Since the introduction of mass media, academic debates in the field of communications and among the everyday discussions of citizens around the world, tend to emphasize on the importance of news and entertainment media as mediums of political discourse, and especially on their role as dynamic forces to nations’ democratization. In United States particularly, scholars and observers place considerable responsibility upon the shoulders of new media for the current state of U.S. polity and culture.
When the term new media was first introduced, critics that studied it entered the sphere of hope, trying to evaluate whether the new technological forms could foster participation, increase the level of awareness regarding politics among citizens, and reestablish interaction. Internet chat rooms, talk shows, live TV shows, and all interactive multimedia networks of various forms, fueled and continue to feed this hope, which makes contemporary critics believe that the significance of politics could be understood by the vast majority, decreasing lack of interest. But have things changed due to the introduction and use of these new media forms? Do people feel more democratized and are they better involved in the political processes that govern their everyday lives?
Unfortunately, as different studies suggest, new media have altered not the number of people involved, but actually the scope of their interest in public policy and politics. That is mainly because new media technologies provide both new challenges and dangers. There is the danger that a new technopoly will further colonize everyday life, as consumers passively absorb 500 plus channels of the same old cultural forms. Yet the new technologies also provide individuals with weapons to produce new forms of culture and to program their own cultural environment. The overwhelming increase in media technologies ready to enter the consumer market and attract attention, suggests that there is still hope out there for new media to realize their role in the democratization process of contemporary citizens.
At the same time, one has to keep in mind that a variety of studies argue that a person’s critical media pedagogy ultimately requires the restructuring of the media, schooling, and everyday life. Contemporary societies are producing wondrous new technologies and immense social wealth, but it is unequally distributed and often used as forms of domination and destruction, rather than to promote human betterment. Critical media pedagogy must intervene in this challenging and threatening situation and struggle to overcome the worst features of existing societies and cultures by striving to create better ones. Critical media pedagogy actually inevitably intersects with progressive politics and the project of radical social transformation. To the extent that these outcomes contribute to the democratization of today’s citizens, they are advancing both the theoretical base of analysis and peoples’ political interest, in the present ambiguous political moment.
A rich American tradition of critical media analysis and pedagogy can aid people make their way further into the corporate-dominated, advertising-saturated, information-and-communication-based, world economic order of this century and beyond. As more and more people are getting increasingly sick of politics as theatre, confrontation, conspiracy, cynicism and policy emptiness and they do have a hunger for substance, they search for ideas that really do seem to be addressing the problems they are experiencing and feeling in their daily lives, will lead them to find the political players who will share those pre-occupations and be able to relate to them at a direct and human level.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Business, Employment, and Travel
Small, family owned stores or large “big box” retail businesses all suffer the same problem: theft of money or inventory. Last year, alone, retailers brought in more than eight hundred billion dollars, but lost more than two hundred billion to “shrinkage.” This shrinkage may result from outright, gun-toting robbers, to shoplifters, to untrustworthy employees.
In certain areas, vandalism can be a serious and costly consideration. Whatever the cause, Loss Prevention Equipment can significantly reduce or prevent such occurrences, and help local law enforcement successfully respond to those thefts that do happen.
Loss Prevention Equipment and technology have evolved rapidly in the past few years.
While strategically located convex mirrors are still a useful and economical method of monitoring difficult “line-of-site” locations in your business, the wide variety of sophisticated Loss Prevention tools now readily available allows for cost-effective configurations to suit virtually any retail business budget.
Examples include:
* Closed Circuit Television systems, (CCTV);
* A variety of cameras and monitors;
* Access Control systems;
* Digital Recorders or Time Lapse VCR’s;
* Cash Register interfaces;
* Counterfeit Money Detectors; and,
* Security Tags and Gates.
Depending on the resources available for dedication to Loss Prevention Equipment, one, or a combination of the foregoing can provide a viable solution to your security needs.
CCTV systems, whether used with one camera, or a series of cameras, send their feed to a monitor or monitors, or a choice of recording devices. They can be hard-wired or wireless;
Cameras come in a very wide variety of shapes and sizes, from those that are conspicuously mounted to provide observation and deterrence, to small, virtually undetectable units, which can be used to monitor cash registers or other highly-sensitivity locations.
