Bloggers, pundits, political cartoonists, late-night comedians and yes, me, continue to have fun with Senator John McCain's perceived lack of computer skills.
When asked about using a computer McCain said, "I'm an illiterate who has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get." All this, and the real state of computer literacy among seniors is the subject of an article I just read online.
Associated Press Reporter Jocelyn Noveck has some interesting anecdotal and research data on seniors and computing. She writes about 106-year-old Kathryn Robinson who has been online since she was 98!
Overall however, according to the Pew Internet Project at the Pew Research Center, only 35 percent of people over the age of 65 are online.
When you factor in that the start of the baby boomers are among the fastest growing segment of our population, that's millions and millions of Americans.
A closer look at the Pew research shows that race, wealth and education play a very important factor. "About three-quarters of white, college-educated men over the age of 65 use the Internet," says Susannah Fox, director of the project.
In her article, Noveck also quotes Tobey Dichter, CEO of Generations on Line, a group that helps bring seniors, including the 106-year-old Robinson, into the digital age as saying McCain may be in “digital denial.”
McCain campaign spokesperson Brooke Buchanan has been quick to respond that the Senator does indeed know how to browse the Internet and check web sites. Wife Cindy McCain is often seen with a BlackBerry® in her hand, and one of the McCain daughters actively blogs about the campaign.
Barack Obama, in contrast, is seen punching away on his BlackBerry all the time.
For the 106-year-old Robinson, being computer savvy means being able to overcome the impact of a stroke. In many ways, it's her lifeline to the outside world, from shopping to communicating.
According to Noveck, the computer has been a lifesaver to her.
When you're a Senator or President, you have a huge staff to do all sorts of things for you, including respond to e-mails; research on the Internet and all matters of online activities.
But at the ripe old age of 106, Kathryn Robinson is on her own. Just like the rest of us, regardless of age. Robinson, however, proves that age is not a barrier.
Senator McCain could make this a terrific campaign issue by showing that age or circumstance is not a barrier to computer literacy. He needs to lead by example.
Computer literacy is the great equalizer. Just ask Kathryn Robinson. Or better yet, send her an e-mail.
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
John W. Scherer meets John McCain. Sort of.
This has been a fun week for all of us at Video Professor. The last thing I expected to be involved with was the Presidential Campaign of John McCain.
It all started with this video on YouTube that has had tens of thousands of hits. We don’t know who created the video, but they have a great sense of humor!
Apparently someone from the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Staff was watching and this ended up on YouTube, see Senator McCain morph into the Video Professor.
Senator McCain has been candid about his lack of knowledge with computers. It’s been the fodder for lots of great political satire. Frankly, I’m honored that people made the connection about his need for computer skills and Video Professor.
Just in case Senator McCain sees any of these YouTube videos, I invite him to try any of our Video Professor lessons as I do to all of you.
Computer literacy and laugher are great things, and we could most definitely use a lot more of both.
Like I said, it’s been a fun week!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can contact him at ceo@videoprofessor.com. That includes Senator McCain.You too, Senator Obama.
It all started with this video on YouTube that has had tens of thousands of hits. We don’t know who created the video, but they have a great sense of humor!
Apparently someone from the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Staff was watching and this ended up on YouTube, see Senator McCain morph into the Video Professor.
Senator McCain has been candid about his lack of knowledge with computers. It’s been the fodder for lots of great political satire. Frankly, I’m honored that people made the connection about his need for computer skills and Video Professor.
Just in case Senator McCain sees any of these YouTube videos, I invite him to try any of our Video Professor lessons as I do to all of you.
Computer literacy and laugher are great things, and we could most definitely use a lot more of both.
Like I said, it’s been a fun week!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can contact him at ceo@videoprofessor.com. That includes Senator McCain.You too, Senator Obama.
Friday, July 11, 2008
More dots to connect (to)
Have you ever heard of ICANN? It's not a political campaign phrase, nor some motivational word.
It stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. So what the heck is it? It's the organization that regulates the Internet. I know; sometimes when you're on the Web it's hard to believe that anyone actually regulates it. But ICANN does. Or at least tries to.
And they're about to enact the biggest changes to the way the net has been used in 40 years. (Has it really been that long?)
You're familiar with ".org," ".com," ".edu" and ".gov." These are called TLD's or top-level domain names.
Reuters reports that ICANN has agreed to greatly expand the number of TLD's available. New ones, according to the article will be the Internet equivalent of personalized license plates, except they'll cost more. If you have an extra $100,000 you could have a custom domain name pertaining to just about anything.
Let's say you're General Motors. Think in terms of ".gm." Disneyland.com could become Disneyland.mickey, the endings are limitless.
But just in case you'd try to honor the memory of George Carlin with one of those seven words, they're ahead of you (not quite sure what this means). Like the personalized license plates, I think more than a few folks will find a way to push the limit a tad.
These changes, which still need final approval from ICANN's board or directors, would also reflect languages other than English. The Internet is certainly global, so you could expect ".francais" or ".albergo."
This could create a gold rush of entrepreneurs with tons of cash, to make even more tons of cash beating you to the TLD punch. ICANN says trademarks won't be automatically protected. Which begs the question, what's the point of trademarks? ICANN does say, however, the trademark holders will be given first priority. Good luck with that.
If finally approved, this could all start in 2009. So put on your thinking caps, grab your checkbook and start getting creative.
Let me see, videoprofessor.freecomputerlearning or johnwscherer.trymyproduct.
I like the possibilities!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
It stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. So what the heck is it? It's the organization that regulates the Internet. I know; sometimes when you're on the Web it's hard to believe that anyone actually regulates it. But ICANN does. Or at least tries to.
And they're about to enact the biggest changes to the way the net has been used in 40 years. (Has it really been that long?)
You're familiar with ".org," ".com," ".edu" and ".gov." These are called TLD's or top-level domain names.
Reuters reports that ICANN has agreed to greatly expand the number of TLD's available. New ones, according to the article will be the Internet equivalent of personalized license plates, except they'll cost more. If you have an extra $100,000 you could have a custom domain name pertaining to just about anything.
Let's say you're General Motors. Think in terms of ".gm." Disneyland.com could become Disneyland.mickey, the endings are limitless.
But just in case you'd try to honor the memory of George Carlin with one of those seven words, they're ahead of you (not quite sure what this means). Like the personalized license plates, I think more than a few folks will find a way to push the limit a tad.
These changes, which still need final approval from ICANN's board or directors, would also reflect languages other than English. The Internet is certainly global, so you could expect ".francais" or ".albergo."
This could create a gold rush of entrepreneurs with tons of cash, to make even more tons of cash beating you to the TLD punch. ICANN says trademarks won't be automatically protected. Which begs the question, what's the point of trademarks? ICANN does say, however, the trademark holders will be given first priority. Good luck with that.
If finally approved, this could all start in 2009. So put on your thinking caps, grab your checkbook and start getting creative.
Let me see, videoprofessor.freecomputerlearning or johnwscherer.trymyproduct.
I like the possibilities!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Sweet Land of Liberty!
Sweet Land of Liberty!
In 1776, 232 years ago, an incredibly brave group of men risked their fortunes and their lives to shed the yoke of British tyranny. They did so with one of the more remarkable documents written in the history of mankind: The Declaration of Independence.
Please take a couple of minutes to read it, appreciate it and remember these men and all the men and women who fight today to preserve our freedom.
In Congress, July 4, 1776.
A Declaration
By the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
In GENERAL CONGRESS assembled.
When, in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock Trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Have a happy and safe July 4th weekend everyone.
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
Reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
In 1776, 232 years ago, an incredibly brave group of men risked their fortunes and their lives to shed the yoke of British tyranny. They did so with one of the more remarkable documents written in the history of mankind: The Declaration of Independence.
Please take a couple of minutes to read it, appreciate it and remember these men and all the men and women who fight today to preserve our freedom.
In Congress, July 4, 1776.
A Declaration
By the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
In GENERAL CONGRESS assembled.
When, in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock Trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Have a happy and safe July 4th weekend everyone.
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
Reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, June 27, 2008
Well done and oh yes, thanks Bill!
Any cliché phrases you may read about Microsoft® Founder Bill Gates riding off into the sunset or cleaning out his desk are highly inappropriate. He's riding towards the sunrise and just getting a new desk.
