text:
If you've looked for an apartment or home to rent, you might have seen his ads on sites like Craigslist.
Hundreds of people say companies run by Richard Rodriguez promised to find them a place to live, but only took their money. Authorities say he's been scamming renters for years.
State officials can't seem to stop Rodriguez. Consumers have lodged nearly 200 complaints against Rodriguez rental companies with the Better Business Bureau, which the organization says is an unusually large number.
But when the state closes down one of his rental agencies, he opens a new one, under a new name.
NBC4 I-Team Exclusive: State Shuts Down "Scam" Business Targeting Renters
Local news from across Southern California
Rodriguez is especially adept at evading both angry renters and enforcement agencies, said Phil Ihde, an enforcement agent with the California Department of Real Estate, who called him a "kingpin" of rental scams.
"He moves frequently," Ihde said. "He changes his name from time to time."
The NBC4 I-Team tracked down Rodriguez, and revealed how he stays ahead of the law. Rodriguez blankets sites like Craigslist, and classified papers like the Pennysaver with ads for apartments and homes to rent across southern California.
When prospective renters call the number in the ad, a sales agent answers, and instructs callers to come to the office to pay a deposit, which the agent says is refundable if the service does not produce a suitable rental.
Late last fall Sylvia Vidal signed up with International Home Rentals, which insiders say was run by Rodriguez.
"They promised to find me a home. They did not deliver," Vidal told the I-Team.
International Home wouldn't refund her $195 deposit, Vidal said.
"It was right before Christmas, so I gave away my kid's Christmas money," Vidal said.
Another prospective renter, Whitni Johnson, said she paid $195 to Global Rentals, which insiders say was run by Rodriguez. She, too, said the agency took her money and never delivered on its promise to find her an apartment.
The state shut down El Monte-based Global Rentals in early 2012, for failing to provide customers with the services they paid for. Rodriguez then opened International Home Rentals, which the state ordered closed in July 2012, for the same reasons. In August, Rodriguez opened Hacienda Home Rentals.
NBC4 I-Team Exclusive: Alleged Scam Targets Apartment, House Hunters
Johnson expressed her frustration that the culprits have continued to bilk prospective renters and evade punishment for their actions.
"We don't have money to be throwing away like that," Johnson said. "They need to be put in jail."
How does Rodriguez get away with it? Authorities told the I-Team every time they shut down one of Rodriguez' rental agencies, he opens a new one, by putting the license in someone else's name.
One person who agreed to have a license put in his name is Jason Rodriguez (no relation to Richard Rodriguez). Jason said that Rodriguez paid him $800 a month just to put his name on the state license for International Home Rentals.
"I had nothing to do with the daily operations of the business," Jason said, adding that he doubted Richard Rodriguez would stop operating any time soon. "He'll continue to do it until somebody brings hard justice to him."
Rodriguez keeps a low profile, usually running his rental agencies from a back office, out of sight from customers and state officials.
When the I-Team caught up with him at one of his rental agencies, and Rodriguez saw the NBC4 cameras, he ran down a hall and locked himself in an empty office. He came out an hour later and made a brief comment. "I haven't opened any businesses," he said.
Rodriguez agreed to sit down and answer the I-Team's questions the next day. When contacted by telephone, he declined to be interviewed and denied operating Global and International Home Rentals, saying he simply provided "marketing services" to those companies.
The Department of Real Estate's Phil Ihde acknowledged that Rodriguez "is falling underneath the radar."
After questioning by the I-Team, Ihde said the state will pursue aggressive action against Rodriguez.
"We are working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that something does happen" to Rodriguez, Ihde said.
To avoid getting scammed by a rental agency when looking for an apartment or home to rent, check them out with the Better Business Bureau (www.labbb.org). Prospective renters also run the name of an agency through many other consumer websites, like Yelp, which offer detailed comments about Rodriguez and his companies.


text:
If you have no money, you can only earn it. Even if you have to do a job you'd rather not.
Once you leave the flourishing business district, you'll find a large crossing. If you take a rest, and walk forward a hundred meters, you'll enter a path lined by declining office buildings.
While they were all much the same sort of place, there was only one eight story building boasting an especially flashy design. It seems its name was the Super Golden East Building, and I had always thought the building's owner's naming sense was a little off.
If you climb to that building's top floor, you'll find a door with the name, 'Happyhappy Law Offices' printed on its plate with lettering so clear it was shady in and of itself.
In the end, I had returned. When I had decided I'd never see them again.
I knocked the door three times, to hear an overly clear, 'come in' chime from the beyond.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
To give you the best possible experience, the GAM website uses cookies. You can read full information of our cookie use here. Your privacy is important to us and we encourage you to read our privacy policy here.
For any queries, contact GAM Client Services at:
Freephone: 0800 919 927 (UK only)
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
You could get more results if you let us know where you are and what type of investor you are - self-certify. Until you do this we cannot show you any fund information.
Please login or register to add this fund to your watchlist.
We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.
Please click OK to continue or CANCEL to return.
Your fund watchlist has been updated.
Your content watchlist has been updated.


text:
Color, Curves, Culinary Delights InfuseTerra Nikki Beach Party
If I can put forth what might be construed as a stereotype in the nicest possible manner, Hispanic and Latin America women most certainly know how to accentuate what they've got and have no problem dressing in a way that flaunts it beautifully. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the culture. Maybe it's something else but it's nothing like New York. Now there's nothing wrong with the way New York women dress, mind you, but the thread count to flesh ratio in Miami is far, far lower than it is in New York.
Anyway, now that we have that out of the way, we can move on to more important things such as how great the Terra-sponsored party at Miami's Nikki Beach was and why Miami ad:tech parties now own the top spots on the ad:tech party quality scale. The venue's orange-curtained, white-couched interior was comfortably inviting. The food was plentiful and delectably fulfilling. The drinks were whatever you wanted them to be. The music was great. The venue was elegant. The service was superb.The beach-side atmosphere was unlike anything you will find in New York. The wait staff smiled and actually conversed pleasantly with you. And the windblown palm trees alongside white-sheeted double beach beds in the sand...well, you don't get that very often.
Even the stage dancers were elegant and refined as opposed to the usual thong-clad, hookeresque, air-humping dancers we see at so many other ad:tech parties. Oh, but don't take that as some sort o suggestion we stop that sort of dancer activity. By all means, keep it coming. We're just saying, the two styles are worlds apart.
Part of the night was spent with Syntryx VP of Sales Cris Graham rapping about the industry, expensive pens, misconceptions that come from buying someone a drink and Miami's bootyliciousness.
Also, we met a guy from SAP who, long ago, invented some form of voice recognition. We did our very best to pay attention but it wasn't easy with his stunningly gorgeous, magnetically beautiful fiance standing next to him and the couple's equally stunning-looking friend in a red dress behind them. For all we know, he may have simply invented the Popsicle stick.
That red dress. You just had to be there. Maybe you will be next year when ad:tech makes it's return to Miami for it's second outing. Until then, happy marketing.
Topic: Industry Events