Some are designed to automatically sense and adapt to varying lighting condition, while others are specialized to accommodate consistent dim lighting. Color or black and white transmission options are available. Dome cameras, similar to what may bee seen in casinos, located in ceiling areas, also allow for great coverage;
Single monitors can be configured to work in conjunction with multiple cameras, providing a “flip” sequence of images of specific areas; alternatively, several monitor can be linked with several cameras to provide constant surveillance of “hot spots,”;
Access controls include coded key pad door locks, to allow only those individuals with proper security clearance to enter controlled areas;
If the Loss Prevention need is to record locational activity, choices range from time lapse VCR’s to digital recording devices;
Cash Register Interfacing is designed to discover and prevent “Point of Sale,” (POS), theft. It allows ownership/management to extract the data from a cash register that prints on the receipt and overlay this data on a video picture of the check out area.Front end cameras are positioned to see the cashier, the register drawer, items purchased and the customer.
The recorded scene can then be easily reviewed to verify that the check-out was legitimate. An overt interface, which is obvious to both clerks and customers, deters theft by establishing fear in those with ulterior motives. A covert, or hidden, interface may not prevent the theft, but will provide evidence in support of prosecution.
POS thefts include short rings, no rings, substitute scanning, pilfering and short changing;
Some sort of counterfeit money detection is routinely used. Surprisingly, the commonly seen security pen markers, according the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crime unit, have an 83% failure rate. Their accuracy is diminished by certain chemicals in common products such as bleach and soaps. This puts the retailer at risk both for missing the true counterfeits, and falsely accusing a customer who is using authentic currency.
The better solution is the use of electronic devices which range in ability from simply verifying the authenticity of currency, to identifying false checks, credit cards, driver licenses, etc.
Finally, there are the familiar security tags and gates commonly seen in drug, clothing and music stores.
To find the optimal Loss Prevention Equipment solution, utilize on-line research, coupled with consultation with an experienced equipment manufacturer or retailer, who can assist you with the design and installation of the appropriate system.
This article published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about CCTV Systems and Retail Loss Prevention Equipment, visit Shortage Control, Inc. at
www.shortagecontrol.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.
Where the heck did I put that? Important papers, screws; bolts; wall hangers; magazine collections; the innumerable computer and electronic cords and adapters that you and your kids have somehow acquired; batteries and light bulbs. If you look in your storage room, or the “drawer from hell” in you kitchen, with trepidation, there is a solution for you: Bin Boxes. Be brave; take a look at all the STUFF in there. Unless you are an obsessive compulsive TV detective, you will see multiple and various containers, filled with a daunting variety of large and small items; hundreds, if not thousands of them in all manner of categories. Want to close and seal that door or drawer? Instead of creating a time-capsule, consider the utility of low-cost Bin Boxes with Bin Dividers.
Bin Boxes and other organizing tools are available from many sellers, both online and in your favorite office stores, and you will be amazed at how much time and energy they can save.
In no time when your simple to assemble Bin Boxes and Bin Dividers arrive, you will find the “inner organizer” in your personality, and amaze your family and friends with the ability to put your hands on just what you need in seconds. Take that couple of hours you spend looking for one thing, and turn your shelf space from frightening to friendly. Bin Boxes typically come in flat bundles, so there’s no need to worry about adding clutter to your storage area until ready for use.
Bin Boxes, of course, are also a sensible and economical solution for business and industrial use. Whether you need to organize office supplies, such as pens; staples; paper clips; fasteners; file folders; binder clips and ink cartridges, or hinges; drawer handles; door knobs; lag bolts; wall plates and electric components, Bin Boxes give you the capability to organize your items in a logical, and easily accessible manner.
Depending on your shelf space, flexibility is key. Bin Boxes come in a wide variety of sizes in order to fit your particular needs. Related items can be organized with Bin Dividers to provide for coordinated and quick matching of items. Bin Dividers fit into the Bin Box in order to create discrete storage compartments.
Simplicity also contributes to time saving and efficiency. Bin Boxes and Bin Dividers are constructed to be sturdy, self locking, and assemble in mere seconds, without the need for tools, tape, glue or staples. The Bin Box Dividers fit seamlessly to provide easy separation and removal of specific parts or materials. Slanted open fronts allow for clear visibility and fast identification of the stored components within the main box. The box finish allows for easy and legible marking or labeling.