Gates is one guy who is going to work full time and then some to make this world a better place to live. And he's backing it all up with billions of dollars of his own money.
Gates has really led an amazing life and company. Without him and Microsoft, I'm not sure if there ever would have been a Video Professor.
Bill Gates is one of those guys we all knew in college, but never saw out of class. While a lot of his classmates might have been enjoying life off-campus, Gates could be found in his dorm, writing line after line of computer code.
Ultimately what made Bill Gates an incredible success is that he was both an engineer and a marketer, a rare combination.
However, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard in 1973 and he only lasted about a year there. While many of his classmates were reading Playboy® magazine, he was reading Popular Science®. Gates was more of an entrepreneur than a student.
His first deal came with IBM. Then, he and fellow Harvard drop-out and business partner Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1976 in Albuquerque N.M. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Gates, like any successful person in any field has both supporters and detractors. He made mistakes. WebTV was certainly one of them, but simply because it was ahead of its time.
He was also the target of no-small number of anti-trust suits filed by federal and state authorities. Microsoft remains a target of similar suits filed by foreign countries as well. Governments sometimes get cranky when you're too successful.
Gates expected the best from his employees. Any good CEO does. But the list of Microsoft Millionaires and Billionaires is staggering. In the early days, there was more stock handed out than cash. Those who stayed, believed and worked incredible hours were handsomely rewarded.
Wouldn't it be cool if we could go back in time 20 years and buy the stock?
Ultimately look at the programs you use every day on your computer. Word, Outlook®, PowerPoint® and Windows®, to name just a few. Video Professor has been selling millions of lessons on how to use those programs for the past 21 years.
History will judge the true impact of Bill Gates and Microsoft. Yes, the world of computing would have continued on without him, but I doubt it would have progressed as quickly as it did. I think the progress is measured in decades. Bill Gates is one of those rare people that come along every generation or so. He's right up there with Henry Ford, someone else who had the vision no one else did, plus the business-savvy and marketing expertise to take ideas and make them a reality.
Both were doing something others were doing too. They were just better at it.
Vision. It seems to be in short supply these days.
Now Bill Gates' vision is about using his fortune to make the world a better place. He'll make even more mistakes along the way, but successes will far outweigh his failures. Bill and his wife Melinda, through their foundation, are helping to fight AIDS, provide real education to children around the world, and educate people about better ways to farm for the global community.
Gates will be visiting Microsoft's headquarters on a regular basis. I don't blame him. I am curious about how itchy his fingers will be during each visit!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.
Reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Gates is one guy who is going to work full time and then some to make this world a better place to live. And he's backing it all up with billions of dollars of his own money.
Gates has really led an amazing life and company. Without him and Microsoft, I'm not sure if there ever would have been a Video Professor.
Bill Gates is one of those guys we all knew in college, but never saw out of class. While a lot of his classmates might have been enjoying life off-campus, Gates could be found in his dorm, writing line after line of computer code.
Ultimately what made Bill Gates an incredible success is that he was both an engineer and a marketer, a rare combination.
However, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Bill Gates enrolled at Harvard in 1973 and he only lasted about a year there. While many of his classmates were reading Playboy® magazine, he was reading Popular Science®. Gates was more of an entrepreneur than a student.
His first deal came with IBM. Then, he and fellow Harvard drop-out and business partner Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1976 in Albuquerque N.M. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Gates, like any successful person in any field has both supporters and detractors. He made mistakes. WebTV was certainly one of them, but simply because it was ahead of its time.
He was also the target of no-small number of anti-trust suits filed by federal and state authorities. Microsoft remains a target of similar suits filed by foreign countries as well. Governments sometimes get cranky when you're too successful.
Gates expected the best from his employees. Any good CEO does. But the list of Microsoft Millionaires and Billionaires is staggering. In the early days, there was more stock handed out than cash. Those who stayed, believed and worked incredible hours were handsomely rewarded.
Wouldn't it be cool if we could go back in time 20 years and buy the stock?
Ultimately look at the programs you use every day on your computer. Word, Outlook®, PowerPoint® and Windows®, to name just a few. Video Professor has been selling millions of lessons on how to use those programs for the past 21 years.
History will judge the true impact of Bill Gates and Microsoft. Yes, the world of computing would have continued on without him, but I doubt it would have progressed as quickly as it did. I think the progress is measured in decades. Bill Gates is one of those rare people that come along every generation or so. He's right up there with Henry Ford, someone else who had the vision no one else did, plus the business-savvy and marketing expertise to take ideas and make them a reality.
Both were doing something others were doing too. They were just better at it.
Vision. It seems to be in short supply these days.
Now Bill Gates' vision is about using his fortune to make the world a better place. He'll make even more mistakes along the way, but successes will far outweigh his failures. Bill and his wife Melinda, through their foundation, are helping to fight AIDS, provide real education to children around the world, and educate people about better ways to farm for the global community.
Gates will be visiting Microsoft's headquarters on a regular basis. I don't blame him. I am curious about how itchy his fingers will be during each visit!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.
Reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, June 20, 2008
Social Networking Update: Show me the money
I hope you had a chance to read the article in the June 2 edition of BusinessWeek. The headline, Beyond Blogs, really caught my attention.
Back in 2005, an article about blogs was written calling them a "phenomenon" and the next big thing for businesses to communicate. I started this blog in February of 2005 and I remember thinking that it was really quite an amazing feeling, especially for someone who built a business on traditional communication like TV commercials and infomercials.
It took about 10 minutes to set up an account and suddenly the world was mine. I became a global publisher.
Flash forward to 2008 and blogs almost seem quaint in this day of YouTube, Facebook®, MySpace®, Twitter, Linkedin® and Flickr.
BusinessWeek reports that a check on Technorati.com shows there are about 74 million blogs out there, which sounds like a huge universe. The magazine also reports that only a fraction of all bloggers have posted within the last couple of months. According to Technorati™, the real blogging universe is just over five million regular bloggers.
Some blogs have an audience of just a few people, while others have a few hundred; very few blogs have audiences in the hundreds of thousands. The latter are digital movers and shakers, influencing public opinion from arts to politics.
Enter the social networking sites. BusinessWeek is quick to admit it's something they didn't see coming. As fast as our digital world is evolving, I don't blame them.
Along with this blog, I have my Linkedin and Flickr sites. And with a business to run, it's a challenge to find time to post a blog every week and keep my other sites current. So for me, it's enough. Many Video Professor® employees blog, maintain their social networking sites and various departments post their own news and information online.
It's becoming a big business. Newscorp paid $588 million for MySpace. Google® spent $1.65 billion for YouTube. Even in this uncertain economy, venture capitalists are pouring in money and buying stakes in hopes that it's the next big thing.
This is eerily reminiscent of the tech bubble of the late 90's. Gobs of cash were being poured into online ventures that didn't produce anything, or earn anything. Talk about crash and burn.
BusinessWeek warns that the business plans for many of these sites remain blurry. Wall Street likes to get answers to pesky things like expenses and revenue, and not projected numbers, but the real deal.
These sites are so popular with the masses because they're free. If you go to many of the sites you won't see a lot of ads, or even links to ads. So much for the revenue part. BusinessWeek predicts this bubble will also burst. Ultimately it's all about revenue.
I predict social media 2.0 will find a way to live and prosper. Now that so many millions of us have been empowered to communicate from our desktop to the world, there's no stopping us.
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Back in 2005, an article about blogs was written calling them a "phenomenon" and the next big thing for businesses to communicate. I started this blog in February of 2005 and I remember thinking that it was really quite an amazing feeling, especially for someone who built a business on traditional communication like TV commercials and infomercials.
It took about 10 minutes to set up an account and suddenly the world was mine. I became a global publisher.
Flash forward to 2008 and blogs almost seem quaint in this day of YouTube, Facebook®, MySpace®, Twitter, Linkedin® and Flickr.
BusinessWeek reports that a check on Technorati.com shows there are about 74 million blogs out there, which sounds like a huge universe. The magazine also reports that only a fraction of all bloggers have posted within the last couple of months. According to Technorati™, the real blogging universe is just over five million regular bloggers.
Some blogs have an audience of just a few people, while others have a few hundred; very few blogs have audiences in the hundreds of thousands. The latter are digital movers and shakers, influencing public opinion from arts to politics.
Enter the social networking sites. BusinessWeek is quick to admit it's something they didn't see coming. As fast as our digital world is evolving, I don't blame them.
