The customer service divide: Social Media Vs Telephone | Red ...

I had two experiences this year that has left me concerned about the ethical operations of companies and how they approach customer service. Mainly the type of customer service it seems you receive if you go by the proper channels, and that you receive when you go via a social media channels and start throwing your toys out of the pram.

I?ve not been one to get stung by bad customer service often to have to deal with it; it has mainly been something I have read about, rather than had a personal experience of. I understand there are genuine slip-ups; mistakes happen, things are overlooked or forgotten about. They shouldn?t happen, but they do, and businesses/employees learn by their mistakes.

Both of the following incidents were first dealt with by my girlfriend (who made the orders) using the telephone numbers for customer services, which then led to me complaining via Twitter about their failures, i.e., I started throwing my toys out of the pram.

I don?t want to make a habit of complaining about companies on Twitter, but it frustrates me seeing a company give poor customer service via telephone, and yet suddenly take action when I mention their shortcomings on Twitter. I know social media is a good leveraging tool when a company fails to provide customer service, though it shouldn?t have to be that way.

The Delivery Company

We had ordered some dog food and my girlfriend was at home until the reasonable hour of 4pm waiting for its delivery. Later she received an Email saying that they had tried to deliver but no one was at home. Fair enough, sods law, stay in all day nearly and then they (supposedly) attempt delivery ? no calling card was left, just an email. The problem was the email gave an incorrect 8 digit reference number made up completely of zeros. This was, as you can guess, not being accepted when entered into the automated telephone system or on their website.

With no direct easy way to get hold of the delivery company my girlfriend fired off an email to the dog food supplier. They reported that the delivery company said that one of the two parcels was ?stuck? (their words not mine) and the other one would be delivered the next day ? whilst no one was at home.

So I made my tweet complaining about the error, tagging the delivery company name, and sure enough I had a response asking for details. There was no way to directly communicate with anyone when my girlfriend called by phone, but here was another real human being willing to help out in some form just because I was making a statement on Twitter.

The Florist Company

The girlfriend had ordered flowers for a friend who had an operation soon after giving birth to a baby boy. Thankfully it wasn?t long till she was back home and my girlfriend thought some flowers as a surprise would be nice. We enquired with her partner if the flowers arrived after not hearing from her after a few days and sure enough they hadn?t been delivered.

When my girlfriend rang the company, they confirmed they had not been delivered, and offered her a complementary redelivery or a refund. When she enquired about the ?complementary redelivery? it turned out that they wouldn?t refund her and redeliver, but simply deliver the flowers late that she had paid for! So my girlfriend requested a refund after pointing out that the redelivery was not exactly complementary, and there was my second statement via Twitter of rubbish customer service.

This time I was given a URL by the flower delivery company?s Twitter profile to fill out a form. So I passed the details on even though my girlfriend had already organised a refund. For her troubles they called her and offered to deliver the flowers for free and got back to me on Twitter saying it had been resolved.
Here is what my girlfriend had to say when I forwarded the tweet to her:

?Ha ha that was quick. She was nice on the phone and are going to send flowers to [friend?s name] yay. That is what should have happened in first place though. Twitter complaining is weird.?

Customer service via social media

Yes, complaining on Twitter is weird. Surely a company should always try and do its best to resolve things before it gets to the stage of anyone complaining on Twitter to make things right. By telephoning customer services the issues should have been resolved in the first place.

It?s not like I have a big following of people on Twitter who are interested in flowers, but meanwhile my girlfriend works alongside many women in a NHS laboratory, the exact demographic that they would love to be targeting on social networks. Do they think my girlfriend is recommending their service after they forgot to deliver the flowers, and then offered to just deliver them late without a refund?

Why do companies have this divide between how they treat their customers on the phone and on social media? Having worked a number of years face-to-face in retail with customers, I believe companies should do their best every time so there are no second choices.

Maybe it?s a financial thing; don?t bend over backwards for all customers due to costs of compensating them? That?s a false economy in itself, especially when the business is in the wrong.

Pay attention to social media complaints

What happened about our dog food delivery? We ended up driving to the depot and demanding our box (which they had sat there) because no one rang back to follow-up what was happening ? even after speaking to a person on Twitter. I hazard a guess that they have a major customer service problem that can?t be fixed by social media alone.

