Site Redesign – We are currently undergoing a complete site overhaul and design for the launch of our new website. We will be working hard to help give commenters better access to the system by allowing their comments to hit the site without going through as much moderation in order for some features that require fast responses. Users will also be able to moderate each other comments and report possible violations as well.

More Features – Along with the paid writer’s section we will be adding another feature to the site which will be one of the main cores to the site which will allow people to help each other in a unique way and also earn money in the process. Users that are also part of the paid writer’s section will earn a higher amount than regular users as well.

Launch Date – We are aiming for a January 2010 launch of the official new website.

Feedback & Suggestions – If you would like to suggest a feature for the new website for us to consider please either leave a comment below or contact us directly. We are also open to any feedback as well.

Working in construction or having a job that requires physical labor is though and it can be equally tough on your clothes. No one wants to have to spend a lot of money every month or so on new clothes because their work clothes wear out. Luckily, you can find name brands like Carhartt and Dickies online and for reasonable prices.

When it comes to construction gear, work gloves are absolutely necessary and actually work gloves are really great for things like making snow balls in the winter time. Cotton gloves tend to get wet when you’re trying to make snow balls and when your hands are wet, you aren’t happy.

Overalls are something else that may not be absolutely crucial, but they are a big part of work clothing for some areas. Overalls can be handy to keep your pants up (are you paying attention, plumbers? This could help you guys get rid of the stereotype and you can look a bit more like Mario).

At the Construction Gear website, you can find all of the great brands that you have come to know and enjoy for their quality. You can also find pretty good prices and every single item that you may have wanted or needed for your work attire (unless you’re in an office, then you probably don’t want to be wearing work boots and overalls…You won’t find Seersucker here).

Where have you found work in the recession?

Question:

Sure, this question really only pertains to those who have been laid off or have had to try to find work since unemployment started to skyrocket, but if you have found work, where did you find it?

Answer:

I found work at a department store, but thanks to some creative talking on the part of the manager, it really turned out to be a job that wasn’t even remotely for me (in the interview I told her that I wanted to work in corporate marketing, I really wanted to work in brand marketing, and she said that in a year or so that I would be able to be promoted. Well, when I was finally out working on the floor, I started talking to another employee who graduated with a marketing degree in 2007 from the same college I went to and she was making $1 less an hour and had been working in the store for almost 2 years).

Other than that, I’ve been working full time on this website and some marketing work for it. I have been trying to learn about internet marketing, which is completely and totally different than marketing we learned about in school. From what I’ve read about internet marketing, it’s all about skirting the rules as opposed to “college” marketing which is about product research and quality marketing and mind share. It’s just so different.

What you can learn from this booklet

Eight Tips for Effective Brand Positioning
Online Tools that Build the Brand Power of Your Business
Use Promotional Products to Enhance Your Brand and Build your Bottom Line
Turn Pennies into Profit with Affordable Promotional Products
Cartoon Logos, Mascots, Grab Attention and Build Your Brand
The Top Ten Internet Brands: Learn from their Success Strategies
Differentiate Your Business and Rise Above the Competition
Compelling Design + Smart Placement = Successful Banner Ad Strategy
Creative Networking and Brand Building with Business Cards
Use Guerrilla Marketing Tactics to Make Your Small Business Perform Like a Giant
Join the Network! Using Social Websites to Build a Powerful Brand
Building a Buzz with Word of Mouth Marketing
BONUS: Effective Logo Design
Brand Your Way To Success

Being anywhere in the world outside the United States does not mean that you have to go without comparison shopping. There are sites for those in Australia that not only can you, as a shopper, compare prices on things like laptops and shoes, but as an advertiser, you can use pay per click advertising as a way to get more sales through the site.

MyShopping.Com.AU is a site where you can do any of these things. Comparison shopping will always be important to the thrifty consumer. I’m sure that there are plenty of people in Australia who would like to know where to get the best deals on items in their own country. Websites like the one linked provides the right kind of opportunities for shoppers to not only save time, but money to find items that they are looking for when they go shopping.