Along with this blog, I have my Linkedin and Flickr sites. And with a business to run, it's a challenge to find time to post a blog every week and keep my other sites current. So for me, it's enough. Many Video Professor® employees blog, maintain their social networking sites and various departments post their own news and information online.
It's becoming a big business. Newscorp paid $588 million for MySpace. Google® spent $1.65 billion for YouTube. Even in this uncertain economy, venture capitalists are pouring in money and buying stakes in hopes that it's the next big thing.
This is eerily reminiscent of the tech bubble of the late 90's. Gobs of cash were being poured into online ventures that didn't produce anything, or earn anything. Talk about crash and burn.
BusinessWeek warns that the business plans for many of these sites remain blurry. Wall Street likes to get answers to pesky things like expenses and revenue, and not projected numbers, but the real deal.
These sites are so popular with the masses because they're free. If you go to many of the sites you won't see a lot of ads, or even links to ads. So much for the revenue part. BusinessWeek predicts this bubble will also burst. Ultimately it's all about revenue.
I predict social media 2.0 will find a way to live and prosper. Now that so many millions of us have been empowered to communicate from our desktop to the world, there's no stopping us.
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach him at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, June 13, 2008
And the survey says: There are no surveys!
As you surf the Internet, it's likely you've come across sites that offer you cash to take a survey, or put money into your PayPal® account for ordering a product from a national brand like Video Professor® or dozens of other nationally known companies.
It sounds like a terrific deal. There's just one problem. It's a potential scam.
Some of these sites are disguised as chat rooms where someone is passing on a "good deal" to you. Other sites disguise themselves as research companies or focus groups.
It's really just a new version of the old "make thousands of dollars stuffing envelopes at home" scam.
I'm using this week's blog to alert you that Video Professor does not authorize in any way, any offer that pays you to take a survey, or pays you to order our product. Anyone who claims otherwise is flat out lying to you.
And we're doing something about it. The following letter is going out to any and all sites that make these fraudulent claims. We're doing this to protect you and us.
Warning Letter
This letter is to notify you that Video Professor will not tolerate being associated in any way with survey or cash-incentive offers being made to consumers through your web site(s). We believe the promotional methods used in making these offers are deceptive and fraudulent. They result in harm to consumers as well as to businesses such as Video Professor.
Offers of this kind typically fail to disclaim that the company whose products are being offered has not sanctioned the survey being presented. Video Professor refuses to have its name or products used in this manner.
To our knowledge you are not currently offering Video Professor products on your web site(s). If however, that is not the case and you indeed are offering our products, we strongly request that you remove all Video Professor product offers from your web site(s) immediately and ensure that your affiliates, sub-affiliates, or others down the line from you do the same. Should we learn subsequent to this letter that you or your affiliates are offering Video Professor products, we will refer this matter to our outside counsel, who have been instructed to initiate appropriate legal action immediately. To the extent you wish to clarify for Video Professor how the business model you employ is not a means of deceiving and defrauding consumers and businesses such as Video Professor, you may contact our outside legal counsel.
Please note that we do not intend to send any further communications regarding this matter. Should you fail to remove our offer as requested, we will take appropriate legal action without delay.
Video Professor makes this communication under reservation of all rights. Nothing contained in or omitted from this letter shall be deemed an admission or omission by Video Professor of any facts or a waiver of any rights or remedies, legal or equitable, which Video Professor may have in connection with this matter.
Simply put, it means STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
Video Professor is in the business of teaching people how to operate and get the most out of their computer and we've been doing so for 21 years. It's easy to order, just call or visit our web site and we'll take care of you. It's what we do.
We don't conduct surveys or make you jump through any other hoops to try the Video Professor products. That's not us.
Should you come across any site or chat room making these claims, please let me know about it because they're not sanctioned or approved by us
If you're ordering only because of a cash incentive, please don't. If you're ordering because you want to learn, please do. Plus it's FREE*
-John
John W. Scherer
CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
ceo@videoprofessor.com
*Visit our web site and see How It Works.
It sounds like a terrific deal. There's just one problem. It's a potential scam.
Some of these sites are disguised as chat rooms where someone is passing on a "good deal" to you. Other sites disguise themselves as research companies or focus groups.
It's really just a new version of the old "make thousands of dollars stuffing envelopes at home" scam.
I'm using this week's blog to alert you that Video Professor does not authorize in any way, any offer that pays you to take a survey, or pays you to order our product. Anyone who claims otherwise is flat out lying to you.
And we're doing something about it. The following letter is going out to any and all sites that make these fraudulent claims. We're doing this to protect you and us.
Warning Letter
This letter is to notify you that Video Professor will not tolerate being associated in any way with survey or cash-incentive offers being made to consumers through your web site(s). We believe the promotional methods used in making these offers are deceptive and fraudulent. They result in harm to consumers as well as to businesses such as Video Professor.
Offers of this kind typically fail to disclaim that the company whose products are being offered has not sanctioned the survey being presented. Video Professor refuses to have its name or products used in this manner.
To our knowledge you are not currently offering Video Professor products on your web site(s). If however, that is not the case and you indeed are offering our products, we strongly request that you remove all Video Professor product offers from your web site(s) immediately and ensure that your affiliates, sub-affiliates, or others down the line from you do the same. Should we learn subsequent to this letter that you or your affiliates are offering Video Professor products, we will refer this matter to our outside counsel, who have been instructed to initiate appropriate legal action immediately. To the extent you wish to clarify for Video Professor how the business model you employ is not a means of deceiving and defrauding consumers and businesses such as Video Professor, you may contact our outside legal counsel.
Please note that we do not intend to send any further communications regarding this matter. Should you fail to remove our offer as requested, we will take appropriate legal action without delay.
Video Professor makes this communication under reservation of all rights. Nothing contained in or omitted from this letter shall be deemed an admission or omission by Video Professor of any facts or a waiver of any rights or remedies, legal or equitable, which Video Professor may have in connection with this matter.
Simply put, it means STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
Video Professor is in the business of teaching people how to operate and get the most out of their computer and we've been doing so for 21 years. It's easy to order, just call or visit our web site and we'll take care of you. It's what we do.
We don't conduct surveys or make you jump through any other hoops to try the Video Professor products. That's not us.
Should you come across any site or chat room making these claims, please let me know about it because they're not sanctioned or approved by us
If you're ordering only because of a cash incentive, please don't. If you're ordering because you want to learn, please do. Plus it's FREE*
-John
John W. Scherer
CEO & Founder of Video Professor, Inc.
ceo@videoprofessor.com
*Visit our web site and see How It Works.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Twilight Zone to Lost. From water cooler to the Web.
The other day I noticed that you can view original episodes of "The Twilight Zone" at cbs.com. They have seasons one through three. Just pick your favorite episode, sit back and enjoy as host and creator Rod Serling tells you that "there is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man."
It got me thinking how almost 50 years after these original episodes aired, the Internet has impacted the way we watch television shows, plus interact with them and even have input into storylines.
Take the hit series Lost on ABC. Sure, it has a huge viewing audience. But it also has numerous web sites, blogs and podcasts dedicated to it. You can watch it, then chat online with fellow fans, listen to some great podcasts produced not only by ABC®, but also by Lost fans on their computers. The best of them is The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack. http://www.jayandjack.com/ You don't even have to watch the show on your TV. You can watch it online or on your iPod®.
Borrowing a page from Lost, let's flashback to the 60's and The Twilight Zone. During this time, it was an absolute classic show, and similar in many ways to Lost; always eerie and unpredictable. However, talking about it was limited to the water cooler or writing a letter to the network and that was it.
Today's producers of hit shows pay close attention to what fans are or aren't saying on the ‘Net. They read posts and blogs, listen to podcasts and interact directly with you. Many times you can chat online with the show's stars and producers.
Imagine being able to go online and chat with Rod Serling. Or discuss a show or ideas for a show online with fellow fans. Well, it's heading that way. Google The Twilight Zone and you'll get a lot of hits, but no chats with Serling.
I wonder if Rod Serling's fertile imagination ever thought this could happen? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he did. It might have made for a fun episode of The Twilight Zone.
He'd have to re-write the intro a bit to something along the lines of "you're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up-ahead: your next stop: the Internet."
-John
John W. Scherer
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com.
PS. I post this on June 6th, 2008. It was 64 years ago that Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy leading to the end of World War II. Let's not ever forget that day.
