Latest News from Fuat Kircaali

Avoid Amini Rug Gallery and Nader Amini If You Are Shopping For a Persian Rug

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:42:00 EDT

My lengthy text messages with Nader Amini, the owner of Amini Rug Gallery on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who has a long list of Better Business Bureau complaint cases, lawsuits, and newspaper articles about his unethical business practices around the country. I never received a phone call back after being told he was in meetings for several days.

So You Want to Hire a Realtor in Istanbul

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:35:00 EDT

When I turned 50 I decided to live in Istanbul as I had been away from home for the past 30 years. After my experience (my luck) with realtors, architects and a landlord straight from a horror movie, I closed my Istanbul home after a year and ran back to my Florida paradise this January. In December of 2011 I met Istanbul Kanyon Residance realtor Sara Eskinaz of "Sara Eskinaz Gayrimenkul" (http://www.saraeskinazgayrimenkul.com.tr) who showed me the house I was interested in through another local realtor Senol Tinaz of "Private Gayrimenkul" (http://www.privategayrimenkul.com).

So You Want to Buy a Persian Rug

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:15:00 EDT

Last September I made the mistake of trusting a local business in Florida and buying three Persian oriental rugs from Nader Amini, the owner of Amini Rug Gallery here in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Amini came to my home with a dozen or so Persian rugs and displayed them. He left three of the rugs with me so I could decide which ones I liked, along with an invoice. While writing his invoice he asked me "if he should use a fictional out-of-state address" so I would not have to pay sales tax on the rugs! That was the first time alarm bells went off. I told him that he should itemize each rug and be sure to add the "full sales tax" as he totaled his invoice.

NW Rugs Offers a Handpicked Selection of Genuine Antique Rugs from Asia

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:52:00 EDT

The popularity of handmade Persian and Oriental rugs is a direct result of their versatility as decor items, as well as the immense skill and craftsmanship it takes to create them. Many homeowners who seek genuine antique rugs from the Middle East and Persia have a hard time finding them due to the popularity of reproductions, as well as the unlikelihood of an antique rug being in presentable condition due to excessive aging and wear. However, more and more homeowners who seek one-of-a-kind antique rugs are turning to NW Rugs, a premier rug dealer with six warehouse sized locations in California, Oregon and Nevada. Each NW Rugs location boasts an inventory of over 20,000 rugs, including an unmatched selection of Persian rugs, Oriental rugs, contemporary rugs, and antique area rugs. While the bulk of the NW Rugs' inventory is composed of genuine imported Persian area rugs and domestic rugs that make use of traditional Asian designs, the selection of antique rugs is smaller and composed of handpicked items, some of which are more than 100 years old. Each NW Rugs location boasts a unique inventory of antique rugs, all of which are offered for their excellent condition in terms of appearance, wear and overall aesthetic value. Materials used to make antique rugs include 100% camel hair, wool and silk, and all the rugs feature colors made from natural vegetable dyes that have withstood the test of time, mellowing into beautiful, warm hues. All of the antique rugs are hand knotted, a testament to the skill and time it took to craft them.

Art Collectors Beginning to Hone in on 19th Century Oriental Rugs

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Jan David Winitz, president/founder of Claremont Rug Company, today said that certain types of antique Oriental rugs are experiencing a significant upsurge in attention among collectors and investors. Globally-recognized as the world's leading dealer of art level 19th century carpets from the "Second Golden Age of Persian Weaving," Winitz says that inquiries for the "best of the best" pieces have become a staple of his interaction with clients. "The rug world has evolved dramatically since we opened Claremont in 1980," he said. "Collectible antique rugs which were available then were often treated almost as commodities by some dealers. From the beginning, we have been telling our clients that not only were the best of these rugs severely undervalued, but that there was also a much smaller supply than people thought."