text:
Merlin (TV series)/Ho Yay
- More or less the entire male cast of Merlin seems to go there from time to time, but the frankly incredible levels of Ho Yay between Arthur and Merlin (I defy anyone not to have contemplated a manservant gag at least once) has become one of the main dynamics upon which the show is built, to the extent where they have actually become a Fan-Preferred Couple. (It should be noted that Arthur and Merlin are both the same age in this version, making it rather less creepy).
- Oh yes. Even the Great Dragon ships these two. "A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole," much?
- How about these lines, which may be a case of Getting Crap Past the Radar or just Accidental Innuendo. Given the fact that almost the entire Merlin fandom ships Merlin/Arthur and that the whole cast knows about that, the former choice is the most probable one.
Merlin: You've not had your breakfast this morning, have you?
- Then there's this scene where Merlin says he's too tired from riding the horse all day and Arthur immediately replies with "Is your little bottom sore?".
- In season 2, Merlin steals a dress from Morgana and everyone who sees him with the dress immediately jumps to various conclusions regarding his sexuality. When Arthur passes near him he looks confused and intrigued, and later he even tells him the colour of the dress suits him, implying that he has mentally pictured Merlin in a dress.
- Don't forget the many emotional scenes between them and the fact that they grow attached to each other really fast in spite of the fact that they hate each other in the first episode.
- Also, in the very first reunion of the cast, after the filming of the first episodes, some people from the cast discuss about this subject and joke about it, telling Bradley and Colin that they could actually be gay icons. One of them hilariously compares it to something else:
Man from the cast: Has anyone been to Brokeback Merlin lately? (loud laughter)
- In The Last Dragonlord, Merlin gets worried when Arthur has to go face the dragon, to the point where he says: "I know it's hard for you to understand how I feel...", to which Arthur pulls off a face that implies he actually thinks Merlin refers to that kind of feelings.
- Some argue that the palpable Ho Yay between Colin Morgan and Bradley James is one of the main reasons this chemistry comes across so strongly.
- Their co-stars, Katie McGrath (Morgana), and Angel Coulby (Gwen) even ships them as she watches a scene of the boys in one of the DVD commentaries and, when Arthur says 'Merlin...' in the scene, she jokes and continues his line with 'I love you', revealing the fact she wants Arthur to declare his love for Merlin.
[Arthur: Merlin…]
- Also, when she's asked in an interview what does she think of the fans pulling a romance between Arthur and Merlin, she says it's genius and everyone who thinks that should totally go for the idea.
- From their videos, Bradley seems to harbour quite an affection for Colin as he films Colin the most from all his co-stars, likes to taunt him and act like a show-off in front of him and he also reveals that he is always reluctant when he has to be violent to him and act like a bully in their scenes because he believes Colin is tiny and fragile. He even declares that Colin is his favorite co-star and that a little piece of his heart goes to him.
- Then there's another exchange between the two, which comes off as downright obvious:
Bradley: Your cheekbones are kicking right off in this shot, mate.
- When he is told by the interviewer that Merlin and Arthur are obviously going to grow old together, Bradley replies with this:
Bradley: Do you mean Merlin and Arthur are going to grow old together, or Colin and Bradley?
- Season four lays it on thicker than any other previous season, and it's a wonder it hasn't been declared Canon yet.
- 4x02 includes the wonderful Ho Yay bonus of Merlin and Lancelot talking about what it takes to give your life for somebody else's, in reference to Merlin's plan of giving up his life to close the veil so Arthur won't have to. Merlin's line is 'Something more important than anything'. Your feelings for Arthur are showing, Merlin.
- The same episode gives us the scene where Merlin shows up alive and well and knights greet him with hugs. Arthur, on the other hand, gives him a silent, happy look which is quite loving.
- 4x03 is chock full of Ho Yay of the highest quality. Merlin doesn't act towards Arthur as a symphathetic friend; he acts like his boyfriend, and I'm not kidding. During Arthur's coronation Merlin is practically glowing with pride and love.
- He isn't going to ... yes, ladies and gentlemen, he is. Merlin just grabbed Arthur's ass.
- Two days in a row, Arthur woke up with Merlin by his bed, and remained unphased. Not too bad. Second time Merlin actually threw himself at him (to catch a cup, but still). Okay, can be explained. Merlin licking his lips, then using magic to make Arthur's pants fall off, and then proceed to wrestle with him while Arthur is half naked... okay, the writers don't even try to be subtle anymore.
- 4x06 brings us the first Arthur/Merlin hug. In fact, the entire episode is a decent slash fanfiction.
- The same episode also gives us Arthur carrying an injured Merlin on his back, Arthur calling Merlin "brave" and a "good servant", Merlin facing what seems like a certain death in order to protect Arthur, Arthur rejecting a capable servant in favour of getting Merlin back, Arthur and Gwaine looking for Merlin despite the fact it seems pretty much hopeless at this point, brainwashed!Merlin acting jealous and bitching over Gwen, Arthur casually walking around naked when he thinks he is alone with Merlin and so on, and so on. Subtlety is overrated anyway.
- In the same episode Arthur tells us Merlin is the only one he can trust. Not Gwen, not Agravaine, not his knights, but Merlin. Sadly, Merlin is brainwashed at the time and probably doesn't remember it at all.
- He gets a new servant and is fully dissatisfied with his service because, while Merlin is always late, not very good at his job, seems to spend most of his time at the tavern, and has the smallest bladder ever - Merlin is his manservant, "And I rather like it that way".
- At the end of 4x10 Merlin asks for a hug; Arthur stops dead in his tracks and then promptly tackles him. Combined with the glorious hug from 4x06, this is a considerable change in Arthur's attitude to Merlin.
- 4x12: Merlin spends half of the episode bossing Arthur around. Arthur is enchanted at the time, but Dom/sub vibes are still there. And Merlin definitely enjoys it a bit too much.
- Add the first scene of this episode, which features Merlin standing in front of a table, Arthur approaching him -- with no pants -- then grabbing Merlin's shoulders and turning him around... Talk about getting something past the radar...
- Season 4 finale has some very bromance-y Merthur moments, and not the usual banter. When Merlin goes missing at one point, Arthur immediately turns around to search for him without thinking twice. And then we get this gem from him:
Arthur: I came back because you are the only friend I have and I can't bear to lose you.
- The Les Yay between Morgana and Gwen is pretty noticable as well. Go on, go through the episodes and take a shot every time they share a lingering glance or gratuitious contact. Bet you won't make it through half a season before dying of alcohol poisoning.
- Thus far Morgana and Gwen have been the only two characters we've ever see share a bed. Morgana also subconsciously rubbed Gwen's cloak when she's nervous (in Valiant) and Gwen was constantly bringing her bouquets of flowers (especially in The Mark of Nimueh.) Then there was this exchange:
Morgana: [Guinevere] is more than just my maid servant...(significant pause)...she's my friend."
- Fast forward to season three when the two are no longer friends and the Foe Yay becomes palatable. After realizing that Gwen makes for good leverage over Arthur, Morgana gets incredibly touchy-feely with her what with fake hugs, hand-holding, and scenes in which it genuinely looks like she's trying to seduce information out of her.
- Morgana's obsession with Guinevere is second only to the one she has with Emrys.
- An even more obvious, but also more squicky subtext exists between half-sisters Morgana and Morgause.
- And this is all not to mention Merlin/Will. The reason why Will was so pissy was because Merlin found a new boyfriend!
- Gwaine! Within minutes he and both Arthur and Merlin had formed "bonds". Slashy subtext permeated that entire episode. More than usual, that is.
- Can't forget the glorious Man Hug between Merlin and Gwaine in 3x08, where Gwaine was the first one to ever hug Merlin.
- And in 4x02 when Merlin returns alive Gwaine gives Merlin a big hug.
- Can't forget the glorious Man Hug between Merlin and Gwaine in 3x08, where Gwaine was the first one to ever hug Merlin.
- What about Lancelot? Who didn't he have chemistry with in his debut episodes? Merlin and Arthur seem to have pretty serious crushes on him, Merlin practically fanboying all over him for most of the episode. This idea at least seems to have been sort of chucked out, given the pretty strident (and at times bewildering, mythical!canon though it admittedly is) Lancelot/Gwen versus Arthur/Gwen in Lancelot and Guinevere, but to be honest, this is Merlin...what's a halfway-canon couple one minute tends to be only a vague memory the next.
- Oh, it's back. In the season 3 finale the gang sleep strewn about the floor of a deserted castle, but Merlin and Lancelot sleep right next to each other, close enough to engage in some pillow talk.
- Season 4 practically makes them boyfriends.
- To elaborate, Lancelot was worried over Merlin and wanted him to go back to Camelot where it was safer, especially since Merlin's magic didn't work against the Dorocha.
- Lancelot was also the first to rush to help Merlin when Merlin collapsed at the feast.
- And then he walked into what seemed like certain death for him; though arguably that was just as much for Guinevere as it was for Merlin.
- In 4x09, it's back once more for one last time. When Lancelot is revived by Morgana and returns to Camelot, Merlin pretty much acts as if he got his lost boyfriend back and when he is the first (and only) one to notice something is different about Lancelot, he seems crushed. However, the ending scene takes the cake: Lancelot's funeral is suspiciously reminiscent of Freya's - who happens to be Merlin's first canonical love. It comes complete with Merlin's hand tenderly resting on Lancelot's forehead to work a spell on him, but whatever and Lancelot equally tenderly whispering "Merlin ... Thank you ..."
- One of the gayest scenes ever has to be at the party when Merlin invites Guinevere to play a round of "who would you do?" The choice is between Lancelot or Arthur. The former spent the night before sleeping in Merlin's bed.
- Merlin and Gilli. Dear gods, Merlin and Gilli.
- The knights seem very affectionate towards Merlin. On the basis of the previews alone we've seen Lancelot carefully tending to and drawing a blanket over Merlin whilst he's injured on a mission and Percival carrying an unconscious Merlin in his arms.
- 4x02 features Gwaine/Percival. Including Percival knocking Gwaine to the ground, their faces getting very close and Gwaine making a crack about how he didn't know Percival cared so much.
- Season 4 seems to be dedicated to include fanservice between all the Knights of the Round Table in every possible combination. In 4x06, there is a scene where the knights find old!Merlin/Dragoon in the woods and try to arrest him. Naturally, Merlin quickly knocks them out using magic, which ends in Leon, Percival and Elyan lying on top of each other in a mildly slashy way. On top of that, Merlin seems a little too pleased bumping Leon and Percival together chest to chest ...
- Percival and Elyan seem to have a BFF thing going on. It's most noticeable during 4x01 with Elyan rescuing Percival rescuing three children and 4x13, when Percival breaks Gwaine, Elyan and Gaius out of prison. While Percival gives Gwaine a short relieved smile, he instantly walks over to Elyan where the two have a long and rather hands on reunion.
- Back to Merlin (TV series)


text:
Prepare for all your cares to drift away as you unwind on immaculate sands, listening to the sparkling sapphire waters lapping the shore outside the gorgeous 5-star Mia Resort Nha Trang. This luxury sanctuary is the ideal choice for ultimate relaxation, with sublime accommodation options and excellent spa facilities, while thrill-seekers will find a host of water sports on offer. Gourmet dining opportunities are also on the menu in a variety of stunning locations, to help add a touch of romance to a phenomenal Vietnam holiday.
The Mia Resort is located next to the beach.
A range of sight-seeing trips to the nearby city of Nha Trang can be arranged at the resort's tour desk.
Cam Ranh International Airport is approximately 17km away from the Mia Resort.
Sandals Restaurant and Bar
La Baia Ristorante Italiano
*Private dining is available on request in all villas (local charge)


text: Still, the post has equal touches of hopefulness for the bright future Boxee sees for home entertainment, and acknowledgment of the massive challenges the startup faces in the coming year. In their words: "As we get ready for the New Year tomorrow and CES next week, it's clear that in 2011 we will be competing with companies that spend more feeding their employees that we have to pay ours. We're confident though that our small team will continue to push the envelop of what people expect from their TVs." Here at Engadget, we're eager to see how it all plays out, but we're definitely rooting for underdogs like Boxee who have pioneered so much of what the world is just waking up to. 2011 is going to be a crazy year!


text:
Hey everyone!
So there is going to be a change coming to blog, nothing bad! But I do want your guys' opinion! So this week I started school, I am also working full time and my schedule it busier than I have ever been or ever thought I could be! Over the past few weeks I realized that with the commitment of 3 posts a week on here, I wasn't bringing you the quality of content that I want to, and with school starting I didn't know how I could make this blog what I wanted. This blog started as a journal, but has turned into a space where I can have conversation with people about really important topics, and I love that! I still want this to be a "journal" as well. So, with all of your inputs, I want to try something out. I want to post a full topical post on Sundays, about something that is important to me, and that will hopefully start conversations. And then on Wednesdays I would post my weigh-in's as well as a weekly journal about my week.
How do you guys feel about this? Please let me know! Also, are there any topics you would like to see me write about?