It got me thinking how almost 50 years after these original episodes aired, the Internet has impacted the way we watch television shows, plus interact with them and even have input into storylines.
Take the hit series Lost on ABC. Sure, it has a huge viewing audience. But it also has numerous web sites, blogs and podcasts dedicated to it. You can watch it, then chat online with fellow fans, listen to some great podcasts produced not only by ABC®, but also by Lost fans on their computers. The best of them is The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack. http://www.jayandjack.com/ You don't even have to watch the show on your TV. You can watch it online or on your iPod®.
Borrowing a page from Lost, let's flashback to the 60's and The Twilight Zone. During this time, it was an absolute classic show, and similar in many ways to Lost; always eerie and unpredictable. However, talking about it was limited to the water cooler or writing a letter to the network and that was it.
Today's producers of hit shows pay close attention to what fans are or aren't saying on the ‘Net. They read posts and blogs, listen to podcasts and interact directly with you. Many times you can chat online with the show's stars and producers.
Imagine being able to go online and chat with Rod Serling. Or discuss a show or ideas for a show online with fellow fans. Well, it's heading that way. Google The Twilight Zone and you'll get a lot of hits, but no chats with Serling.
I wonder if Rod Serling's fertile imagination ever thought this could happen? It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he did. It might have made for a fun episode of The Twilight Zone.
He'd have to re-write the intro a bit to something along the lines of "you're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up-ahead: your next stop: the Internet."
-John
John W. Scherer
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com.
PS. I post this on June 6th, 2008. It was 64 years ago that Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy leading to the end of World War II. Let's not ever forget that day.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Having a bad day? Check this out.
Two stories this week caught my eye. The first offers a dramatic picture of a United States Marine ducking for cover as an enemy bullet misses him by maybe an inch. I don’t have rights to the picture so here’s a link to the article on FOXNews.com. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356574,00.html
The picture was taken in Afghanistan. It will be one of those pictures that will live on for awhile. It’s definitely a picture worth a million words.
The other story was on the front page of the Denver Post. Huge crowds lined up along the streets of Loveland, Colo to say goodbye to a local soldier killed in Afghanistan. All were waving flags, saluting or both. Again, I don’t have rights to the pictures but here’s the link to that story. Bravo to the people of Loveland. http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_9315743
I hope you get the chance to read both stories, see the pictures and feel the emotions that both generate.
Since Memorial Day was earlier this week, let’s remember this week to never forget the sacrifices others are making for our freedom. Regardless of your opinions of the war, hundreds of thousand of brave men and women volunteered for this job. They’re fighting to protect us all.
So, if the workload at the office seems a bit heavy, maybe traffic was bad on the way to work and you’re feeling a bit put out by it all, check out the picture of the Marine in Afghanistan or the folks lined up in Loveland to salute a fallen hero and hopefully it will put things in perspective for you. It sure did for me.
Our staff supports a young soldier stationed in southern Baghdad. We got him a laptop with a webcam so he can keep in touch with his family and our employees send out regular packages of goodies ranging from sweets to wet wipes.
His response is generally simple: thanks for remembering, thanks for caring. His messages are usually short; he has to get back to the job of defending our freedom often while he mourns the loss of fallen comrades.
But here’s a direct quote from a recent e-mail that caught all of our attention, and brought a tear to our eyes:
“Things are starting to get worse around here and a lot more attacks on coalition forces so kind of scary but we should be okay as long as I make it till August so I can see my baby boy born.”
Let’s honor and remember them each and every day.
-John
John W. Scherer
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
The picture was taken in Afghanistan. It will be one of those pictures that will live on for awhile. It’s definitely a picture worth a million words.
The other story was on the front page of the Denver Post. Huge crowds lined up along the streets of Loveland, Colo to say goodbye to a local soldier killed in Afghanistan. All were waving flags, saluting or both. Again, I don’t have rights to the pictures but here’s the link to that story. Bravo to the people of Loveland. http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_9315743
I hope you get the chance to read both stories, see the pictures and feel the emotions that both generate.
Since Memorial Day was earlier this week, let’s remember this week to never forget the sacrifices others are making for our freedom. Regardless of your opinions of the war, hundreds of thousand of brave men and women volunteered for this job. They’re fighting to protect us all.
So, if the workload at the office seems a bit heavy, maybe traffic was bad on the way to work and you’re feeling a bit put out by it all, check out the picture of the Marine in Afghanistan or the folks lined up in Loveland to salute a fallen hero and hopefully it will put things in perspective for you. It sure did for me.
Our staff supports a young soldier stationed in southern Baghdad. We got him a laptop with a webcam so he can keep in touch with his family and our employees send out regular packages of goodies ranging from sweets to wet wipes.
His response is generally simple: thanks for remembering, thanks for caring. His messages are usually short; he has to get back to the job of defending our freedom often while he mourns the loss of fallen comrades.
But here’s a direct quote from a recent e-mail that caught all of our attention, and brought a tear to our eyes:
“Things are starting to get worse around here and a lot more attacks on coalition forces so kind of scary but we should be okay as long as I make it till August so I can see my baby boy born.”
Let’s honor and remember them each and every day.
-John
John W. Scherer
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, May 23, 2008
Web 3.0 base here. The blog has landed.
Just when we were getting used to the idea of Web 2.0, along comes Web 3.0. I just read a piece about it by Joe Marchese in his Online Spin column titled “MySpace, Facebook and Google: Racing For Web 3.0.”
Wikipedia describes Web 3.0 as “the future of the World Wide Web,” noting that many “technologists, journalists, and industry leaders have used the term … to hypothesize about a future wave of Internet innovation.
Think of all this in terms of Captain Kirk and his crew going boldly out into space, searching for what is yet undiscovered. In this case, however, if nothing can be found, it will simply be invented.
Marchese reports that everyone from Google® to Facebook® to MySpace® is launching new technology to make social networking more social than ever. What you choose to share will simply follow you around on Web 3.0.
I agree with him that most of us living on Main Street, USA on Web 2.0 are hard pressed to keep up. The question now, I guess, is just how social do we have to be?
I blogged about this a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. remains more a nation of voyeurs than the creators on Web 2.0. Other nations have a much higher percentage of folks creating actual content on the Internet than we do. But it is indeed a World Wide Web. Soon, Web 3.0 will be the new jargon du jour. Sacre Blue!
During the Cold War we worried about the missile gap. Now we might have to start worrying about the social gap.
I’m not the only person here at Video Professor experimenting with various social media. Personally, I’m really getting into Flickr.com and Linkedin.com®. There are other new social sites, the hottest and latest, is Fubar.com. I’m not a fan of that one, but that’s me. You barely register and within seconds people are following you in cyber land. How do I know? I receive e-mails telling me this. Some of it feels a tad creepy. However, to Fubar.com’s credit, they have very good privacy settings.
Ultimately all of us will have an ever-increasing multitude of ways to express ourselves on the Web. A few are always way ahead of the power curve when it comes to the proverbial cutting edge. Then there’s the big chunk of us in the middle who are still dipping our toes in the water. O.K., our whole foot. And so far, the water’s fine. However, 20 percent of Americans still don’t even have access to a computer, that’s 60 million people!
Is a new class structure evolving in the world? Not based on socio-economic background, but computer savvy? It seems to look that way.
This is all something we pay very close attention to here at Video Professor, and if it’s hot, our production team is likely working on a way for you to learn more about it.
To paraphrase an old saying, the more things change, the more things change!
-John
John W. Scherer
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Share your thoughts with me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, May 16, 2008
Video Professor and Nine Inch Nails. It’s all about FREE.
I must admit, I never thought I’d see Video Professor and Nine Inch Nails in the same sentence. But, this is a band that knows how to market itself and honestly, I like the way they’re doing it.
Several news outlets including the New York Times report that the band’s new album, “The Slip” is available online. O,K., that’s not news. What is news is how they’re offering the album. FREE!
Sound familiar? It did to me!
When we began offering FREE CD lessons to introduce you to the quality and ease of learning with Video Professor, sales rocketed. From that day on, we never looked back.
The music business is currently in a bit of a slump. People aren’t buying complete albums anymore and CD sales just aren’t what they used to be. Using services like iTunes®, music lovers can buy individual songs rather than purchase an entire album. The way people listen to music has changed, and so is the way bands should market it.