Yes, it?s good that your company may be paying attention to social media channels for customer service issues, but it?s only as good as the customer service that you provide in the first place. You need to make sure that you have a system to follow-up that the issue is resolved so it does not slip through the cracks again.

Have you had poor customer service that was then resolved by social media channels? Please leave out using brand names to protect innocent employees who actually do a great job for their employers.

Source: http://www.redrocketmedia.co.uk/blog/the-customer-service-divide-social-media-vs-telephone/

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New cell phone mobile wallet service launches | SellCell.com Blog

Posted on October 25, 2012, 7:44 am, by Craig Timmins, under Cell Phone News.

Ever since smart phones first became a dominant player on the cell phone scene, there have been predictions that someday, in the not so distant future, these handheld devices would begin to double as mobile wallets, freeing people from the need to drag out credit cards or cash to complete a transaction.? There seems to be no doubt at this point that the mobile wallet concept will shortly become a reality, but there remain key questions about which system or service will finally triumph in the end.

A new contender has just entered the contest for mobile wallet dominance: Isis, which has become available to cell phone customers in two major cities: Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas.? So far, the service is available for those who have service with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.? To use Isis, cell phone customers need to obtain an Isis SIM card that will enable their phone to conduct near field communications transactions.? Such cards will not run on every phone in existence, however.? T-Mobile customers, for example, will need to have a Samsung phone in the Galaxy S3, Galaxy S2, or S Relay 4G lines.

Anyone who decides to get a new phone in order to use Isis should do the responsible thing with their existing handset and look for a cell phone buyback program.? This will provide them with a little bit of cash but more importantly it will ensure that their old cell phone gets properly recycled.

Written by: Craig Timmins on October 25, 2012.

Source: http://www.sellcell.com/blog/cell-phone-mobile-wallet-service-launches/

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Visualized: A sea of Surfaces

Visualized A sea of Surfaces

A wall of 100 of iPads at WWDC 2012? How about a sea of hundreds of Microsoft's Surface RT tablets and accessory keyboard covers standing under the hot lights?

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Visualized: A sea of Surfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/_VX73QT_Vgg/

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Syria agrees to holiday cease-fire ? with some caveats | WTVR.com ...

Syria Map See more photos in the gallery-->

By Salma Abdelaziz,?CNN

(CNN) ? The Syrian government says it will suspend military operations from Friday morning to Monday.

This comes after U.N.-Arab League special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi proposed a cease-fire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which last to Monday.

The government issued three caveats, however, in its announcement Thursday on Syrian state TV.

It reserves the right to respond to attacks by terrorists, including bombings, to respond to ?terrorists? trying to reinforce their positions, and to protect neighboring borders that ?terrorists? cross.

The announcement comes amid pessimism from rebels, who say that the government of President Bashar al-Assad continues to plow ahead with shelling and raids.

Opposition forces said government troops struck rebel targets in the war?s major hot spots, particularly in the most populous city of Aleppo. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported violence in Homs and Deir Ezzor.

At least 23 people died across the country Thursday amid fighting and shelling, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

?The regime is the one that is not willing to agree to cease-fire, and they have not stopped attacking civilians and they will not stop shelling in Eid,? said Abdualla Yasin, the rebel Free Syrian Army spokesman in Aleppo. They have betrayed us many times and they do not care if it is Eid or anything else, they will continue to kill.?

Eid al-Adha is a major holiday on the Muslim calendar. It is a joyous time of peace as the faithful celebrate the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The FSA?s Yasin said: ?Our goal is to end the war as soon as possible and end the pressure on civilians. We wish that families can spend Eid in peace and calm. But this regime will not give us any respite. The regime has a split personality. It thinks it is control of the country and the army and it is in control of neither and cannot enforce orders.?

The government touted several goodwill efforts Thursday leading up to its announcement that it will stop fighting.

State-run TV aired footage of men walking out from behind prison bars ? part of the government?s latest amnesty program for criminals, a commentator said.

The timing of the release is key. It comes a week after rebel fighters told Al Jazeera that they would agree to a proposed cease-fire only if the government released detainees, ended a siege in the city of Homs and stopped aerial attacks.