text:
Connect iPhone/iPad/iPod
- Tap on the Settings app. When the Settings app loads, you will be at the General Settings category.
- Tap on the Wi-Fi settings category and you will be at a screen as shown below.
- Tap on the "icon" next to the Wi-Fi network to access the specific settings of the wireless connection.
Tap on the Manual button and fill in the fields under HTTP Proxy as follows:
- Server : 192.168.49.1
- Port : 8282


text:
–Gino Sarfatti I Vintage designer
Born in Venice Gino Sarfatti (1912-1984) graduated from Genova University with a degree in naval air engineering. From 1939, he narrowed his focus to lighting design and founded his own company, Arteluce. He quicly became internationally recognized as a pioneering figure in the modern design movement, specialized in lighting. Gino Sarfatti realized more than 400 lamps during his career, constantly exploring innovative solutions regarding shape and technology. He would first create the structure for the bulbs before imagining the rest of the form. Gino Sarfatti and Arteluce won many awards such as the Compasso d'Oro in 1954 and 1955, and the Emeritus diploma at the Milano Triennale. From 1954, his work took a decidedly minimalist approach with the "1063" floor light, preceding minimalist artists. (Dan Flavin – 1962). Gino Sarfatti was truly one of the greatest lighting designers of the XXth century.


text:
Black Denim - Jeans Jeans
- Size:Out Of Stock
- condition:Pre-Owned
- price:
Size Guide
For Sale On
product description
Y/project \N jeans for women. Black Denim - Jeans. Size 30 US. Used condition.
about Y/PROJECT
Antwerp Royal Academy alumni and Y/PROJECT founder Glenn Martens designs "gender fluid" collections that are instantly recognizable by their oversized silhouettes and deconstructed aesthetic. Most pieces are modifiable - think adjustable sleeves and hems. It's an irreverent take on the cult street style movement.


text:
Oct 23, 2017
This course was very useful and important to me, I plan on venturing in the music world very soon and knowing/ equipping myself with all of these will come in pretty handy for me. Thank you immensely.
Feb 22, 2016
I advise this great course to everybody who wants to learn more about music industry in general, music business principles and tricks, including all types of agreements and principal actors.
创建者 Indroneil K•
Oct 04, 2020
A really good course. Extremely helpful and full of practical knowledge that I needed as an artist who's starting out. Since I'm not American, I can't use all the legal information as it is. Which is why for me it was not as useful as I thought it would be. But I didn't think I should give it a low rating just because of that. I feel it's tailored to an American student and exceptionally well designed for that.
创建者 Amanda W•
Oct 27, 2017
A very thorough and insightful course. I feel much more confident in terms of the legal aspects involved in the music industry. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the legal side of the business (contracts, copyrights, digital streaming, etc). Great for artists, songwriters, producers, independent companies/labels, managers, and creators within this increasingly competitive industry.
创建者 Jessica C•
Aug 13, 2020
I am so glad I convinced myself to take this course! I've always had an interest in the business aspect of the Music Industry but never had the chance to take any classes related to it while working on my undergrad since my major was in a different field altogether. If you have any interest at all in this subject I highly recommend taking the course! John P. Kellogg is a fantastic instructor!!! I
创建者 Barbara " A W•
Feb 23, 2020
Excellent course, great material especially regarding the digital age, well presented by Mr. Kellog. Loved his interesting stories regarding his experiences in the 70s and 80s! makes me definately want to continue to learn about these subjects. As a musician entering a year where I will be bringing out new music, I needed to know many of the issues which are presented here.
创建者 Ray W•
Aug 16, 2018
Really love professor Kellogg's course.Hes very insightful since he was in the business as a musician and now music lawyer.thanks for teaching me alot about the new industry.Like the professor I am old school so I came here to learn alot about how it works now.If you want work in the music industry this is a great gateway course to the music business you will learn alot
Dec 13, 2015
I'm very happy with the content from this course. It is exactly what I was looking for in terms of information about music business. Really interesting and the professor speaks in a very calm and nice way to make our life better to understand the lesson and everything that is said, specially for me that I'm not an English native-speaker. Great job! Well done!
创建者 Kelly N•
Jan 22, 2016
I liked this course - very informative. The instructor telling industry stories helped with remembering details and none of the videos were too long. It does get a tad complicated as it gets into commissions and copyright details, but never overwhelming.
I bought the instructors book but only used it once. Still, it's a good reference for the future.
创建者 Iliana P•
Sep 16, 2017
Mr. Kellogg is one of the best teachers I've had, even for online learning!
He explains everything he says and he gives examples that apply to all so that makes the course really interesting, not very easy for someone that is not familiar with the music business, but with studying and watching carefully the videos, someone can learn a lot!
创建者 Serah J•
Oct 28, 2016
I enjoyed the course however, I do have some feedback - watching so many videos just to get the underlying information was not only a lengthy but also boring. It would be great it we could have received some material to read and a few less videos. A few more examples at each stage also would help to emphasise certain points more clearly.
创建者 Anna-Maria W•
Nov 06, 2017
Very informative and very helpful explanations and examples given! I really enjoyed this course, and it was perfect for me next to my full-time study in International Business and Management Studies as an interdisciplinary course to get a first overview in music/entertainment business, as I aim for an internship in this branch next year.
创建者 Diana•
Jan 04, 2018
Amazing learning time spent with the powerful and magnetic professor Kelogg! The material was put together in a consistent, analytical way, it is easy to take notes and remember information on the go. The valuable personal examples combined with the soft humor of the professor really makes the materials easy to absorb. Go for it! :)
创建者 张瑾•
Mar 06, 2020
Because of the Internet issue, I made great difficuly in learning this lesson. Almost no video can be played from head to toe fluently and I tried to fix it by changing the setting of computer but it seems worse. However, this is a good and systematic foundation course for those who want to know how an advaced music industry work.
创建者 LeAttol ( E L•
Oct 25, 2017
At first I wondered about the teacher's Modus Operandi (He seemed Un-Natural); But John Kellog has proven to Be decisive and giving clear direction. That is good and I am taking a great deal from this course. It is especially good because I intend to release Music to the open market. Thanks John - Le Attol / Robert Ellis Langford
创建者 Ben P•
Oct 17, 2018
An extremely insightful course that is presented in an easily digestible way. It has lots of great extra articles and videos for review and really gave me a much more rounded understanding of the music business. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for insight on things like contracts, managers, labels, copyrights.
创建者 Jennifer M•
Nov 01, 2015
The presenter is fabulous! He is very clear and repeats important information to help you remember things well. I had to retake a few of the quizzes twice because they were challenging, but it helped me notice when I hadn't learned something well enough and had to go back and review it. I learned SO MUCH!!! Thank you!!!
创建者 Kris S•
Jun 22, 2018
Great course! Great information. Even though it's been a couple years, it all still applies very dramatically to today. The initial overview of the music business shows how it's changed and grown over time, so you really see how what you're learning fits into the world right this moment. Thank you for an incredible course!
创建者 Mateus M R•
Jun 26, 2017
An excellent study of the music business which goes beyond the "birds-eye" view and tackles in-depth analysis of the history of the industry and the concrete realities of the agents and musicians involved. This course should be mandatory for anyone who has the ambition of entering into any position on the music business.
创建者 Justin K•
Feb 22, 2016
Excellent overview of the music business. The course had a "goldilocks" quality to it...not too much information so as to overwhelm a beginner but just enough examples and facts to whet the appetite of those looking to dig deeper or become better prepared and more knowledgeable about their business as an artist!
创建者 Larry V d W•
Jan 23, 2016
This course provides a really strong basis of understanding the complexities of the music business. It helps you with good and professional practical advice on how to structure your career from both the perspective of the artist and productions companies, all whilst maintaining policy of fairness in the industry.
Mar 20, 2017
Thanks for sharing good knowledge!!! John knows a lot and has a very friendly way to teach. I wish the course was longer and gives more indeep info, for example about recording agreements and actual rates for up comming artists. Here I learned important topics to advance my musical journey, I hope you all do so
创建者 Laura S•
Jul 13, 2016
Professor Kellogg does a great job of including a personal touch and weaving a storyline through his lecture that keeps you engaged his course material. This class was a great starting point, gives a great sense of important aspects of music business as a whole, and was a reasonable time commitment.
创建者 Reginald T•
May 02, 2016
I felt this class was especially relevant as it discussed the changing trends in delivery and consumption of music products. Always to good to get a historical perspective and some projections on where the industry is headed in this ever changing digital landscape. I highly recommend this course.
创建者 Yasmine A•
Feb 25, 2016
I'm baffled by this course, I have only just completed week one and I have learnt SO much already. Definitely recommend if you are interested in music of any kind and in any field, this course provides you with the tools and mindset to work towards achieving your goals in the music industry
创建者 Kentia S T•
May 04, 2019
I have learned so much from this one course alone. I have been inspired to create a music app and I've learned my exact place in the music industry, where I fit. I strongly believe in the DIO formula, that's why I'm here. I can't wait to complete the entire degree program through Berklee.
创建者 Lluis G T•
Sep 28, 2016
I really learn alot about this important subject in music. And the instructor was awsome, he add alot of examples from his own career and form others to really understand the issues, with some touch of dun, I mean laws can be boring but I not feel bored in any moment. Thanks so mutch!