So, why is Nine Inch Nails trying the free-marketing approach? Well, for one thing, they have a tour coming up shortly. People will still pay to see hot bands and what better way to get fans to see you live than by giving them a taste of what they’ll see in concert?
According to the article I read in the New York Times, titled “Nine Inch Nails Album Is Free Online” not everyone thinks this will work. But I agree with the band’s manager Jim Guerinot who said “I think free has been very important for a long time.” He said this free offer by the band makes a point to people; “Acknowledge what the marketplace is already showing us: free exists whether you want to acknowledge it or not. Let’s acknowledge that, use it and do something with it.”
I couldn’t agree more.
-John
John W. Scherer
CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, May 09, 2008
Are you all a twitter about Twitter®?
I continue to be absolutely fascinated by what is often called, social media. It truly is one of the great things about Web 2.0.
The latest, at least for me, is something called Twitter.com, a combination of blogs, instant messenger and e-mail delivered at warp speed. But this site is all about brevity, you only get 140 characters per message.
If you want to check on who is twittering about what, go register at tweetscan.com.
My other favorite is the Linkedin.com® business networking site, considered a MySpace® for adults and business professionals. One of my staff told me that he recently linked up with a friend from his college days, which was over 35 years ago. As a result of this, he linked up with several mutual friends.
LinkedIn.com is similar to a pyramid scheme, but in a good way. You link to people and then you can link to the people they’re linked to. You can link to companies you work for or have worked for, and even to the college you attended. We have a member of staff here that is linked to over a million people through her direct links. That’s what we call networking!
You can e-mail, exchange information and gossip in an organized and easy-to-use fashion.
Another site you might want to check out is fubar.com, an online bar and happy hour. I haven’t signed up yet, but it’s one of the fastest growing social media sites today.
I mentioned last week that even though many of us blog, we’re still trailing behind a great deal of countries. We are a country of voyeurs instead of creators. I maintain a schedule myself, promising to put out a blog every Friday.
If you want to really dive into the blogosphere and see what people are talking about, visit blogpulse.com.
Have a web site? See how it ranks across the World Wide Web using Socialmeter.com.
Where is it all headed? I have no idea, but it sure is fun to join in!
-John
John W. Scherer
CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, May 02, 2008
Web 2.0 status report. We’ve got some catching up to do.
First there was the Internet; then something called Web 2.0 came along. The Internet was basically a collection of web sites. You clicked, you went and you viewed. Web 2.0 is the next generation and provides a full-fledged computing platform that includes blogs, wiki’s, online video, widgets and any number of ways to express yourself.
Some of the newer tutorials we offer are reflective of this new format. Lessons like Learn Online Investing, Learn Online Travel and Learn How to Buy and Sell on eBay® are very popular with our customers.
Web 2.0 is also proving to be an extremely effective political-campaign tool. Campaigns can generate huge amounts of cash through the Internet, political blogs are everywhere and anyone with a computer can sound off for or against the candidates. Bloggers have joined traditional campaigns as pundits where their opinions are valued.
That said, I was a bit surprised to read an article titled "U.S. Lags in Social Media Creation, per Survey" in Adweek® magazine that says we are lagging behind computer users in Asia and South America. While Americans tend to share videos and read blogs, people in these countries tend to be far more active in creating content.
This quote from that article really sums it all up:
"By and large, in the U.S. we're a country of voyeurs", said David Cohen, U.S. director of digital communications at Interpublic Group's Universal McCann, which conducted the study. "We love to watch and consume content created by others, but there's a fairly small group that are doing that creation -- unlike China, which is a country of creators."
According to Adweek, 26 percent of Americans have their own blogs, compared to 70 percent of people in South Korea and China.
Interpublic Group's Universal McCann® advertising agency conducted the survey of 17,000 Internet users over 18 months. Europeans join us as laggards.
In a way, I’m not surprised. Japan has had HDTV for decades, while here in the U.S. it’s only just beginning to come into its own.
Are we simply cautious or are we technophobes? Personally, I think it’s a bit of both. While we launch more and more tutorials that help you maximize the benefits of Web 2.0, so many customers still come to us for the basics.
I encourage you to get out there and create. Picture sharing sites like Flickr.com, video sites like YouTube.com and even new sites like Twitter.com allow you the chance to express yourself or connect to the world like never before. Join a site called Linkedin.com and you’ll be hearing from old friends you haven’t seen in years.
Such expression used to be limited solely to broadcasters and publishers. The great thing about Web 2.0 is it empowers all of us to express our thoughts and opinions, share pictures of the grandkids or catch up with long-lost friends.
So use it, enjoy it and let’s catch up with the rest of the world by creating.
-John
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Some of the newer tutorials we offer are reflective of this new format. Lessons like Learn Online Investing, Learn Online Travel and Learn How to Buy and Sell on eBay® are very popular with our customers.
Web 2.0 is also proving to be an extremely effective political-campaign tool. Campaigns can generate huge amounts of cash through the Internet, political blogs are everywhere and anyone with a computer can sound off for or against the candidates. Bloggers have joined traditional campaigns as pundits where their opinions are valued.
That said, I was a bit surprised to read an article titled "U.S. Lags in Social Media Creation, per Survey" in Adweek® magazine that says we are lagging behind computer users in Asia and South America. While Americans tend to share videos and read blogs, people in these countries tend to be far more active in creating content.
This quote from that article really sums it all up:
"By and large, in the U.S. we're a country of voyeurs", said David Cohen, U.S. director of digital communications at Interpublic Group's Universal McCann, which conducted the study. "We love to watch and consume content created by others, but there's a fairly small group that are doing that creation -- unlike China, which is a country of creators."
According to Adweek, 26 percent of Americans have their own blogs, compared to 70 percent of people in South Korea and China.
Interpublic Group's Universal McCann® advertising agency conducted the survey of 17,000 Internet users over 18 months. Europeans join us as laggards.
In a way, I’m not surprised. Japan has had HDTV for decades, while here in the U.S. it’s only just beginning to come into its own.
Are we simply cautious or are we technophobes? Personally, I think it’s a bit of both. While we launch more and more tutorials that help you maximize the benefits of Web 2.0, so many customers still come to us for the basics.
I encourage you to get out there and create. Picture sharing sites like Flickr.com, video sites like YouTube.com and even new sites like Twitter.com allow you the chance to express yourself or connect to the world like never before. Join a site called Linkedin.com and you’ll be hearing from old friends you haven’t seen in years.
Such expression used to be limited solely to broadcasters and publishers. The great thing about Web 2.0 is it empowers all of us to express our thoughts and opinions, share pictures of the grandkids or catch up with long-lost friends.
So use it, enjoy it and let’s catch up with the rest of the world by creating.
-John
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
In a complicated world, simple still works
I just completed a series of interviews with Bob Regular, the editor and publisher of Adotas.com, which is a terrific web publication with a core audience of movers and shakers in the e-commerce industry. These are the folks who have set up shop on Web 2.0
The interview reminded me of how much our society has evolved in the way we communicate because the interviews will be in both text and video format on the Adotas web site. Just a couple of weeks ago I was a guest on “FOX & Friends®” and also on the “FOX Business Channel.” These were both traditional media interviews. However, a few minutes later these same interviews were available on the “FOX News®” web site. This time around was again a video interview with Adotas, but streamed directly to you via the Internet accompanied with a text version.
Bob Regular (left) of Adotas.com interviews John W. Scherer
During the one-hour interview, we focused on just how Video Professor has grown and succeeded for 21 years by keeping our communications processes simple.
Video Professor is a vertically integrated company. Our creative services, web design, SEO, public affairs, legal and marketing are all under one roof. We even have our own television studio and our creative teams, who work in both video and the Internet, have all the bells and whistles to produce spectacular material.
What we’ve learned thus far is that you can’t let these bells, whistles and other toys distract from the message.
Outside vendors, contractors, web design companies etc, come to us every day with all sorts of ideas. They tell us to fancy this up, or add elements to this and that. The few times we actually listened, it didn’t work.
I think this is especially the case with social media. What is often lost in the conversation is the importance of clarity of message. Does it pass the “so what” test?
Our commercials and infomercials focus more on our product than the pizzazz, the value and benefit instead of the gaudy flash. The same goes for our web site. It’s basic, easy-to-navigate and gets you where you want to go with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency.