But the government amnesty isn?t sweeping. For example, it replaces the death penalty with a ?life sentence of hard labor or long imprisonment sentence, according to the crime,? state-run media reported.

As the move was announced, rebels reported strategic military advances in the city of Aleppo. They say rebels haven?t yet gained control of the entire city but have a lot of momentum.

Yasin said the rebels took control of three Kurdish neighborhoods, overran others in the west, and made strides in other regions. He reported deaths and injuries of government troops.

?We have liberated a large area of western Aleppo? Yasin said. ?We already had gains in the north, south, east and west,? he said.

He singled out the Kurdish community for permitting the presence of rebels in their neighborhoods. Much of the opposition is Sunni Arab and rebels are heartened by support from all groups in the diverse society.

?We were welcomed by the Kurds because people believe the FSA will liberate Syria,? Yasin said. ?Every small gain brings us closer to victory. The FSA was also happy to unite another facet of Syrian society under the FSA umbrella.?

A cease-fire in April barely lasted a day before bodies started falling again. In total, more than 32,000 Syrians have died since the conflict began in March 2011, opposition activists say.

A spokesman for the Syrian National Council, an opposition coalition, has doubted the government?s sincerity.

?Based on our long experience in dealing with Assad(?s) barbaric regime, we know that the Syrian government is just buying time and playing on words,? said George Sabra, spokesman for the Syrian National Council, which speaks for rebels fighting al-Assad.

?The whole world knows that the Syrian regime cannot be trusted and doesn?t have any credibility in fulfilling any promise that they make to anyone,? said Sabra, who is based in Paris. ?The crisis is too complicated in Syria, and the Assad regime is trying a diversion.?

It?s foolish to expect a total cease-fire, said Aram Nerguizian, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. A cease-fire in this context is about a larger goal of getting most rebel brigades and al-Assad forces to temporarily stop or reduce the killing.

But the rebels themselves are partly to blame for this spring?s cease-fire failing, analyst Nerguizian said. They are disorganized and have been just as vicious in their killing as al-Assad?s forces.

Getting them on the same page and having them resist the urge to fight, he said, is unrealistic.

In Geneva, Switzerland, members of the U.N. commission investigating war crimes in Syria told reporters Thursday they want to meet with al-Assad and discuss access to Syria for the team.

?We decided to send a letter to President al-Assad calling for a meeting,? said Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

?We are not specifying the access for the commission, but we thought that taking into consideration the seriousness of the situation, we think that it would be very important that he could receive us and, of course, we expect that he will receive us in Damascus,? Pinheiro told reporters inside the U.N. building in Geneva.?

Carla del Ponte, once prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, is now part of the commission. Noted for her investigation of war crimes in the Balkans in the 1990s, she cited similarities with past probes.

?The similarity is, of course, we are handling the same crimes, crimes against humanity and war crimes for sure,? she said.

CNN?s Ashley Fantz, Holly Yan, Hamdi Alkhshali and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

Source: http://wtvr.com/2012/10/25/syria-agrees-to-holiday-cease-fire-with-some-caveats/

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US Girls: GEM - PopMatters

The Singer, Not the Song

Sometimes, you can have the most banal memories. Case in point, I recall an hour-long drive home from a nearby small city to my small town as a teenager, riding shotgun in the passenger seat as my mother navigated the driving. It must have been late fall or winter, as I recall that we were driving home in the dark although it was still early evening. We had probably just gone on a shopping excursion, to get clothes and, in my case, CDs that you couldn?t get in our small Ontario town. About 15 minutes into the drive, my mother suddenly asked me a question out of the blue: ?Do you know who sings this?? And then she broke into song ? singing the chorus of what was ?Down in the Boondocks?, a song she must have remembered from her childhood. To my bafflement, I didn?t know who sung it, let alone what got my mother to burst into song ? I don?t think she was much of a singer in my household, aside from singing lullabies to me as a small child. This bothered me a little bit, enough for me to remember this fleeting memory, as, even in my early teens, I was a walking encyclopedia when it came to who sung what in the pop cultural pantheon. I knew everything, or thought I did. As it turns out, even now, I wasn?t sure who sung ?Down in the Boondocks?. I had to look it up and see that it was a 1965 hit by Billy Joe Royal, written by the recently departed Joe South (R.I.P.).