When looking to organize your existing shelf space, measure your shelves, determine which size Bin Boxes are appropriate, and then choose the number of Bin Dividers you will need by dividing the Box Bin length by the Bin Divider length. You can usually get the dimensions from manufacturer and store web sites that will provide you with helpful guidance in this regard. Many Bin Boxes even have a hanging notch to allow the Bin Box to hang from the shelf lip. In addition, some manufacturers Bin Boxes can be custom crafted to fit your specialized needs.
Where is it? With Bin Boxes, you can store a multiplicity of items, and open that closet or storage room without fear of the boogey man. Lay your hands on what you, or your customers, need with confidence and a smile on your face.
This article published by editorial staff of the National Tollfree Directory. More Packing Box, Corrugated Box and Packing Material information available at the Box King web site http://www.boxking.com/. Feedback on this article welcome editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.
The technology in video surveillance equipment is used in many ways for the advantage of society as a whole. The technology is used to investigate, among other things, the workload amongst pilots and air-traffic controllers, assessment of driver reactions to warning devices at railroad crossings, and studies of the performance of sleep-deprived locomotive engineers, just to name a few. The equipment includes video cameras, digital video recorders, digital video cameras, and CCTV [closed circuit TV] video cameras.
Events such as the 9-11 terrorist attack in the United States of America and the ever present threat of more terror attacks has resulted in video surveillance equipment becoming more popular than any time before.
This equipment and technology is used in various different portions of society including government agencies, security agencies, companies and businesses, schools, and public and private transportation vehicles.
Video surveillance apparatus is also a welcomed technology in places where around the clock human supervision is needed but not viable. As an example, the New York City Transit system [including the subway, tunnel and bridge authorities] uses video surveillance equipment for monitoring below ground traffic and stations.
There are many components to video surveillance equipment technology such as cameras, software, digital image cameras, infrared sensors, monitors and so on.
Surveillance technology has become an invaluable apparatus for business when it is correctly used. It can lessen the liability and workers’ compensation premiums. It can help identify fraudulent insurance claims, and may help in the deterrence and apprehension of dishonest workers and customers. Present-day technology by the way of computer networks and the Internet additionally provides the capability to observe a business concern remotely from home or other locations.
There are many varieties of cameras and digital video recorders made for a variety of applications. Examples of these are entrance and exit cameras, cash register and counter cameras, internal cameras, outdoor cameras, etc. along with digital video recorders [DVRs] and [VCRs] are the main components of a digital video surveillance system.
Prices for the equipment standard for a four camera digital video recording system for a small retail or office type business can cost at least several thousands of dollars plus the cost of labor of installation. As you might expect medium, large and project level businesses will need to spend proportionately more to satisfy their individual security requirements.
Whatever expenses incurred in buying video surveillance equipment merits the effort and expense. This is because this technology not only reduces the cost of security but also helps in curbing crime and vandalism. There are very few companies, which do not use video surveillance equipment for some purpose or the other. Total sales in video surveillance technology are on the increase. They will continue to do so due to the effectiveness and versatility of this technology.
Bill Wallmuller is the founder of Merokee Enterprises. Two of the author’s concerns are personal safety and crime prevention. Learn more about surveillance equipment technology by visiting the Website: http://www.surveillance-equipment-technology.com
If you are new to web design and don’t know where to start, it is probably best that you devote some time initially in selecting the most appropriate web editor. The two most popular WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are Microsoft’s FrontPage and Macromedia’s Dreamweaver.
This leads to the often heated and delicate debate, “Which is the best editor?” Fortunately this article informs you of the pros and cons of both and the level of experience that is required. At this stage, I would like to make it clear that I am not an advocate for Microsoft or Macromedia and have substantial experience of using both web editors.
FrontPage Pros
Starting off with FrontPage, the latest version is 2003 and it has been built on top of the highly successful Microsoft Office suite. It benefits from having a similar appearance to Microsoft Word and many of the other Office based programs. The “non technical savv” will appreciate such a close resemblance and an easy-to-use menu system.