Syria's First Lady Gets My @SyrianPresident Parody Account Suspended

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:58:00 EDT

According to the story published by The Guardian, Twitter closed down a string of accounts purporting to be authored by the Syrian president and the first lady, emails revealed. A senior aide to Asma al-Assad, Fares Kallas, took issue with the site over 11 accounts. Half of the accounts used the first lady's name and all but one of those using the president's name were closed down, including my @SyrianPresident "parody account" with over 2,500 followers at the time Twitter suspended it in January 2012. The Next Web story regarding the suspension of my @SyrianPresident parody account asks Twitter for its comment with no reply as of now. Conservative Byte also questions Twitter's policies on the suspension of my @SyrianPresident account: This story in The Guardian published actual email exchanges between Asma al-Assad and a minion as he reports the progress he has been making to suspend my @SyrianPresident parody account.

Next for My American Baby in Syria: A Refugee Camp in Turkey

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EDT

The US State Department on Monday said that it has ordered some non-essential US embassy officials in Damascus and all embassy dependents to leave Syria because of the "uncertainty and volatility" in the country. On Wednesday Bloomberg reported that "Turkey considers it likely that Syrians may flee the country and has designated areas for refugee camps and hospitals in the cities of Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Mardin near the Syrian border, it said. Additional mine-sweeping equipment has been sent to police stations in the area, it said."

US Embassy Staff Out Of Syria, Leaving My Two Year-Old Daughter Behind!

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:22:00 EDT

The US State Department on Monday said that it has ordered some non-essential US embassy officials in Damascus and all embassy dependents to leave Syria because of the "uncertainty and volatility" in the country. As of this morning, and since July 2010, my abducted daughter Sofia Kircaali, a US citizen, remains in Syria and in harm's way. Over the Easter weekend and on Monday, the Syrian government’s crackdown against protesters and demonstrators appeared to be reaching a crescendo, as President Bashar al-Assad is apparently refusing to grant any further concessions and seems determined to squelch any further expressions of dissent. I've been watching videos on the Internet showing violence inside a mosque one block away from where Sofia currently lives with her mother and grandmother.

Sofia Facing Bloodiest Easter Abducted in Syria

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EDT

Uncle Feras Bankosly MD's "physician license" in the United States should be revoked immediately due to his abduction of Sofia from her home in March, 2010, as he has endangered Sofia's life by keeping her away from her much-needed medical care in Syria. The Syrian doctor should also be deported from the United States for his actions against humanity, as he doesn't care about the health of his two-year-old niece Sofia. Sofia needs intense urgent daily therapy, up to 4-5 hours per day, which was scheduled to start seven months ago in New Jersey, United States. She has not received any medical attention for her condition since her abduction to Syria.

Feras Bankosly, Uncle Who Kidnapped Sofia to Syria, Is MD in Chicago

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:54:00 EDT

More than a year ago, Sofia was abducted from her home in Lighthouse Point, Florida, by her Syrian National uncle, who is practicing medicine in the Chicago area. Last March, a Florida judge issued an order to pick Sofia up from the uncle's house in Chicago and return her to her home to Florida. Due to a jurisdiction question in court - since Sofia had never lived more than 6 months in one state at the time of her abduction - the judge later gave temporary custody to her mom until the court could determine final jurisdiction between Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois. In July 2010, based on this uncle's instructions, Sofia was abducted by her mom to Syria where she has been missing her life-saving medical treatment. Sofia's Syrian National uncle is still practicing medicine in the Chicago area. As I explained repeatedly in multiple blog posts since her abduction more than six months ago, she needs urgent daily therapy, which was initially scheduled until the age of three. I strongly believe that the MD uncle's "physician license" in the United States should be revoked immediately due to his abduction of Sofia from her home in March, 2010, as he has endangered Sofia's life. The Syrian doctor should also be deported from the United States for his actions against humanity, as he doesn't care about his two-year-old niece Sofia. I will discuss the details of this situation on national morning TV shows, which will air in the United States.

My Two-Year-Old Daughter Sofia Facing Life-Long Disability in Syria

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EDT

The day after my last tweet regarding the lack of any new information about my abducted daughter Sofia since March 4, I received an updated letter on Thursday, April 7, 2011, from the State Department on Sofia's welfare in Syria. Sofia was abducted by her mother from the United States to Syria last July, following her diagnosis of GDD with possible autism. She had 13 remaining medical appointments left at the time of her abduction, none of which she was able to keep.