It?s kind of funny that I don?t remember who sung ?Down in the Boondocks?, as it is, indeed, something of an anonymous song ? something that seems to belong to pop culture as a whole than any one individual. So, yes, this brings us to Megan Remy, who records and performs under the moniker U.S. Girls, who has, on this latest release, covered ?Down in the Boondocks?. It?s something of an apt choice on an album that marries ?60s pop ? particularly girl group pop ? with ?70s glam rock and experimental abstraction, and it comes off as affectionate homage ? it?s a shimmery and watery take on the song, and, in Remy?s and producer Slim Twig?s hands, doesn?t stray too far from the original. Still, Remy puts her indelible stamp on the song, singing from a masculine perspective ? something that oddly works, but perhaps that to be expected from an artist who is probably best known to this point for covering Bruce Springsteen. The U.S. Girls take on ?Down in the Boondocks? is something to get excited about on a record that has almost a multiple personality disorder ? it wants to be engaging and warm, and excite the listener with all sorts of sounds from pop?s past, as much as it is a garish piece of nightmarish art, that keeps one pushed back. There?s a lot to be happening for sure on an album that?s roughly only a half-hour long.

This dual polarity is evident on the opening track, in fact ? the five-and-a-half minute ?Another Color? ? which opens with a music box piece of jagged sound that careens for an experimental minute and half before giving way to the simmering melody of the proper song. Here, and elsewhere, Remy happens to sound a lot like the Pretenders? Chrissie Hynde if she magically crossed paths with Cyndi Lauper. ?Another Color? is a song of longing, with Remy repeating, almost to a fault, ?I wait, I wait for you?, and the song is built in its final minute of a repetitive riff that is, while engaging, a bit on the hammered-into-one?s-head side. This act is followed up with ?Work from Home?, which features a keyboard/organ that is so creaky that it could have come out of a Universal horror movie of the ?30s. (There?s probably a reason why this album is being released a week prior to Halloween.) Here, Remy revels in her girl group persona, bringing forth a taunt, stretched out tease of a song that offers all sorts of different doorways into a shape-shifting melody that is undeniably pop, making it something of the album?s standout track, alongside that Billy Joe Royal cover. But not far behind is a take on Brock Robinson?s Jack the Ripper-inspired ?Jack?, with its chorus ?You dress the way you do?. It?s almost as though Remy is more comfortable expressing herself from the masculine perspective at times, and does so to inhabit all sorts of unsavory, low life characters, exploring the flaws in maleness as a whole. Elsewhere, ?Slim Baby? appears to be a shout-out to her producer?s chair partner and current touring mate. The song sounds so Bolan-esque, it simmers and seethes with all sorts of swarmy come-ons that you can?t look away.

However, GEM is something of a rough one, for with every couple of engaging and captivating song comes a track that feels a little flat ? experimental for the sake of experiment?s sake. The two-minute sound collage ?Curves?, which follows ?Down in the Boondocks?, stops the album dead cold, and you?d be forgiven for not thinking that there was another song after this one. And ?He Who? is just an instrumental piano piece against a drum machine beat that is suitably brooding and menacing, but doesn?t really go anywhere except to pad out an already short album. There?s the wonder that GEM might have been better served as being an EP, with all of the debris excised, making it something of a wonderful pure pop statement. Remy has the swagger. It seems rather baffling that someone would spend some deal of time being inaccessible, when, in fact, the pop moments prove that she does, indeed, have something of great value to offer ? a gem of a voice and a keening sense of glamour. All in all, there?s a lot to recommend with GEM, making it more a work in progress of the artist at large. In any event, I can say something with a great deal of certainty. Next time I go riding with my mother , and she starts out into song and asks me who sings ?Down in the Boondocks?, I now know the answer. It?s U.S. Girls.

Source: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/164257-u.s.-girls-gem/

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Payroll-Accounts Payable Assistant ? Rivier University (Nashua, NH)

This is a syndicated post from CatholicJobs.com. [Read the original article...]