In the United States a comparable site would likely be something like MySimon. You know, I don’t even know if my simon is still around, but if it is, that is the site that would compare. I enjoy using a single website to find all the information I’m looking for in one place. The worst parts of sites like Shop.com is the spam and just junk that I usually find. I wish there were a way to avoid that.

The information given can help you decide whether the salary you’ve been offered for a job is worth the extra cost of living. For example:

I currently live in Oxford, MS
The Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $177,490

If I wanted to move to Alpharetta, GA (Suburb of Atlanta):
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $339,091

Obviously, that is a huge difference, so I would have to be compensated substantially more than I would in Oxford to live there.

I find this website to be a great resource in finding a job as well as trying to find a suburb to relocate to. If you have never found it, I hope it can help you find the right place.

City-Data.com

Citi execs obviously got the message about their “unacceptable” purchase and released a statement saying they would not accept delivery of any jet.

Now if we could get full disclosure on all the money being dealt out by the government…I’m not asking for full press releases every time a dollar is spent, but what about a little website that says where my money is going? That’s all….

One of the ads features a man clinging to steel beams. It looks like if he lets go, he will plummet to his death, and he knows it. However, when the camera backs out a bit, you see he’s only a few feet off the ground.

That ad would be more funny, to me and possibly to others, if right now people had the opportunity to change where they wanted to work or the field they wanted to work in. Construction is one of the fields that is hemorrhaging jobs right now too.

The video can be seen here

Amazon.com has a program called Mechanical Turk where you can go and perform a simple task for a little bit of pocket change. Belkin Business Development Representative Michael Bayard was just caught paying people on the website to give 5 out of 5 ratings for routers and other equipment that had dismal ratings in the past.

This is just the reason why some reviews can’t be trusted and it’s always better to be more critical than just read the happy/good reviews.

Source: Exclusive: Belkin’s Development Rep is Hiring People to Write Fake Positive Amazon Reviews

The phone will be offered on Sprint at first, but a GSM model will be coming out in the future.

This is from the Sprint website:

Wait, What?

I know, I know, Joe the Journalist does have a ring to it, but not quite the same as the plumber nickname.

He’s headed off to Isreal to cover the war that is going on between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

So I suppose this means all the journalistic integrity and professionalism that is taught by professors across the country has gone out the door. I’m more qualified to be write for the news than this guy, at least I’m actually in communications and have an emphasis in broadcast.

Source

I have to say, though, I don’t quite understand the appeal of Twitter. Around the internet people are saying that they use Twitter to “network” and it’s “like an instant messaging/Myspace.” But, with Myspace and Facebook both having update boxes now where you can keep “tabs” on your friends, Twitter seems obsolete.

So my question is, do you use it? If so, why?

Friday night Chris and his parents go to Wal-Mart to return the Playstation 3 he got for Christmas. His mom was assured when she bought it that it had a 90 day return policy, opened or not. I called the store before we went and I was told 15 days. After deciding what I was told was a load of hooey, they went to customer service anyway. There they were told 30 days and she was 6 days out, right AFTER Christmas. This is from their website:

As an added convenience for customers, Wal-Mart has adjusted its return policy for the holiday gift buying season for items that have a limited return/exchange period (15 days, 30 days, etc.). For these items purchased between Nov. 15 and Dec. 25, the limited return period will begin Dec. 26. This includes items such as TVs, cameras, computers, DVD and music players which can have a 15-30 day return period.

Their original return policy (not during the holiday season):

All merchandise purchased from Walmart.com may be returned either to a store or by mail within 90 days, unless otherwise noted below:
ELECTRONICS

* Computer hardware: Must be returned with any included software within 15 days of receipt.
* Computer components and computer accessories: Must be returned within 45 days of receipt.
* Computer software: Must be returned unopened.
* Camcorders and digital cameras: Must be returned within 30 days of receipt.
* GPS units, digital music players and portable video players: Must be returned within 15 days of receipt.

Wal-Mart ended up accepting the Playstation 3 return. Probably because they were called out on their “discretionary” return policy.

So far 10,000 websites have been compromised since the flaw was discovered and the number is growing.

Microsoft officials haven’t released a statement telling IE users to switch at this time. They say they are working on a fix for the problem.