State Department Photos of My Abducted Daughter Sofia in Syria

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:45:00 EDT

Wednesday morning I received new photographs of Sofia from the State Department in Washington, DC. Sofia remains in Syria since being abducted in July 2010. The day after my last tweet regarding the lack of any new information about my abducted daughter Sofia since March 4, I received an updated letter on Thursday, April 7, 2011, from the State Department on Sofia's welfare in Syria. Sofia was abducted by her mother from the United States to Syria last July, following her diagnosis of GDD with possible autism. She had 13 remaining medical appointments left at the time of her abduction, none of which she was able to keep. Last week's welfare report prepared by our Embassy in Damascus, Syria, after their second welfare visit to the home in Syria where Sofia remains with her mother and grandmother, showed a bleaker outcome for my daughter than the previous report dated November 2010.

My Abducted Two-Year-Old American Guest Worker Daughter in Syria

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:06:00 EDT

Since her abduction by her mother last summer, my two-year-old US citizen daughter, who is in ailing health, remains in her abducted country of Syria under the immigration status of "Palestinian Immigrant Worker." Sofia needs to appear every three months before Syrian immigration authorities to renew her "guest worker" visa, stamped in her American passport. Syria, one of the most oppressed regimes in the world together with North Korea and Iran, does not offer many human rights, freedom or democracy, nor does it recognize the International Hague Convention for Child Abduction. Not being a Syrian citizen Sofia has no civil rights. For the past seven months she did not receive any medical care for her GDD - Global Development Delay condition with autism. Since she is an out-of-status American child, she is also not able to enroll in any accredited child care facilities in Syria.

Uncle Who Kidnapped Sofia to Syria Still a Practicing MD in Chicago

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:15:00 EDT

A Bedtime Story for Sofia Who Remains Abducted in Syria

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 11:15:00 EDT

Diane Macedo of Fox News worked on Sofia's story for more than a month, studying documents, interviewing more than a dozen people, and fact-checking before publishing her news story on Monday and airing our interview. On Monday, she also published a detailed article on Sofia that was picked up by a dozen or so media outlets around the world during the week. When Sofia returns safely home, she will pay her first visit to Diane at the Fox News headquarters in New York City. The following is a short "bedtime story" for my daughter while she remains abducted in Syria.

Sofia's Abduction to Syria: Interview with Diane Macedo of Fox News

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EDT

Diane Macedo of Fox News worked on Sofia's story for more than a month, studying documents, interviewing more than a dozen people, and fact-checking before publishing her news story on Monday and airing our interview. Here is the link to the Fox News on-camera interview and the link to Diane's news story. When Sofia returns safely home, she will pay her first visit to Diane at Fox News headquarters in New York City.

US Leaves Its Youngest Citizen Behind in Syria

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EDT

Yesterday (Sunday) AP reported that "State Dept. issued travel warning on Syria" and this morning (Monday) Reuters filed a follow-up report that "US offers free flights out for employees in Syria." As of this morning, and since July 2010, my abducted daughter Sofia Kircaali, a US citizen, remains in Syria and in harm's way. On Friday, I watched videos on the Internet showing violence inside a mosque one block away from where Sofia currently lives with her mother and grandmother.

Open Letter from Sofia to First Lady of Syria Asma al-Assad

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:45:00 EST

The recent highly publicized piece in Vogue magazine describes you as a humanitarian with a passion for children's issues, among other things. Like you and Mr. President Bashar al-Assad, loving parents of your son, little Hafez al-Assad, I do not wish to see my precious daughter Sofia in one of the orphanages you often visit in your country. I await your response and hope the Syrian Government will take urgent action to assist the United States Embassy in Damascus in their search for my daughter and with her safe return home. I thank you in advance for your prompt response.

Twitter Down, Arab Revolution on Hold

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST

Newsfuzion.com posted at 10:00 Eastern time "Twitter is back up and functioning normally. Let's hope it stays that way." Other reports say access is intermittent. Breaking News from Libya and other middle Eastern countries where the Arab Revolution (sometimes referred to as the Twitter revolution) appear on Twitter first. CNN International and Al Jazeera monitor Twitter and heavily rely on breaking news feeds around the clock.