In fact FrontPage has many uses similar to a word processor. The functionality for inserting images, tables and formatting text are very similar. So the step-up from a well known word processor, to an equally well known web editor is not that big at all! FrontPage also has an abundance of ready to use templates, particularly useful for the novice user.
Dreamweaver Pros
Macromedia products have been designed specifically with web design in mind and Dreamweaver is the industry standard for web editors. Dreamweaver has a nice blend of advanced tools mixed in with a tasteful graphical user interface.
Dreamweaver 8, the most recent version, is part of the Macromedia Studio 8 suite. The tight integration between applications in the Studio is fantastic. Switching from Dreamweaver to another product such Fireworks, Flash and ColdFusion is an absolute “doddle” and a real time saver too!
Dreamweaver also enables you to build your own custom templates, allowing alterations to hundreds of pages to be made with one single change - great large web sites! It also has an awesome array of database utilities which makes creating dynamic pages a breeze.
Dreamweaver has an extensive collection of advanced tools and may at times be a little too complex for those who wish to merely edit pages. Fortunately, Macromedia Contribute is available and is part of the Macromedia Studio suite and enables easy website maintenance. “Non techies” can edit the content of pages, whilst the coding part of the page is protected - so no banana skins here!
FrontPage Cons
FrontPage’s simplicity and ease of use often generates lots of unwanted code which can be difficult to manage. It has been designed specifically for Internet Explorer (I.E.) and does not fully abide by the World Wide Web Standards. This means the web pages look perfect in I.E. but often slightly out of sync in other leading browsers such as Mozilla Firefox.
Another small hindrance of FrontPage is that web servers need FrontPage extensions to get some features to work.
Dreamweaver Cons
Dreamweaver is not as easy to use and may look a little foreign and intimidating to the novice user. The lack of beginner tools and usability may frustrate inexperienced users. Dreamweaver is also a little more pricey than FrontPage.
Conclusion
Dreamweaver is a professional level web editor. It has been designed to be used in a commercial environment and benefits from having advanced web design tools, is part of a great Macromedia suite, offers power database utilities and provides a wide range of e-commerce capabilities.
FrontPage on the other hand was intended for the average home user with a modest interest in web design. It is ideal for beginners and offers a range of special effects that will keep you busy for quite a while.
I think they both provide value for money and are aimed at different markets. The novice user will benefit from FrontPage, where as the professional web designer will require more advanced tools and is more likely to opt for Dreamweaver.
Author is a trainer with a Microsoft Office training company, the UK industry leader in its sector. For more information on Dreamweaver Training, please visit http://www.microsofttraining.net
If you’re a business owner with an internet presence, you probably already know that the rules of the web are constantly changing when it comes to maintaining profitability online. In the past, it was common for businesses to have a website built, and then leave it unchanged for long periods of time… sometimes years! But in order to achieve high search engine rankings and gain exposure in today’s internet age, websites must be continuously updated with fresh, current information.
Information, the primary “product” of the internet, demands to be fresh and new. In the past, building and updating sites was so complicated that only those with years of training could manage to make changes to a site. Today things are completely different. Now there is software like Dreamweaver that does all of the hard work and allows you to build web pages with as much simplicity as creating a Word document.
Most people don’t realise that so much can be learned in so few days of web design courses. But with advancements in web design technology, creating sharp and professional websites is more simple than ever before. If you can use Microsoft Word, you have all of the prerequisites you need for Dreamweaver training.
The reason programs like Dreamweaver make building websites so simple is that they use all of the tools that you’re already familiar with from using Microsoft Office products. While there are still a lot of complicated processes happening behind the scenes, Dreamweaver uses a simple editor that allows you to build your web pages visually and then transfer them to the web.
Why pay someone else an exorbitant amount to build your company’s website when you can easily do it yourself after taking two days of Dreamweaver training? The going rate to hire someone to build a professional website is between
If any company knows how to operate efficiently and get serious results, it’s Microsoft. Microsoft’s infrastructure is built upon a highly project-centred environment, making Microsoft the ideal author of project planning software. The most efficient project-entered organizations are already utilizing the full range of Microsoft Project features to optimize efficiency.