“Security pros fear that the attack will soon spread beyond the theft of gaming passwords and into more criminal arenas, as the malicious code can be placed on any website and can be adapted to steal any password stored or entered using the browser,” says Christopher Null: The Working Guy on Yahoo! Tech

People need to switch from Internet Explorer as soon as possible to avoid this risk. Some of the choices are Mozilla’s Firefox, Opera, Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome.

The deals during tomorrow’s “cyber Monday” events are mediocre at best. With websites like SlickDeals.net it is easy to find deals on items any time of the year. You can even find coupon codes for online retailers to add to your purchases.

Amazon.com has specials daily, and this cyber Monday is just another day of deals; it always has free shipping for orders over $25.

If you are purchasing an item tomorrow (or anytime), you can check to see how good of a deal you’re getting by using websites such as PriceProtectr.com.

So, just check your purchases before you click the checkout button to make sure you’re getting a “good deal” and not just buying “spur of the moment” style.

Wal-Mart will also be accepting ads from competitors…even door busters. Looks like this year Wal-Mart is really trying to kill the competition, literally…this holiday season is a big deal (and a make or break quarter) for a lot of retailers.

Here’s a few sites I have come across in the past (and still use) to find great deals before and after (and during) Black Friday.

SlickDeals.net – Forums and front page deals make this site an everyday go-to for me if I’m looking for a “slick deal” on something.

Woot.com – Woot puts an item up every day at 12:00 am central time every day. It runs until 11:59 pm or until it sells out. Sometimes they do a “wootoff” where items that did not sell out, or small items, are sold until they sell out.

Consumerist.com – Offers “deals of the day” as well as helpful consumer related advice.

Bfads.net – This site has “leaked” Black Friday ads so you can plan ahead of time which stores you want to hit.

MGM will begin by offering the old school American Gladiators, the kind they show on ESPN classic. Eventually they will offer more popular shows and movies.

This is a good option, but if you miss a favorite tV show, or you DVR “forgets” to record it, many times they are offered on the network’s website.

Try InTrade! InTrade is a website where you can basically “bet” or “invest” in future events. Returns are based on how likely the event is to happen, as well as how soon.

For example, Friday for every $86 you “invested” on Obama winning the presidency you would get $100 if he won. McCain was around $13.

Now, I will not participate or condone gambling on current events, but it is pretty fun to read about and watch!

Recently, I went searching for open positions related to my field of study (marketing and communications) for when I graduate in May. Even when searching through the countless positions on websites like Monster.com, most positions for my major requires years of prior experience. I also visited a college career fair, and most of the companies were not looking for business graduates, but were more interested in pharmacists. Unfortunately, four or five years of sitting through endless lectures and classes devoted to the very position they are seeking does not count toward any experience.

The odds are not in their favor either. In the second quarter of 2008 the Labor Department gave the unemployment rate for those in the 20 ? 24 year old group (the age range is the most likely for new graduates). Unemployment had risen from 7.7% last year to 9.8% this year.

Most colleges require students to intern and/or take career counseling to give them an idea of what to expect after graduation, but they still do not guarantee a job after graduation.

So you are a new graduate and cannot seem to stand out of the crowd? Here are a couple of tips to make you and your resume more noticeable to potential employers.

- Network. Networking helps you stand out to an employer. If you are currently a student, become involved in plenty of events and groups related to your major.
- An impressive resume. Making your resume stand out is not as hard as it may seem. Little things such as adding a picture of you or using positive phrases can add luster to an otherwise vanilla resume. An example of a use of positive language is instead of saying you have no experience in a certain area, saying that you are willing and open to learning is obviously more constructive. Employers are always more open to someone who is willing to conform to their job descriptions, rather than a position having to conform to an applicant.

Student loans are creeping up and you still have not gotten the position to build your career on? Some people have begun to take a more unconventional attitude on job hunting: Create their own career by starting their own business. Once thought to be something only highly experienced professionals do, new graduates are starting businesses related to their fields of study.