Mark Hurd and Steve Mills

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:45:00 EDT

I was 25-26 years old when I worked at IBM. Steve was not much older. IBM, like many companies, plots a career path for every new employee it hires. It moves them from job to job grooming them from their first day on the job until their retirement. Whenever I took an elevator with Mills, people would whisper behind his back that he would one day be CEO of IBM. That was the rumor that followed Mills everywhere he went. Well, we heard the same rumor about Mike Armstrong, another big IBM name at 44 South Broadway. Armstrong was Steve's boss then but that next job didn't come through for him after successfully running IBM Europe. So he left and became the CEO of AT&T for a while, but that's a different story.

Why Didn’t I Start Salesforce.com?

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:15:00 EDT

Between 1991 and 1994 I worked for the French company Rhône-Poulenc in its U.S. headquarters in Cranbury, New Jersey. Rhône-Poulenc is the biggest French company in the world and is owned by the French government. During those three years I designed, coded and delivered a state-of-the-art salesforce automation system for the company, with a support team of five. We spent roughly $2 million on hardware but the company saved an estimated $11 million in outside consulting fees. The best bid for the job would take roughly five years to complete and would have been inferior to what we developed. And it probably would never have made it out in five years anyway. With a five-year project, requirements change, and if the requirements remain the same then the people change. So a consulting company awarded such a contract gets paid but doesn't necessarily need to deliver the goods. The basic rule of a consulting business is to get the contract, you think about delivery later on. If you don't get the contract, you don't have a project to think about. My view of consultants is that most of them are like castrated bulls, all they can do is advice.

Open Letter to the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Mr. and Mrs. President Bashar al-Assad: At the tender age of 17 months my severely ill daughter Sofia, an American citizen, was abducted by her mother on Monday, July 26, in Istanbul, Turkey, and taken to Syria. I was informed yesterday by Sofia's mother that she will not be coming back to the United States nor will she allow Sofia to return home. Sofia has been diagnosed with a severe medical condition that requires immediate treatment in the United States. It was scheduled to start on July 27, 2010, in New Jersey, the day after her abduction and was supposed to last until she reaches the age of 3. Any delay in the urgently needed treatment will result in a life-long disability for Sofia and make her dependent for the whole of her adult life. The treatment is not available in Syria. Mr. President, I grew up in Turkey listening to the evening news during our family dinners where I used to hear your father Hafez al-Assad's name more often than the names of my own family together with Menachem Begin, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat, and Yasser Arafat. I plead with you on behalf of my daughter Sofia to learn of her whereabouts and see her safely and speedily returned home. I also respectfully request a visa to Syria to meet her at the United States Embassy in Damascus to bring her home. Mrs. President, parents around the world have only the Hague Convention to rely on in international child abduction cases. I urge your humanitarian consideration, as the mother of a precious child, to fight for Syria to be a part of the Hague Convention. Thank you in advance.

Cloud Expo Istanbul Summit

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:45:00 EDT

According to a recent study from IDC the Turkish enterprise application software, or EAS, market has slowed significantly as a result of the global economic crisis. The EAS market grew 2.6 percent year-on-year in 2008 to reach $89.19 million, as compared to 21.8 percent growth in the previous year. In the short-term, IDC expects the Turkish EAS market to contract, with limited new EAS investments and the possible delay or cancellation of planned projects. The market is expected to pick up again in the second half of 2010, driven by, among other things, 3G technology in the telecoms sector, financial sector expansion, and public sector privatization initiatives, which will help accelerate growth in 2011 and beyond.

