from the street.<br><br>Adding Hardscape Elements<br><br>&#13;<br><br>The hardscape materials or structural materials are the fences, walls, paving, etc.<br><br>Driveway &amp; Sidewalks<br><br>&#13;<br><br>Make sure you have a driveway which is around 10 feet wide, but if your driveway also serves as the road leading to your front door, then make it wider. This will make walking on the driveway easy in case a car is parked on the driveway, and prevent stepping on the lawn. To make a wide driveway look more attractive, you can pave the road with some stones. Also, planting flowering plants or small palm trees on both sides of the driveway can make it look even more appealing. There are various choice of materials for the sidewalks. You can go for a brick wall which is the most attractive material, or go for stone, wood or concrete material.<br><br>Fences, Water Fountains &amp; Ponds<br><br>&#13;<br><br>Many people also go for metal fences, but most prefer the traditional wooden picket fences. If you have a bigger budget, and good amount of space then you can consider going for a secluded courtyard design, or accent your yard by having a water fountain or a garden pond. A small garden pond can be created yourself or by hiring professionals. A birdbath is also a good idea in case you can't have a fountain or pond.<br><br>These were some guidelines which will serve to create the front yard landscaping according to the individual's choice of house design. So, make sure you keep in mind all the important points, and design a front yard landscape which looks good and is inviting.[[/html]] - Comments: 0

Decorations :: Ergonomically Office Chairs - 11 May 2016 15:24

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[[html]]If you spend a lot of your time sitting, then you could have advantage from an ergonomically designed office chair. Even if you own a home office, it is still vital to have the good chair, if you do not want to have to deal with back pain. Ergonomic office chairs are designed to give good support to the body, helping to avoid and decrease pain caused by sitting, especially with improper posture. <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=16HjsQqkWCirGYOeo8g3mkToZcNI" width="640" height="480"></iframe>You will be more productive and able to work more without having to worry about ache in your back, neck and shoulders caused by sitting in the incorrect chair for long periods of time.<br><br><img style="float:left;margin:10px;border:none;" src="http://office-turn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/L-Shaped-Cappuccino-Nickel-Home-Office-Tables.jpg" width="323" /><br><br>Ergonomically planned chairs are noticeably more costly than usual office chairs, but should be considered a business investment, as they promote productivity, which means greater income for the business.<br><br>There are many points to think about when purchasing your ergonomic office chair. You have to look for a seat that is adjustable, so that you can modify it to suit your own special requirements. You also want to find a seat that can support your back (as should be) and spine, specially in the lumbar area, which can help prevent pain and injury caused by sitting in the same position for long periods of time. You also want to make certain that the seat is big enough to be comfy also. You should look for an office chair that has arm rests, which can hold up your arms as you type, avoiding shoulder and neck damage, as well as a chair that can swivel. <br><br>When you get the chair home, take the time to read the instruction manual that comes with it, and if the chair is not to your liking , or if you find some kind of faults, return it immediately for exchange or money back. The longer you keep the chair, the less likely you will be able to return it.<br><br>Remember, that not all chairs are intended to be one size fits all, so it is a excellent idea to try the chair out in the shop before making a final decision. If you are not able to actually sit in the chair in the shop, make sure that you find out about the repayment procedure, in case you do not like the chair , once you brought it home. You do not want to give a lot of money for an ergonomic office chair that you can not sit in , and are stuck with because the merchant has a no repay, or exchange policy.<br><br>Do not make the error of believing that just because you have an ergonomic office chair that you can sit slumped before the computer all day and not feel any kind of back or neck pain. You still should be aware to a good sitting position, and sit with your feet flat on the floor, to avoid strain or injury. <br><br>There are many office chairs now being produced that are intended to work well for people who already have back injury or strain. These chairs can offer new positions that can limit strain on already bothersome areas, while still allowing the person to work efficiently. <br><br>If you sit at a desk for for a long time, whether at work or at home, you could benefit a lot from an ergonomic office chair. You may not feel any problems now, but staying sitting in a badly planned chair, and see in no time the back and neck pain to start, and then you will wish that you had made the switch long ago .<br><br>&#13;<br><br>&#13;<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