If you have the ambition to start your own business, either a new graduate or someone who just has some new or great ideas, here are a few pointers that may help you start:

- Since you are probably bogged down with debt (thanks to student loans), try to limit your start up costs. Internet companies generally have very low startup costs, as long as you have an idea as to what you?re doing. Starting a business with a friend can also limit your costs and you will have more than one person working toward a goal.
- Remember those old textbooks that you could not or did not sell? Some of them have some great ideas in them. I have kept marketing books just because I thought in the future they could come in handy.
- Have a business plan. If you have a business plan, even a simple one, you always have a reference point. Eventually we all hit road blocks, like writing essays and having an outline, a business plan can keep you in order.
- Finally, do not give up and work hard to achieve your goals. Getting through college was not easy (or cheap), so do not be discouraged if your business does not take off immediately. Successful businesses take patience, time and a LOT of hard work.

It is not hard to become discouraged by the declining job market. Plenty of people I know are working in fast food restaurants while waiting to land ?the job.? When the economy is good, graduates may get multiple offers with competing salaries, but now these offers are not landing in people?s laps like they once were. An applicant must do more to be noticed in today?s job market. So good luck graduates, I will be seeing you in May.

I have a hard time understanding who is in charge of spending the money in some of these corporations. I have still seen WaMu commercials on TV. WooHoo? Maybe not…even when you go on the banking website for Washington Mutual it says “Welcome to JPMorgan Chase”

Sometimes it doesn’t seem like these banks have gone under at all.

Around 11 am this morning, Bloomberg News broadcast the story as new… That’s when the madness happened. Between the time the story was broadcast as “new” and 12:30 pm, when trading was halted, the stock dropped from around $12 a share, to $3. Even when trading resumed, it still didn’t completely recover from the damage done by the false story.

The staff at the Sun-Sentinel online still don’t know what happened or why the story was posted on their website. I am thinking it was probably just an accident, after all, I’ve seen some pretty disorganized newsrooms. Fowl play would be a little more fun though, as far as reporting on the story goes.

Well it’s happening…the government is taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as soon as tomorrow…well this morning. These two mortgage lenders either back or actually hold HALF of the country’s mortgage debt…and they’re obviously in trouble. According to the AP, a government bailout of these two lenders could cost tax payers $25 billion…this is going to be a HUGE issue in the coming up election…hopefully.

According to consumer affairs website The Consumerist , this is how the bailout happened:

• Henry Paulson, the US Treasury Secretary, told Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd and Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron that not only them, but their boards were fired.
• Common shareholders will be almost completely done away while preferred shareholders, which are mostly banks, will be spared.

Most importantly, however, is that these two HUGE lenders will function as normal. Remember though, as a United States tax payer, you now own a portion of the homes backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Lets hope things get better soon.

The worst part is it is no more than 4 1/2 years old.

It seems like we’re not the only people experiencing these issues with this particular refrigerator. After an extensive search, there are plenty of people complaining about the ice dispenser. I have read people’s complaints that sound like they’ve walked into my home and examined my fridge.

I will lay some of the blame on the faulty fridge on the fact it’s not the most expensive refrigerator on the market. Still, something that cost close to $1000 should last a bit longer than 5 years.

The point of this post is to discourage people from purchasing GE refrigerators, or appliances. If my single opinion isn’t enough to say your decision here’s a couple of websites that may:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/ge_refrigerators.htm

http://www.my3cents.com/productReview.cgi?compid=230&product=Refrigerator-Side

First, if I can, I buy my books online. Campusbooks.com lets you compare prices on used books from several different online places. This also comes in handy for the second tip…

I also try to buy previous editions of textbooks. For example, in my consumer behavior class, the syllabus clearly stated that the previous edition of the textbook was accepted. However, plenty of my classmates decided to buy the $108 current edition. The previous edition cost me $5 AND it’s where the professor got most of her charts and graphs for PowerPoint presentations.

In a lot of my classes, the professors usually never use an entire book. I utilized iChapters.com and saved around $50 on my business stats book because we only needed a few chapters. At iChapters you can buy chapters instead of whole books.