The Secret Behind The Incredible Growth of Cloud Expo

Sun, 16 May 2010 10:15:00 EDT

I can't comprehend that any event producer anywhere in the world today would answer this question by picking any one of the five available options presented. "A leading tool?" What do you mean by "a leading tool?" What other tools would you possibly have in this day and age? This question, the survey itself and its participants belong to the last decade. I personally don't use email anymore; I communicate through "Twitter." We don't do press releases unless we have to; we tweet stories to our roughly 12,000 followers in 8 channels. The news gets amplified to hundreds of thousands instantly. Even during Cloud Expo, we reach more people by Twitter than the announcements we make through loudspeakers in the convention centers. I would love to contact the people who are conducting this survey and ask them if any company answered their first question as "don't really consider it." In an age where I personally hail a cab at an airport through Twitter, I can't possibly comprehend which century bubble those people might be living in.

SYS-CON Announces "iPad Summit" Colocated with "Cloud Expo" in Silicon Valley

Fri, 07 May 2010 03:00:00 EDT

SYS-CON Events announced on Monday that the first International "iPad Summit" (www.ipadsummit.net), will take place November 1, 2010, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California. The Summit is co-located with the 7th International Cloud Expo and the 10th International Virtualization Conference & Expo. The iPad Summit is an intensive and content-rich one-day program designed to satisfy the growing hunger among software developers, as well as IT and "new media" professionals for a broad spectrum of sessions informing them what kinds of development options and opportunities the iPad provides. The event will be renamed as "iPad Expo" (www.ipadexpo.net) in 2011 to include extensive "developer" and "new media" tracks in addition to its 2010 summit content.

Bobby Moynihan: "New Media" Correspondent

Thu, 06 May 2010 12:30:00 EDT

I was on the road driving Saturday and Sunday. We celebrated Lauren's 13th birthday late last night. Today was a very busy work day. Before I went to bed I browsed through "60 Minutes" and "Saturday Night Live" shows from this weekend which I missed during my 48-hour drive. I realized the new SNL skit "Bobby Moynihan: New Media Consultant" which has a lot of potential. The skit reminded me of Jackie Chan on "Your Company Computer Guy" from 2000. If they work on this character they can develop him into an SNL classic with so much Facebook and Twitter material available out there.

Who Am I Following at My Twitter Page @FuatKircaali?

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EDT

Well, online media businesses should beware. Media moved on to "new media" and TechTarget's media technology is last century. Look at our Cloud Expo home page! The content on this page is self-generating through our Ulitzer engine. The best content on Cloud Computing and it's all in autopilot. We invested around $1m in the underlying technology of Ulitzer and what we offer with it is the next-generation of online media.

In Memory of Turhan Selçuk

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:45:00 EST

The last time I saw Turhan Selçuk (88) was at a dinner at his brother İlhan Selçuk's house in 1982 that I attended with my boss Doğan Hızlan. Turhan Ağabey came to dinner with his wife Füruzan and daughter Aslı Selçuk. He loved his daughter Aslı very much. There were six of us that evening at İlhan Ağabey's house. Aslı was a college student at the time, majoring in cinematography. This morning I received an email from Doğan Hızlan. Doğan Ağabey wrote that the funeral will take place at Cumhuriyet headquarters on Saturday at 2 pm. I will try to attend. He will be buried at Hacı Bektaş the same day.

David Skok Authors Startup and VC Blog on Ulitzer

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:15:00 EST

When I saw David Skok's name on recent Ulitzer authors page I was pleasantly surprised. David is one of the key figures in the technology space for the past two decades, including his venture capital activities. Throughout his long career, he successfully launched a number of companies. He is a general partner at Matrix partners since 2001. Last time I mentioned his name in one of my blog entries was here in 2004. I had an email exchange with David in October 2007 when we started architecting our revolutionary Ulitzer new media platform. David introduced me to Christian, a trusted enterprise developer who had invaluable input while we were making critical decisions in the selection of our development platform for Ulitzer.

Beautiful Weather This Weekend in South Florida and the Bahamas

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

We had beautiful weather this weekend in South Florida and the Bahamas. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday doing outdoor activities. I played 9 holes with my friend Roger Strukhoff before he left for Manila, Philippines. Roger and I visited the church on the island Sunday morning. There were only 12 neighbors on the entire island. I had fresh Wahoo for dinner that my friend Tom and his wife caught that same day. I had fresh Wahoo for dinner that my friend Tom and his wife caught that same day.