This makes selling easy and service after the sale even easier. It’s worked for 21 years and we plan on being around for much longer! This isn’t about resisting change, but actually embracing change without losing focus on the simplicity of the message. There are multiple pipelines to consumers these days and we use them all. Customers are busy, they want to find out what we have to offer, and then order what they want. If they need help after the sale, getting service should be just as quick and easy. As I told Regular during our interview, everyone in this building is focused on the customer. It’s simple, but it works.
During my interview, I was asked more than once to give advice to the young entrepreneurs just starting out.
First and foremost you have to get your brand out there. When we were starting out at Video Professor, we quickly found out that television was a good way to do this. However, it was, and still is expensive. But, you have to have your name and product or service available to as many eyeballs as possible. For us, the investment paid off.
The visibility through our commercials and infomercials has made transitioning our brand to the Web much easier than if we were starting from scratch. The Web, web sites and social networks can be much cheaper and just as efficient for new businesses today.
Your web site design must be clean, uncluttered and easy to navigate. Your customer comes to your site to either learn more about your product or to buy it. Make it simple.
You should maintain a relentless focus on customer service throughout the process. You will get complaints. They are part of business. But, how you field these issues could be the difference between success and failure.
Don’t let a very few negatives slow you down, keep your focus on that 99 percent of successful sales.
Looking back at the last 21 years and looking forward to the next 21 years, I remain so very excited about what we’ve accomplished the millions we’ve taught and the terrific new products and services we have planned for the future.
We plan to always keep it simple and direct. You can count on everyone at Video Professor to provide you with the tools that make learning easy and if you ever have a question or concern, we’re just a phone call or e-mail away.
-John
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Thursday, April 17, 2008
If we all give a little, together we can make a big difference.
All of us here at Video Professor have “adopted” a young soldier from Ft. Hood, Texas who is currently deployed in southern Iraq. He contacted us last fall to help him out getting a laptop computer with a webcam. As a PFC, his salary doesn’t allow for such things. His wife and young daughter will not see him again for about 15 months. With the laptop and webcam he’ll be able to send video messages back home so when he returns safely, his daughter will still know her daddy.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent e-mail he sent us.
“Yeah so I am in-country Im staying at FOP Falcon in southern Baghdad its not a great area at all and the cease fire between sunis and shiites was just thrown out the window and the one who stopped it called on "a million men to rise up and kill americans" so this deployment might be interusting LOL we have been taking mortar and RPG attacks on the FOP just about everyday and when we flew in on the choppers they tried shooting mine down but since they just spray and pray they are not really accurate at all.”
Wow.
Imagine having all this as part of your typical work day. He volunteered for this mission. But this young trooper, along with tens of thousands of others is taking the fight to the enemy so we can work, play and enjoy life safely here at home.
I am so very, very proud of him and all those who service. We have an employee club here at Video Professor called Seasons. We’ll be collecting items he’s requested for him and his unit. It’s simply the stuff we all take for granted. Razors, wet wipes and of course, cookies!
Our team is already at work gathering boxes and boxes of goodies and we’ll be shipping them off to his unit shortly.
I know this war has both its supporters and detractors. But we can all agree that the incredible sacrifices made by these men and women who wear the uniform are again done so voluntarily. Regardless of your support of the war, I encourage you not to forget them one single day.
There are numerous ways to support these troops including the USO, the Fisher House and many others. But be careful when supporting any charity. There are some out there who claim to help out and simply spend the money on salaries and fancy offices. A good way to check is to go to www.charitynavigator.com to find out which are the most efficient in making sure what you donate, goes to where it is supposed to.
Also on the subject of giving, we got a wonderful thank you note from Mag Strittmatter who is the Executive Director of the Jefferson County Action Center. She thanked Video Professor’s employee club, Seasons, for donating Easter Baskets and also personal items for the growing number of people the Center serves.
We also got a kind note from Jean Owens of the Five Acres project in Altadena, CA. They work with abused kids through treatment and education including computer literacy. Five Acres is one of several non-profits that include computer literacy in their programs that we provide lessons to each year.
These thank you notes are always appreciated, but I often feel it’s we who should be saying thanks. Thanks for the opportunity to give and make a difference, but especially thanks for the good feeling one has when doing so.
-John
John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder, Video Professor, Inc.
Contact me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Monday, April 14, 2008
Is all the talk about green really about the green?
Two stories caught my attention this past week. The first was a cover story by TIME® Magazine about ethanol, which describes this alternative fuel as a scam. A great deal of money is being spent to promote ethanol, which is made from corn and sugarcane. It is supposed to make the U.S. less reliant on foreign oil. At least one domestic automobile company makes a majority of its cars and trucks to run on both conventional and ethanol fuels.
The other story involves former Vice President Al Gore’s $300 million campaign to mobilize the nation for a huge reduction in greenhouse emissions. An article in the Washington Post® newspaper called “Gore Launches Ambitious Advocacy Campaign on Climate” says that Gore’s campaign is, “One of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history.” I’ve seen the spots; they’re very well done.
I’m all for anything to make our planet cleaner, we waste too much, pollute too much and I know that we can do better. Our own efforts in providing Video Professor® tutorials online, uploaded directly to your computer instead of using CD-ROM’s with all the packaging, could certainly be characterized as a green initiative. Truth be known, it’s simply a quicker and more efficient way for you to learn from our ever-growing list of computer tutorial lessons. Streaming directly to your computer does save a lot of trees. But, we think it’s both fair and honest to simply promote ease of use to you as a customer.
Another point about ethanol; producing it from corn actually takes more energy than it generates. It’s also impacting the price you pay for corn-based products at the grocery store. TIME claims that one person could be fed for 365 days on the amount of corn needed to fill up one SUV with ethanol, check out what passes for corn at some supermarkets. The puny little ears of corn are given to us, while the good stuff goes to ethanol plants.
TIME reports sugarcane-based ethanol does actually deliver as far as energy efficiency, but at the expense of potentially wiping out jungle areas like the Amazon rain forest. There’s a remarkable picture in the article to back it up, showing areas of the Amazon looking more like the plains of Nebraska.
Some supporters of Gore’s campaign are among those who rail against nuclear power and oil. Yet France, for example, produces 80 percent of its power with nuclear plants. Norway allows oil drilling along 80 percent of its coastline, which is as an example of all that is good about government and society.
In contrast, here in the U.S., regulatory rules make it all but impossible to build new refineries, or tap into the proven and immense oil reserves off the coast of California and Alaska. As for nuclear power, forget about it.
It seems, at least to me, that the biggest obstacles towards a genuine and productive debate about keeping this planet pristine are politics and the almighty dollar. You know, the greenback. Pun intended.
However, we cannot forget that not only are China and India emerging industrial powers, they are polluting far more than the U.S. More than one Olympic athlete is concerned about competing this summer in Beijing because of the incredibly polluted air. Bicycles are being replaced by extremely inefficient cars that cause pollution in both nations, as workers can now afford to buy them. These countries have far less stringent emissions policies than we do. One of the reasons gasoline is becoming so expensive is the demand from China and India.
To their credit, American consumers are turning more and more to hybrid cars. Ironically it was General Motors that had the technology decades ago, but they weren’t prepared to take the initial loss of actually producing a hybrid electric car. Gas was cheap and plentiful, and oh how we loved those big Buicks and Caddies. However, the situation has changed and this time it is Toyota who is ready to play the hybrid game. Game, set, match.
If we’re going to talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. An hour on the evening of Saturday, March 29 was reserved for a so-called Earth Hour; a time to turn off the lights and everything electric. “NBC® News” promoted it heavily. “NBC” regularly reports on global warming, unless there’s a snowstorm. “NBC” is owned by GE and guess what? The lights on the GE building were ablaze against the New York City skyline during the whole hour, just like the hour before and the hour after.
I have nothing against people making a profit on green technology. Wind and solar power are two examples that come to mind. Two companies that produce wind-generated power are located here in Colorado. We welcome them. I hope they make a dandy profit for their efforts. My problem is with people who try and make a buck by marketing something as green when really it isn’t. Like ethanol.
So when the next big green thing comes along, read between the lines. I fear that the heavy marketing of going green may actually dilute the importance of the bigger message. Green could end up like the Atkins® diet. Hot for a while, then it simply disappears. Planet Earth and the maintenance thereof shouldn’t be a fad.
In the meantime, recycle. It’s a start and you know for sure you’re making a difference.