However, many more surprisingly don’t offer any sort of “official” Microsoft Project training to their project managers. London based companies such as these, as well as companies that are just now exploring a project based business environment, can drastically streamline their processes with Project training for associates. There are plenty of tools and techniques to be learned in Project training. This article will focus on three areas where Project training will make the most drastic impact on the speed and quality of your business projects.
Managing Calendars:
One of the most important elements of managing a project is keeping all project members precisely on track. Project 2003 is nicely integrated with other Microsoft Office business tools and features such as the Microsoft Outlook calendar. Project training teaches MS Project users how to create project tasks that appear in the Outlook calendar alongside other appointments.
After MS Project training, project managers can learn how to have up-to-the-minute project status information from their computer or PDA by using the integrated calendar tools. When all project members are up to date on the project status and project leaders can instantly assign tasks to other group members as needs arise, project time can be significantly reduced.
Programme Evaluation Review Technique (PERT):
PERT charts are an important part of keeping a project on schedule and covered in the more advanced Microsoft Project training courses. The purpose of a PERT chart is to display the various tasks associated with a project along with their dependencies. Without PERT charts, it’s difficult to identify if and where a project may have scheduling conflicts.
Through Project training, project coordinators will learn how to use PERT charts to work out potential bottlenecks during the planning phase and identify them quickly once the project is underway. The sooner barriers are identified, the sooner tasks can be reassigned and the project can get back on track.
Gantt Charts:
Gantt Charts are a type of timeline that your project team will learn in two days of Microsoft Project training. By using Gantt Charts, project managers can visually track the progress of the project in relation to the planned timeline. Without a solid process for keeping on top of milestones, a project has a low probability of completing on time.
Gantt Charts can be created with Excel or Visio, but for complex projects Microsoft Project is the ideal software medium. Through Project training, project managers will learn how to use the full range of functionality of Microsoft Project Gantt Charts.
Learning how to effectively use Project through Microsoft Project training doesn’t only save time at the level of the individual team member. In the game of business, the agility, speed, and precision gained through an air-tight project process are attributes that separate average businesses from the industry leaders.
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Project training London, visit http://www.MicrosoftTraining.net/.
While most search engine optimization is carefully calculated and planned for, more than one site has “accidently” found itself on the top of the heap? How did they do it? A few lucky mistakes- which you can do yourself!
Use the success of others to your advantage.
1. Participate on their discussion boards. You could post questions, answer other peoples questions, and join in on conversations. Just include your signature file and link at the end of your messages. This is a great way to build link popularity for your website.
2. Ask the site owner if they would like a free ebook to giveaway to their visitors. You could have them link to your web site or include your ad in the free ebook.
3. Submit content to their web site. You could write articles for their site and include your resource box and link at the end of the article. If they publish it, you’ll indirectly be at the top of the search engines and your site’s link popularity will soar!
4. Write an excellent article review of their web site, products or services. Then publish the review on your web site. E-mail the web site owner and tell him or her about it. They may link to your web site so their visitors read it.
5. Ask the owner of the web site if they would want to trade advertising. If you don’t get as much traffic as they do, you could throw in some extra incentives.
6. Propose a cross promotion deal with the site. You both could promote each others products or services together in one package deal. This means a mention and link back to your web site.
7. Give the web site a testimonial for their product or service. Include a little text link for your web site with the testimonial. You never know; it could end up on their ad copy!
8. Post your advertisement on their free classified ad section on their web site. You want to be sure you have an attractive headline so they will read your ad.
9. Post your text link on their free-for-all links page. You want to go back and post your link regularly so it stays towards the top.
10. Sign their guest book and leave comments. You could leave a short compliment about their site on their guest book. Make sure to include your signature file and link at the end of your message so that you can get traffic back.
Sarah Jones is the owner of www.domains-monster.com. Domain registrations at dirt cheap prices. Deals so good it’s scary! Domains-Monster.com
Compelling Your Website Visitors to Take Action
You have built your website - everything is perfect - so you think.
The visitors start coming, more and more, a month goes by and yet
they did not click on your ads, or signup to your newsletter, or buy
your product. What the heck is going on with your “perfect” website?
A common problem that many people have is that before they even start
designing or building a website they need to decide specifically what
the goal of the website is. What is the website about? What are you
trying to accomplish with your website? Are you trying to sell a product?