GoAdv Acquires Italy's Top Blog Network Blogosfere

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:30:00 EST

GoAdv, one of Europe's fastest growing digital media companies (http://www.goadv.com), has acquired Italy's top blog network as part of its worldwide growth strategy. Blogosfere, launched in 2005, now counts more than 210 professional blogs across its network and has a user base of over 3 million* (http://www.blogosfere.it) Complementing GoAdv's vision for expansion, Blogosfere fits perfectly inside the Group's core media brands of specialized vertical websites delivering high quality editorial to passionate communities. As one of Italy's most notable professional blog networks, Blogosfere counts many of the country's most read and commented blogs in its portfolio and covers a diverse range of subjects including news, economy, culture, sport and entertainment.

On2 Stockholders Approve Merger with Google

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:45:00 EST

On2 Technologies on Wednesday announced that its stockholders approved the merger of On2 with a wholly owned subsidiary of Google Inc. at its Reconvened Special Meeting held earlier today. On2 stockholders holding in excess of a majority of the outstanding shares of On2 Common Stock voted in favor of the merger proposal. Under the terms of the merger agreement, as amended, each outstanding share of On2 Common Stock (other than shares owned by (a) Google, Oxide Inc., Oxide LLC or On2 and (b) any On2 stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise appraisal rights under Delaware law) will be cancelled and extinguished and will be automatically converted into the right to receive

Prime Minister Ingraham Arrives in Cat Cay

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

The Right Honorable Hubert Alexander Ingraham, Prime Minister of The Bahamas arrived in Cat Cay on Saturday, February 13, 2010 to begin the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Cat Cay. Prime Minister is accompanied with Hon. O.A.T. Tommy Turnquest MP and Mrs. Turnquest, Minister of National Security.

SAP CEO Apotheker Unexpectedly Quits

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:45:00 EST

SAP AG announced late Sunday that the SAP Supervisory Board has reached a mutual agreement with CEO Leo Apotheker not to extend his contract as a member of the SAP Executive Board. The company press release on Sunday read as follows: "Leo Apotheker has resigned as CEO and member of the SAP Executive Board effective immediately. "The SAP Executive Board, in agreement with the SAP Supervisory Board, has appointed two Co-CEOs: Bill McDermott, head of field organization and Jim Hagemann Snabe, head of product development, both already members of the SAP Executive Board.

Escaping from the Blizzard of 2010 to Cat Cay Paradise

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:45:00 EST

I left SYS-CON's offices in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, right on time just before the snow storm closed the airports. These live pictures below show East Saddle River Road through my iPhone on my way to the airport. This driver in front of me slipped and hit the sidewalk outside Yossi's Deli, at the corner of East Saddle River Road and Lake Street. As I arrived in Ft Lauderdale, I found out that pilot Eric was waiting for me to take me to Cat Cay. The following picture is the Gun Cay lighthouse, directly North of Cat Cay and South of Bimini on our approach to Cat Cay. You can see the landing strip far left.

Is This The Beginning of the End For Adobe?

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:02:00 EST

I don't know what the outcome of Steve Jobs / Adobe fued over Flash Player will be, but in 10 years we will remember Adobe as the software company who "declared death" against SYS-CON Media. Similarly, 10 years later we remember this company and its CEO as the poster child of arrogane who took his company to disaster as we predicted then. Is this the beginning of the end for Adobe and their Flash Player? Who knows... One thing we know as far as Adobe and SYS-CON is concerned, is that the CEO Shantanu Narayen was unable to prevent this scandalous mess in his organization when it happened, and its leftover sewer waste still remains floating in the cyber space after 9 months.

Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press -A Case Study

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:45:00 EST

We are observing three groups of new media participants on blog portals, Twitter and Facebook as we enter a new decade for online media. 1) Old school journalists with their traditional values - I personally come from a traditional journalism background as I recently described towards the end of this blog entry and this one. 2) Professional "new media" participants and bloggers - The Ulitzer platform we created in 2009 will be one of the most respected and popular new media sites whose participants fall under this category. 3) Underground social media criminals and Internet terrorists - Like any legitimate and lawful business, from time to time we also get our fair share of attacks by underground social media criminals and Internet terrorists. These people attack legitimate companies, businesses and/or individuals with all the online terror tools available to them: DDoS attacks, harassment of your customer base, intimidation of your clients or affiliates. Many of these online terrorists are anonymous bloggers, which makes them almost impossible to locate. They are virtual Osama Bin Ladens as their accomplishments are cyberterrorism.