-John
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
The other story involves former Vice President Al Gore’s $300 million campaign to mobilize the nation for a huge reduction in greenhouse emissions. An article in the Washington Post® newspaper called “Gore Launches Ambitious Advocacy Campaign on Climate” says that Gore’s campaign is, “One of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history.” I’ve seen the spots; they’re very well done.
I’m all for anything to make our planet cleaner, we waste too much, pollute too much and I know that we can do better. Our own efforts in providing Video Professor® tutorials online, uploaded directly to your computer instead of using CD-ROM’s with all the packaging, could certainly be characterized as a green initiative. Truth be known, it’s simply a quicker and more efficient way for you to learn from our ever-growing list of computer tutorial lessons. Streaming directly to your computer does save a lot of trees. But, we think it’s both fair and honest to simply promote ease of use to you as a customer.
Another point about ethanol; producing it from corn actually takes more energy than it generates. It’s also impacting the price you pay for corn-based products at the grocery store. TIME claims that one person could be fed for 365 days on the amount of corn needed to fill up one SUV with ethanol, check out what passes for corn at some supermarkets. The puny little ears of corn are given to us, while the good stuff goes to ethanol plants.
TIME reports sugarcane-based ethanol does actually deliver as far as energy efficiency, but at the expense of potentially wiping out jungle areas like the Amazon rain forest. There’s a remarkable picture in the article to back it up, showing areas of the Amazon looking more like the plains of Nebraska.
Some supporters of Gore’s campaign are among those who rail against nuclear power and oil. Yet France, for example, produces 80 percent of its power with nuclear plants. Norway allows oil drilling along 80 percent of its coastline, which is as an example of all that is good about government and society.
In contrast, here in the U.S., regulatory rules make it all but impossible to build new refineries, or tap into the proven and immense oil reserves off the coast of California and Alaska. As for nuclear power, forget about it.
It seems, at least to me, that the biggest obstacles towards a genuine and productive debate about keeping this planet pristine are politics and the almighty dollar. You know, the greenback. Pun intended.
However, we cannot forget that not only are China and India emerging industrial powers, they are polluting far more than the U.S. More than one Olympic athlete is concerned about competing this summer in Beijing because of the incredibly polluted air. Bicycles are being replaced by extremely inefficient cars that cause pollution in both nations, as workers can now afford to buy them. These countries have far less stringent emissions policies than we do. One of the reasons gasoline is becoming so expensive is the demand from China and India.
To their credit, American consumers are turning more and more to hybrid cars. Ironically it was General Motors that had the technology decades ago, but they weren’t prepared to take the initial loss of actually producing a hybrid electric car. Gas was cheap and plentiful, and oh how we loved those big Buicks and Caddies. However, the situation has changed and this time it is Toyota who is ready to play the hybrid game. Game, set, match.
If we’re going to talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. An hour on the evening of Saturday, March 29 was reserved for a so-called Earth Hour; a time to turn off the lights and everything electric. “NBC® News” promoted it heavily. “NBC” regularly reports on global warming, unless there’s a snowstorm. “NBC” is owned by GE and guess what? The lights on the GE building were ablaze against the New York City skyline during the whole hour, just like the hour before and the hour after.
I have nothing against people making a profit on green technology. Wind and solar power are two examples that come to mind. Two companies that produce wind-generated power are located here in Colorado. We welcome them. I hope they make a dandy profit for their efforts. My problem is with people who try and make a buck by marketing something as green when really it isn’t. Like ethanol.
So when the next big green thing comes along, read between the lines. I fear that the heavy marketing of going green may actually dilute the importance of the bigger message. Green could end up like the Atkins® diet. Hot for a while, then it simply disappears. Planet Earth and the maintenance thereof shouldn’t be a fad.
In the meantime, recycle. It’s a start and you know for sure you’re making a difference.
-John
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, April 04, 2008
My week in the Big Apple and appearing on “FOX News”
Being the Video Professor, I appear on television frequently. When I’m not on the air doing commercials, I’m spending time doing interviews like I just did in New York City on both the “FOX Business Channel” and “FOX & Friends® programs.”
About the only similarity between a commercial and television news is the television part. Otherwise everything is different. Commercials are scripted, taped and if you make a mistake you can do it all over again.
News, on the other hand, is live, which really makes the whole experience exciting. While it was my first appearance on the new “FOX Business Channel,” this was my third time on “FOX & Friends.”
As usual, “FOX News®” takes great care of their guests. Everyone on their staff including producers, the technical crew and of course the various program hosts and anchors are simply the nicest and most professional people you’d ever want to meet. They even sent a car to my hotel to get me to the studio for both appearances.
“FOX Business Channel” is a recent addition to the “FOX News” network. They’ve assembled a terrific team of people and are quickly becoming the television source for business news. I think what makes “FOX Business Channel” stand out is they really understand they are communicating with both Wall Street and Main Street, USA. They make business news easy to understand, whether you own a business or you’re a consumer.
FOX Business News Anchor Peter Barnes with John W. Scherer
Each appearance starts with a trip to makeup. Then you wait for your segment to begin in the green room. It’s a comfortable place to sit and watch the broadcast, catch a snack or a much needed cup of coffee when you’re appearing on an early morning news show, like I did. Usually other guests are there as well, so it’s also a good place to meet people.
Then a staff member takes you up to the studio, they clip a microphone on you and all of a sudden you’re live. It’s amazing how fast it all happens. When I shoot our commercials and infomercials we can spend two full days shooting segments. But when it’s live, you better be ready with your message because you get just one chance to get it right.
Getting miked and ready to go live!
What made the experience both easy and fun were the anchors at “FOX News.” I’ve worked with Peter Barnes on “FOX Business” and my friends Brian Kilmeade and Steve Doocy on “FOX & Friends” before, but I was thrilled to meet Gretchen Carlson for the first time. All of them are exactly like you see them on the air; friendly, energetic and gracious.
L-R Steve Doocy, John W. Scherer, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade
“FOX News” really does live up to its reputation of being fair and balanced. What makes them special is that they are a kind, decent and caring group of professionals.
Special thanks go to David Brown, the Executive Producer of “FOX & Friends,” along with “FOX News” producers Laurie Weiner, Elise Sabbath, Michelle Brier and Shayla Bezdrob. They’re talented, professional and quite simply, just some very nice folks.
I can’t wait to go back and see them again.
-John
John W. Scherer, CEO & founder, Video Professor, Inc.
You can reach me by e-mail at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, March 28, 2008
From HAL to Dextre, fiction becomes reality
Robots have always played a key role in science fiction, from R2D2 and C3PO to Robby the Robot. Some are portrayed as friendly while others are represented as evil creatures. Science fiction has often been an accurate predictor of things to come and robots are no exception.
Who can forget the menacing and evil HAL from the classic “2001: A Space Odyssey”? Unlike the scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz,” HAL did indeed have a brain and an attitude.
I was reminded of all this while watching the just-completed shuttle mission to the International Space Station where astronauts installed a Canadian-built robot named Dextre. The robot will conduct a great deal of work that would have previously been done by astronauts during dangerous spacewalks. Crew members are already referring to him in the first person.
Here on earth, robots and robotic devices are playing an increasingly important role in our lives. Robots have improved how we build things and even how we conduct commerce. You can already buy robotic lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners. The car that you drive was most likely assembled in part by robotic machines. There’s a very good reason for all this. Computer controlled robots never call in sick. They don’t take vacations or coffee breaks and once you buy them, they work for free.
Notice I’m mentioning computers in the same sentence as robots? That’s why all of this is so interesting to me.
If you watch local or national news on television you’re actually seeing robots in action. No, not the anchors, but the cameras pointed at them. They are robotic, and several of them are operated by just one technician. Often the cameras are pre-programmed by computers to move around the studio. Every time I’m interviewed on a news show, I get a kick out of watching the cameras zooming around the studio, automatically setting up for different shots.
Perhaps the most human-looking robot is one designed by Honda. Its name is ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility). It’s about the size of a 10-year-old child. It can walk and run and is designed to be an assistant. This robot is a drone, meaning it doesn’t think for itself. Think of it as C3PO Version 1.0. ASIMO is expensive, about the cost of a car and not nearly as useful. However, it is a good experiment in technology.