List of Small Businesses - 11 May 2016 09:36

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[[html]]Owing to the income potential of small businesses, most people are choosing to start a local business that caters to the demands of the people in the neighborhood. For starting a business on a small scale, it is a good idea to find the niche that is absent in your area. This includes finding out a service that is not available or rarely available in your city or town.<br><br>If you start a service that is generally available in your town, you may have to face tough competition. However, with good advertising and by offering the best of services, you can secure a substantial amount of customer base, thus making profits. Businesses like catering, day care, and wedding planning are good options.<br><br>Types <a href="http://www.microbiologybytes.com/tag/criminal-defense/">a knockout post</a> of Small Businesses&#13;<br><br>Food Catering Services&#13;<br><br>Cosmetics Sales&#13;<br><br>Meeting and Event Planning&#13;<br><br>Credit and Debt Counseling Service&#13;<br><br>Fitness Training&#13;<br><br>Medical Billing Services&#13;<br><br>Financial Planning and Advising Services&#13;<br><br>Housekeeping Service&#13;<br><br>Aerobics Classes&#13;<br><br>Writing Services&#13;<br><br>Dinner Delivery Service&#13;<br><br>Hairdressing and Grooming Services&#13;<br><br>Cooking <a href="http://www.microbiologybytes.com/tag/criminal-defense/">click resources</a> Tutoring&#13;<br><br>Dance Classes&#13;<br><br>Graphic Artist&#13;<br><br>Yoga Services&#13;<br><br>Photography Services&#13;<br><br>Daycare Center&#13;<br><br>Market Research&#13;<br><br>Dog Training&#13;<br><br>Calligraphy Services&#13;<br><br>Tattoo Studios&#13;<br><br>Website Design and Development Services&#13;<br><br>Floral Services and Arrangements&#13;<br><br><img style="float:right;margin:10px;border:none;" src="https://www.jasonfox.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/local_business_listing_tools_header.jpg" width="338" /><br><br>Web Hosting Services&#13;<br><br>Concert Promotions&#13;<br><br>Health Care Consulting&#13;<br><br>Typing and Data Entry Services&#13;<br><br>Real Estate Appraisal Services&#13;<br><br>Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning&#13;<br><br>Ghost Writing&#13;<br><br>Antique and Collectibles Dealing&#13;<br><br>Bicycle Repair Services&#13;<br><br>Stationery Sales&#13;<br><br>Make-Up and Beauty Artist&#13;<br><br>Bulletin Board Advertising Services&#13;<br><br>Car Wash and Detailing Services&#13;<br><br>Dry Cleaning Pick-Up and Delivery Services&#13;<br><br>Accountant and Financial Management Services&#13;<br><br>Cleaning Service&#13;<br><br>Computer Training and Coaching&#13;<br><br>Mailing List Services&#13;<br><br>Candle Making Services&#13;<br><br>Tour Guide&#13;<br><br>Herb and Spice Selling Services&#13;<br><br>Garden Consulting&#13;<br><br>Song Writing Services&#13;<br><br>Children Tutoring&#13;<br><br>Pool Cleaning Services&#13;<br><br>Antifreeze Recycling Services&#13;<br><br>Reminder Services&#13;<br><br>Bumper Sticker Services&#13;<br><br>Risk Management Services&#13;<br><br>Massage and Spa Centers&#13;<br><br>Carpentry&#13;<br><br>Plant Nursery&#13;<br><br>Video Security Services&#13;<br><br>Pet Product Services&#13;<br><br>Direct Sales&#13;<br><br>Computer Repair Services&#13;<br><br>Public Relation Services&#13;<br><br>Laundry Services&#13;<br><br>Resume Writing Services&#13;<br><br>Antique Book and Magazine Dealing&#13;<br><br>Music Teaching Centers&#13;<br><br>Interior Decorating Services&#13;<br><br>Piano Tuning Services&#13;<br><br>Printer Toner Recharging Services&#13;<br><br>Building/ Home Inspection Services&#13;<br><br>Insurance Sales&#13;<br><br>Landscaping Services&#13;<br><br>Medical Transcription Services&#13;<br><br>Animal Behavior Consulting&#13;<br><br>Snow Removal Services&#13;<br><br>Children's Transportation Services&#13;<br><br>HR and Employment Agency&#13;<br><br>Birthday Greeting Services&#13;<br><br>Home Appliance Repair Services&#13;<br><br>Pet Breeding Services&#13;<br><br>Home Decorating and Furnishing Services&#13;<br><br>Vehicle Advertising Services&#13;<br><br>Internet Marketing&#13;<br><br>Home Security Services&#13;<br><br>Childbirth Instruction Services&#13;<br><br>Moving Service&#13;<br><br>Car Sales&#13;<br><br>Computer Animation Services&#13;<br><br>Realtor&#13;<br><br>Painting Services&#13;<br><br>Dressmaking and Sewing Services&#13;<br><br>Lawn Maintenance Services&#13;<br><br>Balloon Decorating Services&#13;<br><br>Home Accessories Sales&#13;<br><br>Invitation Printing Services&#13;<br><br>Audio and Sound Consulting&#13;<br><br>Exterminator Services&#13;<br><br>Errand Services&#13;<br><br>Internet Cafe&#13;<br><br>Bookkeeping Services&#13;<br><br>Advertising and Marketing Services&#13;<br><br>Hauling Services&#13;<br><br>Dating and Escort Services&#13;<br><br>Artist and Music Management Services&#13;<br><br>Art Consulting&#13;<br><br>Indoor Sports Parlors&#13;<br><br>Fish Tank Supplies&#13;<br><br>Entering into some jobs may demand the relevant courses and trainings. Few of these may even require you to have the best skills in the field. Take for example piano tuning services. You will require a deep knowledge of the working of the piano. Another good example is of artist management, wherein, you will need to know the functioning of the music industry. If you have a good amount of finance, you can hire professionals as per the specific fields of business.<br><br>[[/html]] - Comments: 0

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