text:
The new car.
The nice house.
The premium cable.
The boat.
The financed appliances.
The 0% down furniture.
The clothes on a credit card.
The golden handcuffs.
Every time I see a picture of a new car scrolling down my Facebook feed, I shake my head and sigh. It's usually accompanied by a young person standing with two thumbs up and a smile. The like button has been abused repeatedly, and the comments start flowing with things like "congrats!", or "that's awesome, I'm so happy for you!"
Somehow, buying new stuff with other people's money has reached the same social status as getting married, having a kid, or landing an incredible job.
I usually have to hold myself back from commenting, because it would look something like "I hope that car feels better than freedom", or "you just set yourself back for 72 months". Even though it would seem like I'm upset with them, I'm really just upset for them.
Related: Want a legit free tool to track all of your money? Check out the app my wife and I use.
If I've learned anything from my short time in writing about personal finance, it's that people can convince themselves that any purchase is a great idea. Sometimes, no matter how much I jump up and down and wave my hands while screaming for young people to stop financing their lives away, a lot of them still buy the golden handcuffs anyways.
Young people are generally not very skilled when it comes to thinking about their future. Millennials have this ridiculous need to "live now while they are young".
They don't realize that they will still be the same person 30 years from now, wishing that they would have saved more, or invested earlier. There is so much financial opportunity squandered for the few minutes of "life" that young people feel when they are buying something they don't need.
It's sad.
The things that we finance in life are nice and shiny like gold, but will keep you restrained the same way that handcuffs do. If you are thinking about making a financed purchase in the near future, hold off.
If you feel like you need cable, try something cheaper first and see if you can stand the difference. If you have to buy a house, be modest. Get the MTV cribs house later when you have a positive net worth.
Every time you make a purchase that you can't pay cash for, you are giving away a small part of your ability to experience change in your life. You have to keep that job that you hate to make debt payments. Someone else's pockets are lined while you struggle to find cash on your own.
Our future children become doomed to life with student loans. We use social media to celebrate young people blindly trading happiness for someone else's money and a depreciating asset.
It has to stop.