Are you using the website to generate ad revenue with Adsense or similar
programs? Is it a squeeze or name capture page? Is the site built
for profit or is just an informational site? These questions need to
be answered for the website as a whole - And then also with each individual
page.
With each page of a website there needs to be a single action that they
want the visitor to perform. Once you have decided what you want the
visitor to do, then design the layout to lead the visitor to exactly that action.
The hot zone of any website is above the fold and specially the top left.
Over 76% of clicks occur above the fold - thus if you want a visitor to click
on an ad this is where you want to place the ad.
In order to get the visitor to click on the ad you need to draw Attention to the ad.
“Catch the visitor’s eye” - certainly online, the most effective way to do this
is with images. An Ad Delivery Service that Specializes in this is
http://www.imgads.com
If the images is of a person, our subconscious mind will more time then not,
also associate an emotional value with that image. Ask any salesperson, and they
will tell you emotion is what sells. That is why text ads associated with images
often achieve a 10% higher click thru rate the bare text ads.
Headlines will either generate interest or bore your visitors. Carefully written
headlines that specifically address the visitors problem will also increase your
click thru rates. Ads that state -click here- or other command statements will also
increase visitor click thru rates. If this is your objective with that specific
page of your site, make it obvious and easy to recognize to the visitor that by
clicking on a link - the answer to their problems will be revealed.
A common misperception is that you should blend ads in so they do not look like ads.
While in certain cases this may be true - the bottom line is you need to grab the
visitors eye, immediate relate an emotional tie to it, and pique their interest
further with an enticing headline, and then make it painfully obvious where they
need to click. If you “blend” your ad in too much, none of these four things
will occur, and you have failed to compel the visitor to follow your course of
action.
More resources
Online Marketing
http://www.reviewsbyray.com
Web Development information and Resources
Marketing Reviews
http://www.reviewsbyray.com
Regular maintenance is critical to keeping overhead cranes and hoists operating properly. Production time is lost and repair costs rise when breakdowns happen. Prevention is key. Equipment that is maintained more frequently actually costs less in terms of lost time and expensive repairs. While the U.S. Department of Labor- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires annual inspections, the optimal interval is quarterly. OSHA also requires regular scheduled inspections and maintenance with dated records. Whether done in-house or by an outside company, the frequency is based on the manufacturer’s recommendations and on the usage of the hoists.
Chain hoists that are serviced on a quarterly basis experience fewer breakdowns. Minor problems and adjustments addressed can prevent bigger repairs and production setbacks. Repair costs, including rush orders on labor and parts, are lower. Downtime is reduced. Emergency problems are reduced and repairs can be done when it is convenient with your production schedules. Knowledge of crane condition can make it easier to budget for current and future maintenance. The money saved can go towards upgrades and new equipment down the road.
It is important to choose the right company to service your cranes, especially if your equipment is crucial to your operation and you expect excellent reliability from the equipment long term. Price should not be the only factor taken into consideration. Before spending your money, there are several considerations to keep in mind. Be sure you know what the inspection price includes. Some companies offer repairs, testing, adjustments and other supplies in their quote. Find out the qualifications of the company and ask for references. Whether or not they provide the lifts to access all sides of the mechanism, including the top, may be an important consideration to your operation. Make sure the company will follow both OSHA regulations and the crane manufacturer’s inspection requirements. Ask for proof of insurance as well. Be clear on exactly what you are paying for. Many times, it is well worth it to spend more up front.
Daily inspections from your staff can pinpoint smaller problems before they become major. Check the hoisting speed and brakes for proper repair. Run the hoist to its upper weight limit to make sure it shuts down. The safe working load of the hoist, as indicated by its manufacturer on the hoist, should never be exceeded. Check the supporting structure to make sure it has a safe working load equal to the hoist. Look for obstructions that would inhibit free movement and allow proper alignment with loads. Make sure the operator can stand clear of the load at all times. Check cables and chains for wear and safety latches for proper operation. Check load hooks for proper rotation and any deformities. Block sheave/pocket wheels need to rotate freely. Lifting attachments should be free of damage and wear. Careful attention to your equipment can seem expensive upfront, but can save time and greater expense in the future.
Terry Gates is a freelance writer with experience onoverhead hoistsand cranes maintenance.