Sometimes I don’t buy the book at all. In lecture classes, my professors usually never used the book for tests, but would test directly from lecture notes. This depends on the professor though, and usually doesn’t work for higher level classes. Ask my journalism ethics grade…I needed the book but was just too cheap to buy it.

Another way to save money on textbooks is to rent them. Websites like campusbookrentals.com let students rent books for periods of 55, 85, or 130 days and offer them at pretty good prices. For example, Principles of Macroeconomics by Case and Fair retails for around $130 (which is outrageous considering it’s a paperback…well it’s outrageous anyway) you can rent it at campus book rentals.com for around $34. However, I’ve never rented books… with this macroeconomics book, if you look at campusbooks.com you’ll see that the cheapest price online is $34.95 to BUY the book. I’d rather buy it then rent it because at the end of the semester, you can always sell it online too…

He wants to put up wind turbines in the Midwest to replace the 22 percent of power produced from natural gas. Then that natural gas can be used for transportation.

He was in Washington D.C. today to get Congress to act on his plan. He referred to how Eisenhower declared an emergency to build the interstate system in the 50′s and 60′s. He told them they should follow his lead and suggested an energy emergency. He said that oil could raise to $300 a barrel in the next 10 years because of depleting supplies.

On his website, PickensPlan.com he says that Natural Gas is less than $1 a gallon. Cars like the Honda Civic Gx natural gas vehicle can run on natural gas. What he doesn’t say is that natural gas stations are rare. You can get a special machine that will compress natural gas to put in your car for your home, but it takes 16 hours to fill up your tank. Consumer Reports also reports that the car only gets about 180 miles to the tank. Another downside for me is Chris and I hate our gas company, they charge for maintenance for a building that doesn’t exist. They also charge for the gas, then, on the bill, charge a fee for it. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but the bill doesn’t make a lot of sense to us either. We would really hate for it to get higher than it already is.

However, these are clean running cars. The emissions are far less than current combustion engines and would be better for the environment.

I’m torn. I would really have to see it work before i bought into the idea at all.

Anyone (including me) who has been awake past midnight and has cable has seen the commercial for the Awesome Auger. It’s a tool that connects to a power drill and looks like it tears up the ground, making it easier to plant things. On TV it says that if you pay the extra shipping and handling, you get several extras, like a power drill, an “extender”, and a weeder. Well, here’s the commercial, because it explains it a lot better than I do…

So, the video isn’t great, or even timed properly, but the idea is there.People are getting overcharged for Shipping, and not getting the items, even when they pay $36 or more for shipping.You can read some of the complaints here: http://www.infomercialratings.com/product/awesome_auger_reviews

So what makes the 3G iPhone so different than the first? From what I hear it’s the faster internet. I don’t know how much different the internet speeds are. Since I’ve been on the internet with my cell phone, I’ve always had high speed wireless internet (Thanks Sprint Ev-Do). If you look at AT&T Wireless’s website, 3g really looks fast, because it has flames surrounding the icon.

Congratulations Apple….you really make a popular product. Is it the best phone in the U.S.? Probably not… Is it one of the best selling phones in the U.S.? Definitely. Did it make your shares rise 3.1% today? Well, quite possibly. However, I will take my Centro over this iPhone. My Centro has all the features in a phone I could want…Touchscreen WITH a keyboard. It’s really nice actually. It also plays music and has the internet (along with Palm’s (outdated but very reliable) OS.

In other phone news, Sprint released the Treo 800w on Friday. It, like my Centro, has a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard. It also sports Wi-Fi and Windows Mobile 6.1. However, it does not come in electric blue or pink, so I will be sticking with my Centro.

Also according to an article written by AP Business writer Jim Salter, a New York Times report with unnamed sources says that InBev raised their offer from $65 to $70 per share after AB said they wouldn’t accept the buyout, which was only about a week or two prior to this story being published.

AB’s stock price closed at $66.50 today (7-11-08). This is only $.05 short of their season high of $66.55.

The story also stated that the buyout could be completed by the end of the weekend.

So what happens to Budweiser? What about those Clydesdales pulling the cart in the snow? How about that Dalmatian??? I suppose something will happen considering InBev wants to remove all 13 board members from AB.

I suppose only time will tell.