text:
Changes in the Professional Lives of Cardiologists Over 2 Decades
Author + information
- Received August 6, 2016
- Revision received October 27, 2016
- Accepted November 14, 2016
- Published online January 23, 2017.
Article Versions
- previous version (December 21, 2016 - 11:00).
- You are viewing the most recent version of this article.
Author Information
- Sandra J. Lewis, MDa,
- Laxmi S. Mehta, MDb,
- Pamela S. Douglas, MDc,
- Martha Gulati, MD, MSd,
- Marian C. Limacher, MDe,
- Athena Poppas, MDf,
- Mary Norine Walsh, MDg,
- Anne K. Rzeszut, MAh,
- Claire S. Duvernoy, MDi,∗ (Duvernoy{at}umich.edu),
- on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Women in Cardiology Leadership Council
- aNorthwest Cardiovascular Institute, Portland, Oregon
- bDepartment of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
- cDepartment of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
- dDepartment of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Arizona-Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona
- eDepartment of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida
- fDepartment of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute/Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
- gSt. Vincent Heart Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
- hMarket Strategy Division, American College of Cardiology, Washington, DC
- iDepartment of Medicine, Cardiology Section, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System/University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- ↵∗Reprint requests and correspondence:
Dr. Claire S. Duvernoy, Cardiology Section, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, University of Michigan, 2215 Fuller Rd, 111a, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105.
Central Illustration
The American College of Cardiology third decennial Professional Life Survey was completed by 2,313 cardiologists: 964 women (42%) and 1,349 men (58%). Compared with 10 and 20 years ago, current results reflect a substantially lower response rate (21% vs. 31% and 49%, respectively) and an aging workforce that is less likely to be in private practice. Women continue to be more likely to practice in academic centers, be pediatric cardiologists, and have a noninvasive subspecialty. Men were more likely to indicate that family responsibilities negatively influenced their careers than previously, whereas women remained less likely to marry or have children. Men and women reported similar, high levels of career satisfaction, with women reporting higher satisfaction currently. However, two-thirds of women continue to experience discrimination, nearly 3 times the rate in men. Personal life choices continue to differ substantially for men and women in cardiology, although differences have diminished.
- professional life survey
- professional satisfaction
- discrimination
- practice setting
- women in cardiology
- workforce
Cardiovascular physicians and the practice of cardiovascular medicine have experienced unprecedented changes in both the explosion of scientific evidence and changes in reimbursement models over the past 20 years (1). It is unclear how these changes have affected the experience of cardiologists, or their personal and professional lives. The American College of Cardiology (ACC), led by the Leadership Council of the Women in Cardiology (WIC) Section, conducted the third decennial Professional Life Survey (PLS) to define current workforce demographics and career choices, determine levels of cardiologists' career satisfaction, identify family and professional barriers to success, and pinpoint areas of concern for the College to guide development of initiatives with high member value.
The first PLS, launched in 1996, was driven by concerns about a possible impending shortage of cardiologists in the United States, as well as the need to understand drivers of satisfaction for a career in cardiology for men and women (2). An ACC-sponsored Bethesda Conference in 2003 identified continuing concerns regarding the under-representation of women and minorities in cardiology (3,4). In response to the 1996 PLS and the Bethesda Conference, the WIC section was created in 2005; the following year, a second PLS was conducted (5). The purpose of this second survey was to better inform the design and implementation of strategies for future training and support of cardiologists by gaining a deeper understanding of the personal and professional lives of men and women in cardiology, including career decisions and satisfaction. The second survey also sought to examine issues identified by the Bethesda Conference; under-representation of women and minorities remained a critical workforce issue.
The first survey identified several areas of opportunity to improve the professional lives of cardiologists. Practice management issues were high on the list of perceived needs for those responding to the survey, and issues such as job negotiations and leadership training were identified by both men and women as topics for which the ACC should provide educational programs. Specific sex differences and concerns were identified as well. These issues included occupational radiation exposure, discrimination, family concerns (such as barriers to childbearing and childcare needs), lack of advancement, disparity in compensation, and stresses of the profession. Educational opportunities that addressed issues arising from the survey were requested. The second survey found high levels of career satisfaction for men and women in cardiology and increasing positive effects of mentors, but ongoing areas of differences between men and women, including discrimination, academic equality, satisfaction with advancement and compensation across all practice settings, and likelihood of having a family.
Since the second survey, the ACC and its WIC Section have addressed these issues with specific programming and outreach efforts, including ACC WIC Leadership Conferences and, since 2014, annual Leadership Workshops, which provide content specific to the needs identified in the survey. A virtual mentoring program for WIC members was developed to provide more formalized mentoring; fellows-in-training (FITs) have been incorporated into all ACC committees, and FIT programs have been developed for the ACC Scientific Sessions as well. WIC developed a visiting professor program to highlight opportunities for women in cardiology and allow women to advance their academic portfolios. WIC state chapter networks were developed in conjunction with the ACC Board of Governors; ACC annual scientific sessions now contain numerous WIC opportunities, such as the WIC lounge, educational and mentoring sessions, brown-bag lunch sessions, and speed mentoring sessions. A regular newsletter spotlights WIC members and activities. However, cardiology continues to be dominated by men; in 2013, 13% of cardiologists were women, compared with over 35% of internists, over 30% of hematologist/oncologists, 18% of general surgeons, and over 50% of obstetricians/gynecologists (6).
A particular focus of the current survey was to determine whether ACC efforts, and ongoing societal changes, are associated with mitigation of the observed differences between men and women in cardiology, 20 years after the first survey.
Prior ACC PLS were performed in 1996 and 2006, and have been previously reported (2,5). The majority of the 1996 and 2006 PLS questionnaires were largely replicated verbatim to allow comparisons across time periods. Some questions were slightly amended to reflect more recent practice and specialty changes. Specific questions about practice models were added. As opposed to the initial mailed paper survey, both the 2006 and current surveys were hosted on a web server, and were accessed online via a link supplied through e-mail invitations. Invitations to participate were e-mailed to a total of 11,539 U.S. ACC physician members. Of these, 741 e-mails were returned as undeliverable; consequently, the actual base of 10,798 included 2,796 women, an age-matched sample of 6,025 men, and a sampling of 1,977 FITs. Between September and October 2015, each member of the sample was sent an e-mail invitation, and up to 3 follow-up reminder invitations were sent to those who had not yet completed the survey.
Data analysis
Analysis of responses across time periods and by men and women in the current dataset was performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows version 23.0 (IBM, Armonk, New York). For the 2006 and 2015 comparisons, z-tests were used to calculate significant differences, and the Bonferroni-Holm method was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. The thresholds for statistical significance were set at p ≤ 0.05, p ≤ 0.01, and p ≤ 0.001 levels. Because only the percentages, and not the raw data from the original 1996 dataset, were available, statistical comparisons with the earlier results were conducted using a formula to estimate z-scores in which the aggregate data was inputted into the following formula, and the score was down-weighted by 0.87 to estimate the Bonferroni-Holm correction when comparing 1996 to other time periods.
All tables report percent responses. "Missing," "don't know," and "N/A" responses were not included in the tabulations and statistical analyses.
Demographics and job descriptions
The 2015 survey was sent to 10,798 individuals, including 8,821 (2,796 women and 6,025 men) cardiologist members, as well as 1,977 FITs. A total of 2,313 physicians completed the survey, including 964 women (42%) and 1,349 men (58%); of these, 94 women and 202 men were FITs, representing 13% of the total number of respondents. The overall response rate to the survey was 21%, which was lower than the response rates of 31% in 2006 and 49% in 1996. The current survey response rate was 30% for women, 18% for men, and 15% for FITs, with higher response rates for women, as in 2006 (42% for women and 23% for men) and 1996 (54% for women and 46% for men).
The age distribution of responding men and women was similar and, despite inclusion of FITs as in the prior survey, demonstrated aging of the ACC physician member community, as significantly greater percentages of respondents were 60 years of age or older in the current survey than in 2006 and 1996 (Figure 1, Central Illustration). Most respondents reported being white (63% in 2015 vs. 76% in 2006; data not available in 1996) or Asian/Pacific Islander (21% in 2015 vs. 14% in 2006); of the remaining 16%, there were significant sex differences in the self-reported racial makeup, with women more likely to be black (4% vs. 2%; p < 0.01), and men more likely to be Hispanic (6% vs. 3%; p < 0.01).
A lower percentage of women identified themselves as practicing adult cardiology compared with men (80% vs. 85%; p ≤ 0.01), whereas a higher percentage of women were self-identified as pediatric cardiologists (13% vs. 7%; p ≤ 0.001). Women were more likely to practice part-time than men (10% vs. 4%; p ≤ 0.001), and there were equal percentages of women and men not currently in practice (10% for both) (Table 1).
The majority of respondents reported spending time on direct clinical practice, although research and teaching occupied a higher percentage of time for women (14% for women vs. 10% for men; p ≤ 0.05), whereas men and women spent similar amounts of time in administrative activities. Women were more likely to work in a medical school/university practice (43% vs. 34%; p ≤ 0.001), and less likely to work in a hospital-owned (33% vs. 37%; p ≤ 0.01) or physician-owned (17% vs. 23%; p ≤ 0.001) setting. Survey respondents were less likely to report working in private practice than in 1996 or 2006 (Central Illustration). Women were more likely to practice general clinical cardiology (48% vs. 39%; p ≤ 0.001) or echocardiography (10% vs. 3%; p ≤ 0.001) than were men, who were more likely than women to practice interventional cardiology (23% vs. 8%; p ≤ 0.001) or electrophysiology (10% vs. 6%; p ≤ 0.01). Women spent more time in outpatient clinical practice than men (53% vs. 48%; p ≤ 0.001), whereas men spent significantly more time in hospital/inpatient care (36% women vs. 41% men; p ≤ 0.001). Respondents were significantly less likely in 2015 than in 1996 to report practicing invasive, noninterventional cardiology, continuing a trend that was noted in 2006.
Career satisfaction
Cardiologists overall were satisfied with their work lives, as 88% of women and 90% of men reported being moderately to very satisfied, whereas only 1% of women and 2% of men were very dissatisfied (Table 2). Most respondents were satisfied with their financial compensation (63% of women vs. 65% of men; p = NS). Women and men indicated different levels of satisfaction with family life, with men more likely to report being very satisfied (54% of men vs. 45% of women; p ≤ 0.001) and women more likely to report moderate satisfaction (38% of women vs. 33% of men; p ≤ 0.05). Women were significantly less likely to report achieving a higher level of advancement compared with their peers, and were more likely to report lower or much lower advancement than colleagues (Table 2). Both women and men were likely to strongly encourage (41% for both) or somewhat encourage (31% of women and 33% of men) cardiology as a career choice to those seeking medical career guidance.
The proportion of women who were moderately or very satisfied with their careers rose from 80% to 90% between 1996 and 2006, and remained high in 2015 (88%). The proportion of men who indicated that their level of advancement was higher or much higher than contemporaries declined for each decade, from 52% in 1996 to 45% in 2006, and to 39% in 2015 (p ≤ 0.05); however, men's career satisfaction did not change over time. Overall career satisfaction for women was no different in 2015 than that reported by men; yet, women were less likely to feel that they had advanced higher than contemporaries in the profession, and were more likely to report that their advancement was less than that of their peers. These proportions did not change significantly over the past 20 years.
Respondents were asked to rate a series of job features that they regarded as important at the time of negotiation for their first job, and again as if a job were being renegotiated at the time of the survey. For one's first position after training, the most highly rated items for both women and men, respectively, were job description (97% vs. 96%; p = NS), benefits (80% vs. 79%; p = NS), and salary (78% vs. 83%; p ≤ 0.01). Women and men also highly rated vacation time (72% vs. 67%; p ≤ 0.05), support staff (65% vs. 62%; p = NS), and time to promotion/partnership (60% vs. 65%; p ≤ 0.05). The perceived importance of all of these items when negotiating for a first position has risen significantly in comparison with prior surveys.
When asked about the importance of items for job renegotiation (i.e., negotiations taking place when a cardiologist applied for a subsequent job, rather than their first job after completing fellowship), the relative importance of some items shifted significantly for both men and women as compared with their relative importance during negotiations for first job. Salary, benefits, vacation time, and work hours rose in importance (all ranked >90%; p = NS between women and men), whereas time to promotion (70% vs. 64%; p ≤ 0.01), academic rank (57% vs. 43%; p ≤ 0.001), seniority (64% vs. 50%; p ≤ 0.001), and administrative duties (68% vs. 60%; p ≤ 0.001) were more important for women than for men.
Respondents were asked a series of questions about mentoring, including the presence of mentors, sex of mentors, and the roles played by mentors in their career development. Similar numbers of men and women had mentors during subspecialty training, but women were significantly more likely to have a woman as a mentor (23% vs. 5%; p ≤ 0.001) and to have a pediatric cardiologist mentor (11% vs. 7%; p < 0.01). Men were more likely than women to report that mentors had a positive influence on their participation in research (68% for women vs. 75% for men; p < 0.05%) (Table 3). Over the past 20 years, both women and men more frequently identified female mentors (14% to 18% to 23% for women vs. 1% to 2% to 5% for men, 1996 to 2006 to current survey, respectively; p ≤ 0.05 for comparison of 2015 with 1996 for both sexes). Respondents noted an increase over time in mentoring related to noncareer role models, and career planning and decision making. Career encouragement declined for both sexes.
Men remained just as likely in 2015 to report that their mentors served as negative role models in areas such as family and lifestyle (noncareer) as in 1996 and 2006, but for women, mentors became significantly less likely to exert a negative influence as family and lifestyle role models in the present survey (Table 3).
Radiation concerns