PAYROLL-ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ASSISTANT
Education: University/College, FT Employee
Rivier University (Nashua, NH)

PAYROLL/ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ASSISTANT
BUSINESS OFFICE
(40 hours per week, from mid-August through mid-June, with the possibility of becoming a 12 month position)

OBJECTIVE: Provide back up to Payroll Manager and Accounts Payable Specialist. Support business office functions and assist in special projects.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Payroll function
? Compile, verify, clarify and compute complex payroll having numerous pay codes and deductions.
? Review, code, and input timesheet data with a high degree of accuracy into internal payroll module.
? Modify and enter pay for rate changes, deduction changes, new hires, and terminations.
? Calculate wages, overtime, and deductions to ensure accuracy of system generated payroll for compliance with internal policies and procedures, federal and state laws.
? Assist in maintaining the employee database.
? Research and resolve payroll-related problems and issues as assigned.
? Help maintain a high rate of employee satisfaction through professional quality service.
? Maintain a current status in processing payroll for adjuncts, faculty, staff and work study students; Serve as backup to Payroll manager
? Related duties as assigned

Accounts payable function
? Process incoming invoices for payment & route for final approval.
? Enter data on approved invoices into Great Plains A/P system
? Maintain University purchase requisition system; pay invoices from A/P system; disburse checks
? Investigate and resolve various problems related to billings, referring unusual problems to supervisor.
? Help maintain a high rate of employee, vendor and student satisfaction through professional quality service.
? Serve as backup to AP Specialist.
? Related duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:
? Minimum bachelor?s degree in accounting with three to five years of hands on payroll experience in complex internal payroll systems preferably using Great Plains software.
? Requires excellent attendance, a high degree of accuracy with attention to detail, the ability to meet deadlines, and good problem solving skills.
? Ability to analyze payroll processing to verify accuracy and completeness of software calculations and reports.
? Ability to maintain sensitive and confidential information.
? Ability to work independently and coordinate tasks between several departments
? Current on IRS, state, and federal regulations as they relate to payroll.
? The ability and willingness to support the mission of the University, in all daily activities.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Submit a cover letter stating pay expectations, resume and the names and contact information for 3 professional references to: Human Resources, RIVIER UNIVERSITY, 420 South Main Street, Nashua, NH 03060, or email to [email?protected] No agencies please. EOE (8)


Source: http://www.dfwcatholic.org/payroll-accounts-payable-assistant-rivier-university-nashua-nh-55440/.html

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Muschamp has personal knowledge of Georgia-Florida rivalry

Florida coach Will Muschamnp celebrates after Florida defeated South Carolina 44-11 in Saturday's college football game in Gainesville.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO / PHIL SANDLIN

Published: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 4:35 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 22, 2012 at 4:35 p.m.

GAINESVILLE - Will Muschamp is familiar with the Florida vs. Georgia tradition, having played at UGA from 1991-94 and also facing Georgia numerous times as an assistant coach and then last year in his first year as the Florida head coach. He understands how intense rivalries are.

?I've never walked into a game liking somebody,? Muschamp said at his Monday news conference. ?You want to win, right??

While at Auburn (1995-96 as a graduate assistant; 2006-07 as defensive coordinator), Muschamp had a 1-3 record against the Bulldogs and as the defensive coordinator at LSU he was 1-1 against the Dawgs.

And last season, Georgia pulled out a 24-20 win, as the Gators gave up two touchdowns on fourth down.

?We felt like it was a game we let slip away last year,? Muschamp said. ?We have our work cut out for us again.?

While Georgia has won the last two meetings, UF has won seven of the last 10.

?We're looking to try and get on another run,? Muschamp said.

Florida would win the SEC Eastern Division title by defeating Georgia on Saturday.

?We understand what is at stake. Nothing has changed for us, we're not working any longer or harder,? Muschamp said. ?The situation doesn't change anything.?

Notes: Muschamp credits the turnover margin as one of the keys to Florida's turnaround this month. Last October, UF went 0-4. UF is plus-11 in turnover margin (15 takeaways, four giveaways).