Where is all this headed? Perhaps you saw the Steven Spielberg film “A.I.” (Artificial Intelligence) starring Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law. The film presents a rather apocalyptic view of humanoid robots. It doesn’t have a happy ending, like I said in the beginning; science fiction has a way of becoming real.
The difference between science fiction and reality is whether we will choose to program these machines or if we decide to make them so they can think for themselves. Personally, I feel safer with the former.
With that said, the way technology is progressing, especially for various robotic devices in the home, don’t be surprised if you see a Video Professor lesson title like “Learn How to Program Your Robots,” sooner rather than later.
A quick note on another subject, I had the opportunity to appear on both “FOX Business News” and “FOX & Friends” in New York City this week. It’s always a treat to visit the set of “FOX & Friends.” They’re a terrific crew and it is fun to work with them. I’ll tell you all about it in next week’s blog.
-John
(John W. Scherer, CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.)
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com
Friday, March 21, 2008
Titles for tight times
I don’t know about you but I log on to news web sites, or tune into newscasts with more than a little trepidation these days.
The economic news, if one is to believe what’s being reported, isn’t pleasant.
People are concerned about the economy. You don’t have to look further than the rhetoric of the presidential campaign for ‘08.
People are doing a couple of things aside from worrying; like looking for extra cash and thinking about cancelling luxuries, like vacations.
As the Video Professor® library of lessons grows, we continue to add to our popular computer lessons with titles to help you get the best value from your computer. Two lessons that are certainly a good fit for these uncertain times are Learn eBay® and Learn Online Travel.
Let’s talk about eBay®. First, step away from your computer and take a look in your attic, basement or garage. What do you have lying around in boxes and on shelves? Some classic LP’s, sports cards, mint condition magazines or comic books, sports pins or even a little red wagon?
What’s taking up space in your garage or basement could be someone‘s collector’s item and even more important, a few extra dollars in your wallet.
The eBay web site is a great way to buy and sell things. Buying is really simple you’ve likely done it already, but there are ways to become an even better buyer. What about selling? There are quite a few businesses out there that will sell things on eBay on your behalf, for a hefty commission. Why pay others for what you can do yourself? I’ve even seen ads in the newspaper offering seminars to teach you about eBay. Of course you have to drive to the location and spend several hours trying to learn at the same time as everyone else in the classroom.
Our lesson teaches you everything about buying and selling on eBay, from the basics of creating a sales site to producing the best listings possible to make what you have for sale into a hot item. All it takes is a little know-how. Our eBay lesson will take you step-by-step through the process of becoming a seller or even a savvier buyer on your schedule and at your pace. You might even join the thousands who have businesses on eBay, either part-time or full-time. Most of these folks are just like you.
eBay is a great opportunity. Maybe our lesson can help you become a successful entrepreneur on one of the most popular auction web sites out there today.
As I mentioned earlier in the blog, vacations are pretty high on the expense-cutting list. I understand why: they cost money. But maybe not nearly as much money as you think. More than one study shows Americans simply work too hard and don’t take nearly as many vacations as many other countries.
So check out our Learn Online Travel lesson. There are tremendous travel deals on the Internet, all you have to know is where to look. Our Learn Online Travel tutorial shows you how to book the cheapest or most convenient flights and cruises, how to find great places to stay and to eat and how to plan vacations for families, students or seniors. Plus, you will learn how to stay safe and healthy when traveling.
Planning a vacation online can be the difference between “we can’t afford it” and “when do we leave?” I prefer the latter, don’t you?
I appreciate that you are being cash conscious these days. But maybe, just maybe these two lessons can put a few extra dollars in your wallet or give you a much-needed break from the world, if even for a few days.
-John
John W. Scherer
(John is CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.)
You can reach me at ceo@videoprofessor.com.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Beware of rebate scammers and spammers
I’m sure most of you are excited about the planned stimulus check both the president and Congress hope will help spur on the economy. Checks are expected to be in the mail by May.
I won’t presume to tell you whether to spend it or to save it. It’s your money and it’s up to you.
Guess who else is excited about this? Spammers and scammers, they see the rebates as an opportunity to line their pockets with your money and even worse, your identity.
People are already receiving official looking e-mails and even phone calls, claiming to be from the IRS. Here’s the scam: the crooks e-mail or call you saying they can facilitate an early check to you and just need your bank account information for direct deposit. The e-mails have IRS logos on them, which can look very official. These e-mails are designed to fool the smartest and savviest of you all.
The Internal Revenue Service makes two important points:
- Their agents or representatives will never call or e-mail you.
- You won’t even be eligible for stimulus checks until you file your 2007 taxes.
These crooks can be convincingly persistent telling you that if you don’t cooperate, you won’t get your check. They will also try and get additional personal information in order to steal your identity. Sadly, it’s the elderly that are getting ripped off the most.
I’ve personally been a victim of identity theft. It’s one of the reasons I partnered with cybercrime expert and author Jayne Hitchcock on our Protect Yourself Online tutorial. It’s based on her terrific book “Net Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Jayne was a victim of cyber stalking, so you can understand our motivation to protect others from these kinds of blatant rip-offs and attacks.
I asked Jayne if she’d share some tips on what to do if you’re contacted by someone pretending to be from the IRS, or worse yet, if you fell for their scams, she was happy to help out.
Jayne said if you took the bait and gave away your financial or credit card information, here’s what to do.
- Report it to the card issuer as quickly as possible: Many companies have toll-free numbers and 24-hour service to deal with such emergencies.
- Cancel your account and open a new one.
- Review your billing statements carefully after the loss: If they show any unauthorized charges, send a letter to the card issuer describing each questionable charge.
- Know your rights according to the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) for credit card loss or fraudulent charges: Your maximum liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your credit card is $50. If the loss involves your credit card number, but not the card itself, you have no liability for unauthorized use.
- Also know your rights associated with the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA) for ATM or debit card loss or fraudulent transfers: Your liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your ATM or debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss. You risk unlimited loss if you fail to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after your bank statement containing unauthorized use is mailed to you.
If you gave out personal information:
- Report the theft to the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian®, Equifax® and TransUnion® and do the following: request that they place a fraud alert and victim’s statement in your file. Request a free copy of your credit report to check whether any accounts were opened without your consent. Request that the agencies remove inquiries and/or fraudulent accounts stemming from the theft.
Equifax Credit Information Services - Consumer Fraud Div.
P.O. Box 105496
Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5496
Tel: (800) 766-0008
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, Texas 75013-2104
Tel: (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742)
www.experian.com
Trans Union Fraud Victim Assistance Dept.
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
Tel: (800) 680-7289
www.transunion.com
- Notify your bank(s) and ask them to flag your account and contact you regarding any unusual activity: If bank accounts were set up without your consent, close them. If your ATM card was stolen, get a new card, account number and PIN.
- Contact your local police department to file a criminal report.
- Contact the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline to report the unauthorized use of your personal identification information.
- Notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of your identity theft and check to see whether an unauthorized license number had been issued in your name.
- Notify the passport office to watch out for anyone ordering a passport in your name.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm
- File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/complaint
- Document the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak to or contact regarding the incident. Follow up your phone calls with letters and keep copies of all correspondence.
The FTC also advises:
- If you get an e-mail or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via e-mail. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization in the e-mail using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct web address. In any case, don’t cut and paste the link in the message.
- Don’t e-mail personal or financial information. E-mail is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s web site, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a web site that begins with “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged these security icons.
- Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.
- Use antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. Some phishing e-mails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge. Antivirus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Antivirus software scans incoming communications for troublesome files. Look for antivirus software that recognizes current viruses, as well as older ones, can effectively reverse the damage, and updates automatically. A firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources. It’s especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband connection. Finally, your operating system (like Windows® or Linux) may offer free software patches to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
- Be cautious about opening any attachments or downloading any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
- Report suspicious activity to the FTC. If you get spam that is phishing for information, forward it to spam@uce.gov. If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from ID theft. Visit www.ftc.gov/spam to learn other ways to avoid e-mail scams and deal with deceptive spam.
As you can see, Jayne knows her stuff, and this is why we were so happy to work with her on our Protect Yourself Online tutorial.
Let me reiterate, the IRS will never, ever attempt to contact you by e-mail or phone to ask for personal information.
If you get e-mail, delete it immediately. If you get a phone call, hang up right away.
Stay safe and enjoy your check!
-John
John W. Scherer
John is CEO & founder of Video Professor, Inc.
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