In 2015, men were not asked about occupational radiation exposure. As compared with 10 and 20 years ago, fewer women planned conception and pregnancy for times in their career during which they were not exposed to radiation (21% in 1996 vs. 18% in 2006 and 16% in 2015; p ≤ 0.05 for 1996 vs. 2015). There was no significant change in the percentage of women who made modifications to their work schedules to reduce radiation exposure (44% in 1996 vs. 42% in 2006 vs. 39% in 2015; p = NS). Women were less likely in 2015 than in 1996 to obtain information regarding radiation exposure risks, although the majority of women in the current survey continued to inform themselves (81% for 1996 vs. 76% for 2006 and 75% for 2015; p ≤ 0.05 for 1996 vs. 2015). About one-quarter of women chose career or training paths with minimal radiation exposure, a proportion that has remained unchanged over the past 20 years. One-third of women performed procedures using radiation while pregnant, a proportion that is unchanged from 10 and 20 years ago.
A large majority of women reported experiencing some form of discrimination, at a rate almost 3× as frequently as men, and the types of discrimination experienced were strikingly different. Sex and parenting discrimination was significantly more likely to have been experienced by women compared with men, whereas men were significantly more likely to have experienced racial and religious discrimination (Table 4). Although the proportion of men reporting any form of discrimination did not change over the past 20 years, there was a significant decline in the number of women reporting discrimination overall between 1996 and 2015 (71% vs. 65%, respectively; p ≤ 0.05). Women in practice longer were significantly more likely to say that they had experienced discrimination (72% of women in practice ≥11 years vs. 56% of FITs and women in practice <10 years; p ≤ 0.001 for comparison).
Personal and family issues
In the current survey, significantly more men than women reported being married (89% vs. 75%; p ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, men were much more likely to have children than women (87% vs. 72%; p ≤ 0.001), and, for most men, spouses provided all childcare (57% vs. 13%; p ≤ 0.001). Women with children at home were significantly more likely than men to report that they engaged paid full-time care, utilized a daycare center, or had paid part-time care (Table 5). Women were significantly more likely to interrupt their training than men, and these interruptions were typically for childbirth. Family responsibilities affected women to a greater degree than men, as 37% of women said family responsibilities had a negative effect on career advancement (37% vs. 20%; p ≤ 0.001).
Women were also more likely than men to indicate that family responsibilities hindered both their ability to do professional work (38% vs. 29%; p ≤ 0.001) and to travel for professional advancement (46% vs. 41%; p ≤ 0.01). Significant differences persisted across surveys in personal and family issues for women and men, although some differences became less marked over time. Women were more likely to report having children in the current survey than in 1996 or 2006 (63% vs. 66% vs. 72% for 1996 to 2006 to 2015, respectively; p ≤ 0.05 for between-survey comparisons). From 1996 to 2006 to the present survey, there was a growing trend for men to indicate that family responsibilities hindered their ability to do professional work and negatively influenced their career advancement; significantly more men reported that family responsibilities hindered their ability to travel for continuing medical education, committee work, or professional advancement in 2015 than in 1996 (41% vs. 29%; p ≤ 0.001) (Central Illustration).
In parallel with substantial changes in society and medicine over the past 20 years, our data illustrate changes in the personal and professional lives of cardiologists over the past 2 decades. The workforce is aging, practice settings have changed, and men are increasingly balancing career and family. However, in many areas, little has changed. Women continue to be less likely to marry and to have children, more likely to require paid or unpaid help with childcare, and more frequently experience discrimination. For both sexes, career satisfaction remains high.
Demographics, practice setting, and work hours
Cardiology remains a field dominated by men; in 2013, the Association of American Medical Colleges ranked the field 33rd of 41 specialties in the field in terms of the percentage of women (6). The 2003 ACC Bethesda Conference and the initial 1996 ACC PLS identified a lack of ethnic and sex diversity, an aging workforce, and discrimination as critical issues for cardiology, all of which remain relevant in 2016. According to ACC demographic data, 34% of female cardiologists were over 50 years of age in 2006 versus 50% in 2016, and 56% of men were over 50 years of age in 2006 versus 74% in 2016 (Online Table 1) (7). In a 2009 publication of the ACC Board of Trustees Workforce Task Force, proposals to alleviate the looming cardiology workforce shortage included the need to fund more fellowship training slots, use nonphysician providers more widely, provide more part-time work opportunities, develop "short-track" fellowship training pathways and loan forgiveness programs, and improve the pipeline by reaching into colleges, high schools, and even middle schools to improve medical school entry for women and under-represented minorities (8). Although some of these initiatives have indeed come to fruition, many have not.
Men and women continued to differ significantly in their choices of practice setting and type of cardiology. Although the choice of subspecialty for women is often thought to reflect concerns over radiation exposure, pregnancy/child care, and perceived differences in work hours and schedule predictability, in a recent report from a European Society of Cardiology survey, women responded that they avoid interventional cardiology primarily because they are not being given the opportunity to enter this field, rather than because they are avoiding radiation (9). When men were asked in the same survey why women do not go into interventional cardiology, male respondents indicated that they believe it is because women want to avoid radiation. This finding indicates important perceptual differences that should be addressed by professional societies and training programs.
Career satisfaction and advancement
Objective data support the dissatisfaction that women reported with respect to their financial compensation in this survey. As demonstrated recently by Jagsi et al. (10), there is a marked sex disparity in cardiologists' salaries that persists after correcting for type and amount of work performed. As shown in the survey, a higher proportion of female cardiologists worked in an academic setting, where salaries are typically lower than a private-practice or other hospital-employed model. Even within the academic setting, however, recent careful analyses show significant disparities in salary, with a pay differential between female and male cardiologists almost exactly the same as that seen in private practice ($33,749 in a fully-adjusted model for academic cardiologists vs. $37,717 for cardiologists in private practice) (10,11). Women also continued to be less likely to report a higher level of career advancement than peers. Studies have shown that this feeling is also supported by objective data, with women being less likely to achieve higher ranks and doing so at a slower rate than men in academic medicine (12).
Successful mentoring relationships continued to be valued by the majority of survey respondents, both men and women. The present survey suggests that women have been willing to accept a disproportionate share of responsibility for mentoring early-career cardiologists. Although this may improve satisfaction levels, it may also mean that women are spending more time in mentoring than men, a commitment that may negatively affect productivity-based compensation and advancement.
Radiation concerns/risks
Although still an area of concern for both women and men, radiation exposure is less of an issue affecting pregnancy and conception choices for women in the current survey. Since the 1996 survey, both the ACC and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions have published consensus documents regarding radiation exposure and safety in cardiology. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions consensus document focused almost entirely on pregnancy-related risks, whereas the ACC document included information concerning cancer risk and cataract risk as well (13,14). Concerns about radiation may continue to influence the small numbers of women choosing interventional cardiology, although this is likely not as significant a factor as it is perceived to be by men practicing interventional cardiology (9).
Discrimination in the cardiology community is of great concern, given that almost two-thirds of women report experiencing this at some point in their career or training. Although lower than what was reported by the U.S. surgical community, where 68% of women surgeons in practice reported experiencing discrimination in a recent survey (15), the rate of reported discrimination is much higher for women than for men and is significantly higher than levels of discrimination recently reported among a group of young, successful academic faculty in all fields, where 30% of women and 4% of men reported experiencing any form of discrimination (16). It is critical that experiences of discrimination be reported and addressed because the perception that discrimination is a rare phenomenon could, ironically, increase stigmatization and discourage reporting (16). In this respect, the experiences of other medical societies may be most germane and may suggest that focused attention on changing the culture of a profession is difficult, but is entirely feasible. As an example, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has undertaken a multiyear initiative, including extensive research and a detailed action plan, to end a perceived climate of discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment, and to improve respect and patient safety. This undertaking could serve as a model for the cardiovascular community (17,18) and could help to make the field more attractive to women. The percentage of male cardiologists who reported experiencing any form of discrimination has remained unchanged over the past 20 years.
Personal and family issues
Although not dramatic, the trends reported in our survey with regard to marriage and children among women versus men indicate that the availability of lifestyle choices is greater now than in the past for both men and women, and should reassure young physicians struggling to decide whether or not to specialize in cardiology. The survey did not seek information about sexual orientation, and thus cannot provide insights into the prevalence of or challenges facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender cardiologists in the United States.
Over the past 20 years, men have become significantly more likely to report that family responsibilities negatively affect their careers. This change may mean that men are accepting and shouldering different roles in their families than previously. However, in a recent analysis of sex differences in domestic and parenting responsibilities among early-career physician-researchers, Jolly et al. (19) found that even among "Generation X" high-achieving physicians, women still spent significantly more time on parenting and domestic responsibilities, and men remained significantly more likely to have a nonworking or part-time working spouse than women, whose spouses overwhelmingly worked full-time outside the home.
Interruption of training and practice by 1 or more months remains more common among women than men, likely reflecting the realities of pregnancy and childbirth among women. The fact that very few men reported taking off any time at all reflects the reality that parental leave in the United States remains largely maternal.
Survey limitations
Although the 3 PLS represent the largest compilation of longitudinal data regarding the cardiology workforce, as in most surveys, responses could not be independently verified. In 2015, survey response rates were lower than in prior surveys, and we cannot exclude the possibility that the experiences of nonresponders may differ substantially from those of responders. In particular, the age demographic of responders may not be the same as that of nonresponders, which is something we were unable to control for, and FIT responses may be substantially different than those of practicing cardiologists, but have been included in the total to ensure consistent reporting across time periods. We suspect that the decreased response rates reflect steadily increasing numbers of questionnaires and emails, with consequent e-mail fatigue on the part of cardiologists. As the first survey was conducted on paper via mailing to the recipients, and the format of some questions was modified slightly (e.g., by providing additional response categories or adding multiple possible responses rather than a single response), the ability to trend the data accurately may be affected in some cases. Finally, these surveys were only sent to domestic ACC members, who represent over 85% of U.S. cardiologists, but not the entire community.
Over the past 20 years, cardiology remains a career choice associated with high levels of satisfaction. The cardiology workforce is aging, and most cardiologists now no longer report working in a private practice setting. Significant sex differences remain in the subspecialty practice roles reported by men and women. Personal life choices continue to differ substantially for men and women, although these differences have diminished over the last 20 years. Discrimination continues to be an issue reported by a clear majority of female cardiologists. Addressing the changing demographics and practice settings of the work force, increasing diversity, and achieving parity in race and sex continue to be important goals for the cardiology community. This study provides comparisons over 2 decades in the microcosm of medicine that cardiology in the United States represents. These data inform our community and allow databased discourse as we assess and plan for the ongoing challenges facing the lives of men and women in cardiology.
The views expressed in this paper by the American College of Cardiology Women in Cardiology Leadership Council do not necessarily reflect the views of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology or the ACC.
This work was conducted through the Women In Cardiology Council of the American College of Cardiology. The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
Listen to this manuscript's audio summary by JACC Editor-in-Chief Dr. Valentin Fuster.
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- American College of Cardiology
- fellow-in-training
- Professional Life Survey
- Women in Cardiology
- Received August 6, 2016.
- Revision received October 27, 2016.
- Accepted November 14, 2016.
- ↵Merritt Hawkins, for the Physicians Foundation. Health reform and the decline of physician private practice: a white paper examining the effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on physician practices in the United States. 2010. Available at: http://www.physiciansfoundation.org/uploads/default/Health_Reform_and_the_Decline_of_Physician_Private_Practice.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2016.
- ↵
- Limacher M.C.,
- Zaher C.A.,
- Walsh M.N.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Warnes C.A.,
- Fedson S.E.,
- Foster E.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Francis C.K.,
- Alpert J.S.,
- Clark L.T.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Poppas A.,
- Cummings J.,
- Dorbala S.,
- et al.
- ↵Center for Workforce Studies, Association of American Medical Colleges. 2014 physician specialty data book. 2014. Available at: https://members.aamc.org/eweb/upload/Physician%20Specialty%20Databook%202014.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2016.
- ↵ACC Member Database 2006-2016. Continuous updates. Available at: http://www.acc.org/membership/about-membership/member-profile. Accessed May 5, 2016.
- ↵
- Rodgers G.P.,
- Conti J.B.,
- Feinstein J.A.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Capranzano P.,
- Kunadian V.,
- Mauri J.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Jagsi R.,
- Biga C.,
- Poppas A.,
- et al.
- ↵
- ↵
- ↵
- Limacher M.C.,
- Douglas P.S.,
- Germano G.,
- et al.
- ↵
- Best P.J.,
- Skelding K.A.,
- Mehran R.,
- et al.,
- for the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions' Women in Innovations (WIN) Group
- ↵
- ↵
- ↵
- Coopes A.
- ↵Watters D, Campbell G, for the RACS Expert Advisory Group. Building respect, improving patient safety: RACS action plan on discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment in the practice of surgery. 2015. Available at: http://www.surgeons.org/media/22260415/RACS-Action-Plan_Bullying-Harassment_F-Low-Res_FINAL.pdf. Accessed November 20, 2016.
- ↵