Cornerback Cody Riggs and offensive tackle Matt Patchan are still out injured. Wide receiver Latroy Pittman (ankle) is expected at practice today, while defensive lineman Damien Jacobs (leg) may return to workouts Tuesday, according to Muschamp.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121022/article/121029901

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Mayor Bloomberg Launches Competition to Install Free Fiber Cable Wiring

Mayor Bloomberg today announced the launch of ConnectNYC, an innovative City-sponsored competition to encourage growing commercial and industrial businesses in New York City to apply for free fiber cable wiring and to ensure the City continues to establish itself as a leader in connectivity and innovation. The competition ? one of a suite of initiatives originally announced by Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel in June ? is designed to assist small or medium-sized businesses in unwired or underwired buildings by providing an opportunity for free, fast-track wiring.

Beginning today, companies can apply through a competitive process being led by the City?s Economic Development Corporation. Awards will be given to companies based on a set of evaluation criteria, including how additional connectivity will help them grow their businesses, the potential to improve broadband infrastructure in underserved areas, and the business? proximity to other applicants. Once the winning businesses are selected, Time Warner Cable Business Class and Cablevision, which have partnered with the City on this initiative, will commence free fiber build-out, with over 100 businesses expected to be fiber wired in the first year of the program. By the end of the second year of the program the total number of businesses is expected to reach 240. The application process for ConnectNYC officially begins today and will be open through November 27th, 2012. Winning companies are expected to be announced in early 2013.

?In today?s world, broadband is a vital piece of infrastructure, and we need to make sure New York City?s wiring is competitive with other cities,? said Mayor Bloomberg. ?Expanding broadband across the city is part of our strategy to make New York City a great place to do business and create jobs.?

?In the 21st century and beyond, a robust broadband infrastructure will be critical to the success of businesses across all sectors of our City?s economy,? said Deputy Mayor Steel. ?This competition is an important first step in achieving our goals for increased connectivity, providing hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses with free fiber wiring that will allow them to grow and thrive.?

?In recent years, New York City has emerged as a global hub of technology and innovation,? said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky. ?The launch of the ConnectNYC competition is the next important step in our efforts to build upon this momentum, expanding broadband connectivity across the City and ensuring that our broadband infrastructure meets the needs of our businesses throughout the 21st Century.?

?Getting more New York City businesses access to high-speed broadband will have a major impact on their ability to be competitive and ultimately succeed in today?s marketplace,? said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. ?Every business deserves a level playing field so I?m especially excited that at least a quarter of the overall award value will be granted to businesses located in Industrial Business Zones, areas currently underserved by high-speed broadband. I thank Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Steel for working with the City Council to address the needs of those most affected by these issues and taking even more concrete steps toward our goal of making New York City the tech capital of the world.?

?The telecommunications needs of the small business community are great, especially in the outer boroughs and the City?s industrial areas,? said Council Member Diana Reyna, Chair of the Committee on Small Business. ?I am encouraged by the commitments made in the ConnectNYC program and by the Mayor to address these serious concerns. This investment will hopefully help our industrial sector in remaining competitive and viable in our ever modernizing economy.?

?ConnectNYC is yet another example of New York?s commitment to expand broadband infrastructure, help local businesses, and keep our city at the forefront of the world?s technology sector,? said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. ?We learned that fast, free and low cost fiber does not exist in many of the commercial and manufacturing areas when the City Council with the Broadband Advisory Committee held hearings on broadband connectivity in all five boroughs. I applaud the Mayor for this initiative, and thank Time Warner and Cablevision for their investment in the city?s future.?

ConnectNYC is being led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and ChallengePost, a New York City startup that enables competitive public problem-solving. The goal of the competition is to capitalize on New York City?s existing advantages in connectivity and innovation, while also addressing long-term challenges facing the City and the nation in this area. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees in all five boroughs and across all industries are eligible to apply on www.NYC.gov or by calling 311.