Barbara Corcoran's Real Estate Morality Play

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:15:00 EST

I remember seeing this woman, Barbara Corcoran, on TV walking inside a house with a fortune teller, spreading fumes as the fortune teller whispered some sort of prayer so that the house would sell real fast. What a crackpot scene that was. Anyway, Barbara Corcoran's fortune teller and magic spelling gypsies have not helped Florida residents sell their homes or pay their mortgages since the housing slump hit America. I thought that scene was a candid camera joke on me; I looked around my living room to see if there were hidden cameras secretly taping my reaction. I usually work with CNBC on in the background. For some strange reason I woke up to NBC this morning with Matt Lauer talking to Barbara Corcoran.

How to Commit Suicide with Email Marketing

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:45:00 EST

Ulitzer has several topic sites on the subject of "email marketing" including Content Marketing Journal, Internet Marketing Journal, Marketing & Sales on Ulitzer, Marketing Automation, and Sales Coaching on Ulitzer. If you read the articles on these Ulitzer sites on the Dos and Don'ts of content marketing strategies, you will see what the world's top marketing experts are saying. I have been receiving the following spam email from this company for more than six months now, like clockwork three times a week. I am sure the same spam email is being sent to hundreds of thousands of email addresses harvested by these people.

SYS-CON Projects All-Time High Revenue

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:45:00 EST

That was our 2010 projection two months ago. Today, as of January 28, 2010, we booked more revenue for 2010 than the entire fiscal year 2009 actuals, including unearned income with record sponsorship sales for Cloud Expo East, Cloud Expo West and Cloud Expo Europe events. Our revised revenue projections for 2010 is on track for an all time record revenues since our company's inception in 1994, including media sales up in January from a year ago. As I made a reference to sponsorship and expo sales, I encourage all our sponsors to take contract option 2 which includes Cloud Expo 2010 East (New York City), Cloud Expo 2010 Europe (Prague, Czech Republic), and Cloud Expo 2010 West (Silicon Valley, California) events. On Monday, February, 1, 2010, we will announce the venues for Cloud Expo 2010 Europe (June 21 -22, 2010, Prague, Czech Republic) and Cloud Expo 2010 West (November 1-3, 2010, Silicon Valley).

Ulitzer Expands Its Holocaust Research Project Syndication

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:45:00 EST

Ulitzer.com, the first revolutionary "new-media" platform in the world, announced today that the news syndication for Holocaust Research Project topic on Ulitzer has been expanded. HEART on Ulitzer was launched on April 9, 2009. The aim of H.E.A.R.T is to inform and educate people about the Holocaust and the extermination programs conducted by the Nazi regime throughout Europe during the Second World War. H.E.A.R.T research and material is contributed from a group of independent Holocaust researchers who devote their spare time to research for the production of this website and other forms of related publications, such as leaflets and books.

Ulitzer Blogger Meets President of Philippines

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:45:00 EST

Today, I received an email from Inday Vinas, one of our Ulitzer authors, and her photo meeting and shaking hands with Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines. She writes, "as a leading Filipino blogger whose success depends on Ulitzer to reach a worldwide audience, I was a special guest of the Office of the President at Convergence 2009, a conference focused on the present and future potential of the Philippines in the field of Global IT." Inday's blog can be found at http://indayvinas.ulitzer.com.

Chinese Corruption Crackdown Spreads

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:45:00 EST

With the news that Chinese graft-busters have targeted officials in the Guangdong city of Maoming in their on-going anti-corruption drive, foreign businesses operating in China need to reassess their dealings with government officials to identify whether they have been involved in activities that could be perceived as bribery and put a stop to it, says The Red Flag Group. In recent years, Chinese efforts to crackdown on corruption among government officials have mainly focused on the so-called first-tiered cities. This included the sentencing in 2008 of Chen Liangyu, Shanghai's former communist party chief, and the dismissal of XuZhongheng, a former major of Shenzhen, both for bribery.