text:
Disney's Beauty and the Beast tells the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
Based on the 1991 Academy Award-winning animated feature film and celebrating 20 years since its Broadway premiere in 1994, Disney's Beauty and the Beast has become an international sensation. This new touring production reunites the original creators of the Broadway production.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast plays the QE Theatre in Vancouver February 3-8. Tickets are now available online at Ticketmaster.ca.


text:
With more gadgets wanting to get their juice via USB, and the contents of our hardware bags quickly outnumbering the AC sockets on offer, manufacturers are getting clever to ways they can extend what power ports are accessible at any one time. FlipIt! may have a silly exclamation point in its name, but it also has a reasonably compact way of doubling up a standard US AC socket, sandwiching its connection in-between the wall and a regular plug.
As the graphic above suggests, the connections are hidden in the blue rotating arm; the body of the adapter can rotate 270-degrees. The output is a single USB port giving 5V/750mA, which should be plenty for a smartphone.
It'll also work with international voltages, though since the two-prong plug isn't a standard outside of North America you'd need an adapter; still, it could be a handy way to double the use from a single travel adapter. The FlipIt! USB charger is available now, priced at $15.99.
[via Ubergizmo]


text:
This content has been marked as final. Show 36 replies
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?CorpCons08 Jan 14, 2008 10:24 PM (in response to Risktk666)Websites TREMENDOUSLY help increase business for businesses.
I recommend to all business owners to have a website to display/sell your products/services.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?NatOnline Jan 14, 2008 10:47 PM (in response to Risktk666)Welcome to this forum Risktk666
It really depends of what products you are selling, but it a good thing to have 2 businesses and an e-commerce. The only problem on internet, before you start selling it take times to get your pages indexed on search engines.
3k per month? If you are in a very competitive market, you will need to spend a lot of money in SEO (Search Engines Optimization) or you can do it yourself.
Let me n if I can help you more.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Risktk666 Jan 14, 2008 11:50 PM (in response to Risktk666)
Its a Jewelry business and the cost would be 3k for the creation of the entire website. Anyone know of any good reliable website creators?
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?NatOnline Jan 15, 2008 2:10 PM (in response to Risktk666)3K it is always a risk when you know the work you have to do or the service you need to take to get a maximun exposure on internet.
You will need a website, but you already know that.
Photos of your products
Quality contents (Attractive description to catch the eyes of you potential visitors)
Search Engines Optimization
Articles, Marketing, Press releases if you can afford that, etc...
and the most important: Building a back links compaign
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 15, 2008 2:11 PM (in response to NatOnline)Your lack of business success could be contributed to by the lack of a website.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?NatOnline Jan 15, 2008 2:30 PM (in response to intechspecial)I don't think so, this is two different things and two different markets
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 15, 2008 2:54 PM (in response to NatOnline)Would you care to expand on this Nat?
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?NatOnline Jan 15, 2008 3:00 PM (in response to intechspecial)I think it is clear enough
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Iwrite Jan 15, 2008 3:31 PM (in response to NatOnline)There is more to being successful than having a website. Some items do not sell well on the web - pet food, groceries and some big ticket items(like jewelry) have been proven to not do well on the web.
It has been stated in other posts that it is important to have a good marketing plan (I believe both DomainDiva, Luckiest and Mobilemktng have written on this). A good marketing plan takes a lot into consideration, and constructs a plan that takes advantage of more then any one medium to get your message out.
Now, I do believe in having a website and the importance it can play in a business' success. I have and still do freelance for one of the top 10 interactive advertising agencies in the country. 3K is not a lot of money when you start talking about getting great photos, design and build for a site. Understand that you get what you pay for. Functionality is just as important as design, if not more. Anyone can create a website but only a few can design one that really delivers on the promise of the internet. Throwing templates up is the LEAST a business should do, the least.
Now, I know to all the web design firms out there it may seem like I am spitting in your face, I'm not. I just believe that it is hard to standout when you look like everybody else. In marketing, you don't want people thinking they have seen it before. If they think that, they tend to skip over things.
But what do I know? I have only been in advertising for almost 20 years at some of the largest and most successful shops in the country, working on some of the most successful brands in the world. And I'm not trying to sell you anything.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?NatOnline Jan 15, 2008 3:47 PM (in response to Iwrite)Like I said there is two different things and two different markets.
1) brick and mortar store are different compared to online store
2) brick and mortar customers are not online customers, two different markets
Now jewelry don't do well, I guess it depends of what jewelry you are selling, if is too wast or a large general market it would be very hard and very expensive to promote. I have seeing e-commerce selling Hawaiian jewelry and doing well because they are specialized in this niche and difficult to find on brick and mortar stores beside living in Hawaii where you can find this items everywhere.
My point is be specialized in the market you are, you will have a better chance to sell it online.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Iwrite Jan 15, 2008 4:46 PM (in response to NatOnline)I was agreeing with you. I'm was also saying you need some off-line support to drive folks to the website. I believe in a multi-prong approach to marketing.
As for my previous post, I was really responding to all the posts through you. I am still trying to figure out the best way to respond to things. Sometimes there are two or three posts that I want to comment on, so I go to the last post and respond to it thinking everyone will see that I am really talking to everyone.
Sorry for any confusion that may have cost.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?NatOnline Jan 15, 2008 5:00 PM (in response to Iwrite)That's happened to me, don't worry about this.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 16, 2008 9:45 AM (in response to NatOnline)I understand that these are two different markets, as well as two different approachs.
What I am saying is that any potential client or customer that utilze's ecommerce might ask you, Do you have a website?
If your response is no, the view on your company can change.
Another Ex: Joe Smith owns a Consulting Company. A client asks for a email sent in regards to a consultation.
Joe sends the email from his Yahoo email Address: email@example.com.................................or
Joe sends an email from his Company's domain email address: firstname.lastname@example.com
Suddenly the abilities and professionalism of this company will change if he has his own domain.
Any guy off the street can get a yahoo email address, at no cost to them.
Only an established company has a Professional Web Presence.
Lack of a website will assist your company to be uncapable in certain types of markets.
Well of course. Are they limiting themselves to only a local market, and closing themselves off from a huge market online?
Of course. Is there value to a name? Yes.
My choice's are this - I go to a company that is known both on the internet and locally, or do I go to a company that is only known locally.
The web presence takes them to a higher level. If needed expansion for there company, lets say they would like to open a retail outlet in another part of the country, they have already established themselves at a national level, so this move will be easier then if the, were only known by the locals.
So now you see the reasoning behind my comment ~ Lack of business success can be contributed by the lack of a web presence.
The markets compliment each other, and can be used to establish your company as more then just a email@example.com type of company.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Lighthouse24 Jan 15, 2008 12:18 AM (in response to Risktk666)What is it that you need or want a website to do (or what customers and revenue do you fear you might be missing out on because you don't have one)? A website can achieve several different objectives, and choosing the right developer and solution depends on being clear about what your specific objectives are as a business (and then identifying how a website could enable that overall strategy).
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 15, 2008 12:41 PM (in response to Lighthouse24)Yes of course you need a website.
Any business without a website could be seen as incapable or unprofessional.
The $3000 dollar quote your recieved seems a little steep to me.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Risktk666 Jan 15, 2008 11:33 PM (in response to Risktk666)Thanks everyone for all your input. I will hold off a bit longer till I find a reliable abd effective website creator.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Iwrite Jan 16, 2008 9:14 AM (in response to Risktk666)No problem. What city are you in? The local advertising club can provide you with a list of contacts locally that you can work with closely. In the meantime, think about what you need and want your site to do. Write all of it down, and have it for whatever person you go with. If you need anymore help with what to look for, questions to ask and how to work with them. I am more than happy to help.
Also, ask the adverting club about photographers. Find a good photographer to shot your product. If they are too expensive, tell them so and ask them if they know of a young/new photographer who is trying to build his/her book that could do a good job. On smaller projects where cost has been an issue, I have done this and gotten great results.
Good luck.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 16, 2008 9:52 AM (in response to Risktk666)Finally, the company does not have to utilze there web site for ecommerce.
There website, can be used as a "Hometown Brochure".
This will cut costs for the implementation of website, and allow a more professional image.
Site would have hours of operation, address of location, a little about the owners, as well as some "Hometown" marketing techniques.
Outside of the stoor there is a sign "Visit us online @ www.hometown-market.com"
New customers and old, will hold the business a little higher on the scale then they might of before.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Lighthouse24 Jan 16, 2008 3:04 PM (in response to Risktk666)
Can't you see them circling, honey?
- Jimmy Buffett
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 16, 2008 4:02 PM (in response to Lighthouse24)Yes it is like this when any business or potential customer puts out on the wire that they "might" need a website.
You will be overwhelmed as the emails and responses come in drones and armies.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?cwgreen09 Jan 16, 2008 4:14 PM (in response to Lighthouse24)Now days a wen site isn't even a question.. it is a must. Even if you are well known in your town as a dependable and well liked place for people to buy jewelry from, it is just as important to entertain the viewer online that may not know much about you.
The web pages today are more powerful that the yellow pages at times. Would you ever tell a company that you think they shouldn't be in the yellow pages?
People not only do most of their shopping online, but now days even if it is a perishable item that you cannot ship, they want to know if you have what they are looking for before coming to your store. They want to know if you have it cheper than the other 10 stores in your town or what kinds of warranties you may offer.
Even if you don't plan to ship items and sell them online in a storefront, you shoudl have a site that displays some of your most valued items. It is a great way to allow your clients to get to know you an dfeel they are comfortable with your product. I know it sounds like a large lump of cash, but it is worth it - 3k is
a great deal if you find the best professionals that can give you the
look and the marketing strategy that you need. It isn't just a website.
In your case getting a web site is just as important as the yellow pages, putting a commercial on TV, or maybe even magazine ads. All in which you would also put your web site address on so people can find out about who you are, and why they should come to you. A great place to showcase an ad or a discount as well. You don't have to offer shipping of merchandise or online sales in order to NEED a web site, although, if you want to sell more think about the gift ideas that you may be able to make available to those persons out there that wih to have something sweet sent to a loved one. If you're not online and your competition is.. then you are just handing those sales away.