Applications can be submitted by individual businesses only, and will be evaluated on proximity to areas currently underserved by broadband infrastructure; proximity to other applying businesses in order to encourage clustering and efficiency in broadband installation; and the anticipated impact of having broadband access on business operations. As part of the application process, applicants must obtain a signed letter of consent from their landlord at the time of submission. Once selections have been made, businesses chosen to participate will be required to sign a one-year service contract with a participating Internet Service Provider at negotiated market rates prior to being eligible to receive fiber build-out. The partnering Internet Service Providers - Time Warner Cable Business Class and Cablevision - will then begin fiber wiring over 100 winning businesses, continuing on their previous commitments to deploy fiber optics to areas across New York City as part of their recent cable television franchise renewals. The value of the total fiber wiring being provided by Time Warner Cable Business Class and Cablevision during the full two year program will equal $12 million and will reach approximately 240 businesses. In order to ensure the competition serves businesses across all sectors, a minimum of 25% of the overall award value will be granted to businesses located in Industrial Business Zones.

?We are excited to partner with Mayor Bloomberg?s Administration to launch ConnectNYC, as we agree that building out the city?s fiber infrastructure is vital to attracting new jobs and businesses,? said Ken Fitzpatrick, President of Time Warner Cable Business Class, East Region. ?We?re on track to invest $25 million to bring fiber to the City?s business communities and, through ConnectNYC, will invest an additional $10 million.?

?Cablevision, through Optimum Business and Optimum Lightpath, is committed to providing the local business community with the service and reliability they need in order to thrive in today?s marketplace,? said Gemma Toner, Senior Vice President, Broadband Product Management, Cablevision. ?We are pleased to participate in this important initiative with Mayor Bloomberg?s office to help ensure that New York City remains a great place to start a business.?

"A lot of companies believe strongly that new thriving business districts could evolve if there were even greater high-speed fiber broadband access in these areas," said Brandon Kessler, CEO of ChallengePost. "We're excited to power this competition to move the needle in that direction."

Thanks to rapid growth in New York City?s technology sector, as well as a number of groundbreaking City-sponsored initiatives, including Applied Sciences NYC, New York has recently gained universally-recognized momentum in technology and innovation. However, despite these advantages, there remain challenges in this area that must be addressed in order to maintain this momentum and ensure a global leadership position for the future. These specific challenges fall into three separate categories, including:

  • The ?Last Mile,? in which broadband infrastructure exists within the streets and the avenues but is not connected to buildings where businesses can utilize them, particularly within a number of emerging high-tech neighborhoods across the City;
  • ?Digital Deserts,? in which there are underserved pockets in industrial and manufacturing neighborhoods that lack broadband infrastructure in the surrounding streets; and
  • The ?Digital Divide,? a national problem, which persists in the City with low-adoption rates for broadband connectivity within low-income communities.

ConnectNYC seeks to address these challenges by creating a way to accelerate fiber infrastructure build-out in areas of the City that otherwise may have taken longer, and efficiently bringing together commercial and industrial business demand for fiber broadband connectivity.

In addition to ConnectNYC, the City?s suite of larger broadband initiatives features a variety of other innovative programs that will be implemented over the course of the next several months. These include: WiredNYC, a building certification program that will evaluate the broadband infrastructure of New York City buildings in order to encourage and accelerate deployment of leading broadband technologies; NYC Broadband Connect Map, a crowd-sourced, dynamic website in which businesses can learn about connectivity availability and capabilities in a given building or neighborhood; Broadband Express, an initiative led by Deputy Mayor Steel in partnership with the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and the NYC Department of Transportation, designed to simplify operational issues as well as regulatory hurdles for Internet Service Providers (ISPs); and CitizenConnect, a competition to be led by NYCEDC and DoITT - in partnership with Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), Human Resources Administration (HRA), and the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) - to develop mobile applications that will help City residents access workforce development opportunities, jobs listings and worker support programs such as childcare, healthcare and transportation.

?ConnectNYC is the latest in a bevy of initiatives as part of New York City?s march to a high-speed future,? said Stanley Shor, DoITT?s Assistant Commissioner for Franchise Administration. ?We?re pleased that DoITT?s efforts in negotiating new fiber deployments to underserved areas have resulted in this innovative competition, which will bring state-of-the-art technology to more than 200 businesses across the five boroughs.?