How Passionate and Excited Are You?

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:30:00 EST

During another staff meeting, as I told the story of the two frogs that fell into the milk bucket (the lazy one drowned in minutes but the hard-working frog created a layer of cream to climb on and saved its life), one of the new staff members raised his hand and said at his previous job they took the hard-working frogs and threw them in other milk buckets to produce more cream for the company. I think that answer was a poor excuse for laziness. In these tough economic conditions, this young man lost his job several more times I heard, after his very short career with our company. I have other examples too that support my views on passion and excitement in the workplace.

I Received an Email From Wilma Jordan This Morning

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

After the dot-com crash and the planes hit the buildings, everything stopped, of course. The last phone call I received on this subject involved the possibility of us buying one of their recent acquisitions at a liquidation price. That was possibly a good opportunity for SYS-CON, but we chose to take a conservative route, especially after seeing one of our direct competitors crumble right before our eyes and its parts sold on the junk yard. After ten years, looking back, I think we made smart and lucky decisions. Neither of those two close calls in our company history--going public during the dot-com craziness, or selling the company--would have led to where we are today. Because today, ten years later, SYS-CON is one of the hottest tech media leaders in the world, reinventing "new media" with our Ulitzer platform (http://www.ulitzer.com) and serving the industry worldwide with the most exciting events (http://events.sys-con.com) of the new decade.

"New Media" Series on Public Television

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

"The Future of News" brings together some of the brightest minds in new and traditional media. The new 10-part television series produced by the Newseum in Washington, D.C., debuts in Janury 2010 on American Public Television. Featuring lively discussions and cutting-edge conversations with today's leading journalists and newsmakers. Hosted by Frank Sesno, Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, the series highlights emerging forms of news presentations to emphasize the role of technological diversity in the modern media landscape.

Only Two in Five Americans Read a Newspaper

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST

Newspapers around the country are struggling. 2009 saw a few newspapers change their business model to an online focus or shut down completely. 2010 will most likely see the same struggle and, perhaps, new business models emerge for these media entities. One thing is clear, the era of Americans reading a daily newspaper each and every day is coming to an end. Just two in five U.S. adults (43%) say they read a daily newspaper, either online or in print almost every day. Just over seven in ten Americans (72%) say they read one at least once a week while 81% read a daily newspaper at least once a month. One in ten adults (10%) say they never read a daily newspaper.

Desktop Publishing vs New Media Generation

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:50:00 EST

Desktop Publishing vs New Media Generation

Software Industry 2009 M&A Trends Show Rising Multiples

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST

Today, Berkery Noyes released its "2009 Software Industry Merger & Acquisition Trends" report. Software Industry M&A activity experienced a significant half-to-half gain as exhibited by the 83% increase in the median EV/revenue multiple from 1.2 in 1st Half 2009 to 2.2 in 2nd Half 2009. This rise brings the median EV/revenue multiple back to its 2007 level. 2nd Half 2009 exhibited a moderate increase in both aggregate volume and aggregate value, versus 1st Half 2009. Half-to-half, aggregate value increased by 17% from approximately $18 billion to $21 billion, and aggregate volume increased by 5% from 341 deals to 358.

Newspaper and Magazine Circulations Will Get Hit Hard By "New Media" Tsunami

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST

Let's read the analysis of this Turkish newspaper Zaman looking for answers in the age of columnists. The older your columnist, the faster your circulation goes down the tube is the theory presented in the article. "Turkey has a young population, with almost half of its citizens under the age of 28. It has around 2 million university students. However, the average age of a newspaper reader is 36. The main reason behind the lack of interest of young people in newspapers is believed to be columnists who do not reflect the points of view of the country's young residents." Wroooong! Remember The McLaughlin Group? The correct answer is that the younger readers are getting their news online and there is nothing newspapers can do about it. That's number one.