Have a great day.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Lighthouse24 Jan 16, 2008 5:59 PM (in response to cwgreen09)
cwgreen09, you wrote that people do most of their shopping online. They don't. Americans did about 6 percent of their shopping on-line in 2006. Only 3.8 percent of all jewelry sold in the U.S. in 2006 was sold on-line.
I've had both a jewelry store chain and two independent jewelers as clients. When they first added "showroom" websites (no on-line sales capabilities), there was no increase in sales. When they added the capability for customers to buy on-line, they each saw their sales increase just a little over 1 percent. That means the store in question here would have to be netting around $300K at present to make the proposed website the complete "no-brainer" that everyone seems to think it is.
I asked the questions I did in my initial post because in order to generate the revenue needed to pay for site development and maintenance, retail businesses have to add at least one marketing tactic that uses the site to capitalize on an opportunity that's currently being missed. I have little doubt that such an opportunity is there, but you can't just throw up a site and hope it pays off -- you have to build it around a specific tactic and target (or all it does it cost the business more money).
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?cwgreen09 Jan 16, 2008 11:42 PM (in response to Lighthouse24)Lighthouse, let me rephrase then....
Many people go online to research the items they want to buy and then decide if they want to order online or actually go to the store in which they found the best deal on, while they were online.
Like I said before, would you tell a company not to advertise in the yellow pages? Pretty much the same thing.. in fact, the yellow pages has a web site too.
Over all, many clietns will see the company as non established without a web site. If they have never come to your store before and search online and find what they are seeking at a good cost from your rival, you just handed them your sales.
I mean, we can have a test and let one person walk or drive around town all day looking for what they want while the 2nd person goes online for about an hour and finds the item if you want. Just a thought. If it were me, I'd want people to be able to find me in any and all ways they see fit - the bottom line is ... even if only 6% were buying from me online.. I'd like an extra 6% on sales each month , wouldn't you?
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Lighthouse24 Jan 17, 2008 1:23 AM (in response to cwgreen09)
I don't want the extra 6 percent in sales if it adds 8 percent to costs. That was my point -- just "having a website" doesn't automatically increase sales for this type of business. People can say it does, but data says it doesn't. So spending $3,000 (plus monthly hosting and maintenance fees) is not an imperative for every business (for that matter, neither is having a Yellow Pages listing). I'm not saying that either one of those is a bad thing or that risktk666 should not get a website -- only that the site should be developed around a strategy that guarantees it will bring in more revenue than it costs.
I'm not trying to be argumentative, by the way. My job is to advise business owners, and for some small businesses, $3K is a LOT of money -- the owners, their families, and their employees are going to do without things for awhile in order to pay for that website. It's a serious decision.
$3K is not a "great deal" if you're only talking about a "web presence" or a "more professional look." If this were a client of mine, $3K would only be a great deal if it created $5K+ in new sales the first year. Is anybody willing to step up and make that guarantee?
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?cwgreen09 Jan 17, 2008 7:45 AM (in response to Lighthouse24)I agree with you on the cost and return . I was only pointing out that they do need a web site.. not really that they need to spend 3k on one. The only way that I could see spending that much money on a site is if it was going to have a large return as well. See - we agree. :)
As far as the upkeep goes.. GoDaddy.com has GREAT deals on Hosting and your actual domain name is cheap to get. in fact for those of you that are ever curious about hosting and more GoDaddy helps by offering tracking and traffic stats so you can keep up with who an how many people have been visitng your site.
I think it is called traffic blazer.
They also help out a great deal with getting you recognized on all of the search engines. It was a great help for me. i didn't know that you had to go to each engine and tell them your URL so they will send a spider to your page to crawl it. Even after that some of the bigger engines like yahoo and google might not recognize your page for around 6 weeks.just a little info for those of you that are getting your first site and doing a lot of the work yourselves. With that kind of help you don't have to pay someone else to do it for you. Every little thing can help, so I think. I got 200 gigs of space ( more than enough space for 50 web sites ) from GoDaddy for just a few hundred dollars.
Of course I am having my site create by my employees since we eventually intend to offer that type of media as a service of ours.
Anyhow - yes... I agree with most of what you are saying.
Let's shake hands. :)
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Lighthouse24 Jan 17, 2008 3:53 PM (in response to cwgreen09)cwgreen09, thanks for taking the time to consider my point and respond. As I said, I wasn't trying to argue, but rather give business owners (and hopefully a few web devs) the overall business decision to consider. Thank you again (shaking hands!).
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?ThemedSEO Apr 8, 2009 5:38 AM (in response to cwgreen09)If your business in online based then website is manditory to achieve your goals.For other Offline business you can have websites it will be an added advantage for your business.The use of the website is you can have latest updates in your websites.you can optimiza your website to get more visitors to your website.we cant say 100 % it will lead to success but it mainly depends upon the effort you take to develop your website.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Iwrite Jan 17, 2008 9:56 AM (in response to Lighthouse24)Thank you for setting us straight on sales on the web.
Your point about 3k being a lot of money for some small businesses is an excellent one. It is one of the main reasons I tend not to work for small business. I believe in them, I think small and middle sized businesses are the backbone of this country. But I also think they are not in the position to take advantage of what a sound marketing and advertising strategy can do for them. That's why I like this forum, it is a place where thoughts and ideas can be exchanged. We can all learn and grow.
I don't think anyone in advertising can or should offer a guarantee on returns - they would be lying. I wish we could but there is no way to honestly say that we can deliver guarantee numbers. And anyone out there saying they can should be avoided. There are way too many variables.
I think we are missing your strategy point. Our research has found that most people are finding or coming to websites after being informed of the website through some off-line source. Most people know what company they are looking for before they get on the web. If this is even remotely true, then the strategy has to be one that creates awareness about the company's offering and the website. Not just the website. You have got to have a way to drive them to your website, SEO is great but what about in the car, at home, in the mall, at the salon or the barber shop? Optimize all of your marketing, make sure it is reaching folks where they are, not where you want them to be, and it says what you need it to say.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?Lighthouse24 Jan 17, 2008 3:48 PM (in response to Iwrite)Iwrite, yes -- that's it exactly! Thanks.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?PulsarSoft Jan 16, 2008 1:29 PM (in response to Risktk666)Hello, Risktk666
Please contact directly to my company and we will discuss website for your retail business and ways to make it successful.
First of all we need to define tasks of your website (how it will return money) and ways of promotion (taking into account you budget).
BG, Alexey
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?CEO Space Jan 16, 2008 1:39 PM (in response to Risktk666)Yes, these days, you must have a web site. Now whether or not you need to spend $3000 on it to start with, I don't know..
As a matter of fact, a friend of mine did a test for his program "how ugly web sites make money" to show how you can make money online and offline with an "ugly web site".
It was his business not mine, I just helped him with the test.
I would be willing to give you the information I have used and have no vested interest as I don't do that myself.
I'm not saying you should not use a professional web site designer. I would just show you what I've done
for little or no money.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?newmedia Jan 16, 2008 4:19 PM (in response to Risktk666)Your $3,000 rate seems a bit steep.
Shop around a little, are you looking at an e-commerce site or do you want a brochure style site?
I design the latter - hackworthdesign.com
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?intechspecial Jan 16, 2008 4:25 PM (in response to newmedia)Newsmedia ~
Nice design work on your site.
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?newmedia Jan 16, 2008 4:57 PM (in response to intechspecial)Thanks
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?vinod1978 Sep 16, 2009 12:47 AM (in response to Risktk666)Having a website is crucial. There is no doubt about it. Depending on what you want to include on your website you might spend $3,000 but I know quite a few companies that would be able to produce a site with e-commerce tools for around $1,000 (or even less).
A website is not used simply to draw people that are surfing online to you. A website is also used as supplemental information. Let me explain.
I own a video production and advertising company called Tonangi Media (http://www.tonangi.com). Most of my clients purchase 30 second TV ads.
There is only so much that you can tell a customer about your product or service in 30 seconds. Every single customer has placed their website address on their advertisement. This is so customers can go on the web and check out more information about their business.
When credit cards first started to become popular in the late 70s it was not necessary for all businesses to accept them. That has now changed. Very few businesses exist without accepting credit cards simply because this is one of the most popular forms of payment. This is now true for websites. If I saw an advertisement on television, on a bus, or a flyer and the business didn't list their URL I would not consider the business as credible. If I could not quickly "google it" and find out a website address, I wouldn't even consider placing an order - and this sentiment is shared with roughly 1/2 of the United States population.
If cost is your biggest issue you can create a website using tools on GoDaddy like Website Builder, or hundreds of other free or very cheap tools. Without knowing your specific needs it's impossible to tell you what you should budget but irregardless of what you do - in today's market you must have a website.
Vinod Tonangi
Tonangi Media
Video Production and Advertising for Small businesses
Re: Creating Website for Business success? or not?malena Sep 16, 2009 11:14 AM (in response to Risktk666)
G'day, Risktk666
Go to original post
Reply to original post
My question to the general public is concerning whether or not to establish a website for my businesses. Currently, I own 2 businesses both of which are in the same industry and are retail. The idea of a website has long been on my mind but I have always been discouraged because of excessive competition. The ideal website is running about 3k. Therefore, I am trying to decide if having a website will be just more trouble or be a fiancial success.


text: This has to be one of the most common fantasies among men. Just picture this, you're making out with your significant other, things are starting to get hot and heavy, and just before you, well, get down to business, you turn on a hot porn. It will get your juices flowing and it can inspire you to try some new, wild positions. Copy the pros and you'll bring your sex game to perfection. It's a neat trick, wouldn't you agree?


text:
Mueller team: What did Paul Manafort and Julian Assange discuss when he came to the embassy in London.
Ecuador: Paul Manafort? {{rifling through logbook}} Paul… Manafort. Nope. Could he have used another name? Pablo? Manoamano? {{staff giggles in background}}
Mueller team: He was the American. Casually dressed when he exited the embassy, wearing sandy-coloured chinos, a cardigan and a light-coloured shirt. Visited in March 2016. Stayed about {{checking video on iPhone}} 40 minutes.
Ecuador: {{crickets}}
Mueller team: Take your time.
Filed under: General | 6 Comments »