?Connecting more and more New Yorkers to high-speed internet access is the foundation of Mayor Bloomberg's digital roadmap and a priority for the City of New York,? said Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot. ?We understand that a connected city is a thriving city. Wiring 240 businesses free of charge through ConnectNYC will increase productivity, enable industry growth and create more jobs across the five boroughs.?

?The Department of Youth and Community Development is committed to meeting New York City?s youth and families where they are,? said DYCD Commissioner Jeanne B. Mullgrav. ?To keep up with today?s tech-savvy young people, that has meant stepping up our presence in social media and other online resources. I am delighted to join my City agency partners to continue to find innovative ways to connect New Yorkers to services and new opportunities.?

Source: http://www.mikebloomberg.com/index.cfm?objectid=7A7EFE79-C29C-7CA2-FB1B9C9AAAC3F7ED

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Colombia's VP says has prostate cancer, will need chemotherapy

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colombias-vp-says-prostate-cancer-chemotherapy-130919264.html

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Tovey: South Africa can win Nations Cup

CAF Africa Cup of Nations-winning captain Neil Tovey believes South Africa can use home advantage to conquer the continent again in the 2013 tournament.

Bafana Bafana (The Boys) are ranked only 19 in Africa and owe a place among the top seeds to being hosts of the three-week championship that kicks off in January at the 90,000-seat Soccer City stadium in Soweto.

But the man who led his country to glory when they hosted the 1996 tournament says getting off to a good start is much more important than where a team is ranked.

Debutants South Africa walloped Cameroon 3-0 in the tournament opener 16 years ago and Tovey said it was a huge boost for a side that went on to defeat Tunisia 2-0 in a final watched by then-president Nelson Mandela.

"Outplaying Cameroon set the tone for the tournament and gave us breathing space because we were in a difficult group with Angola and Egypt," he told AFP ahead of the first round draw Wednesday in Indian Ocean city Durban.

"Getting those three points in the opening match meant we had an escape route if things went wrong in another group game. Luckily, we also beat the Angolans and qualified before losing to the Egyptians.

"Playing at home can be a tremendous advantage and everyone rallied behind the team 16 years ago, driving us on to some great victories and the trophy," recalled Tovey. "South Africa could go all the way again."

He rates the other three top seeds - defending champions Zambia, 2013 title favourites?C?te d'Ivoire and four-time winners Ghana - and second seeds Nigeria among the favourites with Angola and Morocco dark horses.

Nigeria praised
Tovey raves about Nigeria, a country that has finished among the top three 13 times in 16 Cup of Nations appearances, but failed to even make the finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea this year.

"They possess an abundance of talent and my good friend Stephen Keshi is settling down nicely as coach and getting them well organised. He has so many good footballers to choose from.

"However, Nigerian teams sometimes shoot themselves in the foot. They can be their own worst enemies. I do not see that occuring under Keshi, but they must learn from previous mistakes."

Nigeria have been a hoodoo team for South Africa, whose recently appointed coach Gordon Igesund has confessed he is desperate to dodge the Super Eagles in the mini-league first stage.

Keshi is another former Africa Cup-winning skipper, raising the trophy in 1994 after a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph over Zambia, and exudes confidence ahead of the draw at the Durban International Convention Centre.

"I have said it to a lot of people and will say it again that I am not afraid of any team. You do not win a championship by being afraid of your opponents and that is the spirit I am taking to the draw.

"Let them bring on any team and the 'Super Eagles' will give their all. We have a team that all opponents - not just those in Africa - should be afraid of," Keshi told the Nigerian media.

The 2013 line-up includes 10 Africa Cup-winning nations in Zambia, Algeria, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Ghana, C?te d'Ivoire, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia.

Mali have been runners-up, Burkina Faso semi-finalists, Angola quarter-finalists, Niger and Togo have never gone beyond the first round, and Cape Verde Islands are competing for the first time.

Cape Verde eliminated four-time champions Cameroon 3-2 overall and record seven-time winners Egypt are other notable absentees from the 2013 Cup of Nations, falling in the first round to Central African Republic.

The reason for Cup of Nations tournaments in consecutive years is CAF is switching to uneven-number years for the tournament for the first time since 1965 to avoid every second edition being played the same year as a FIFA World Cup?.

Source: http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=1790079.html?cid=rssfeed&att=

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