So say all of these extremely talented individuals

Click here to view the embedded video.

Schools can introduce the basics of coding to children as young as 11 years old.  Even teachers who don't have Computer Science degrees could get their heads around simple coding.  

Why is this so important you might ask.   It is not simply important it is crucial because Britain has fallen way behind other countries as far as creative talents in the field of IT is concerned.  

John Naughton writing in The Guardian newspaper last year said:

What we forgot was that cars don't run the world, monitor our communications, power our mobile phones, manage our bank accounts, keep our diaries, mediate our social relationships, snoop on our social activities and even – in some countries – count our votes. But networked computers do all of these things, and a lot more besides.

A debate in The Mission Critical Systems Forum on LinkedIn this week included this statement:

The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has called on businesses, governments and education providers to work closer together to boost employment in the IT industry.

 

He said that by 2015, 90% of jobs would need "at least basic computer skills", adding that despite the "plague" of youth unemployment, employers were struggling to find people with the right skills.

 

According to the European Commission, the number of "digital jobs" – jobs based around IT – is growing by around 100,000 every year, yet the number of skilled IT graduates is failing to keep pace.

What it boils down to in my opinion, is that we have an obligation to ensure that our young children grow up to 'think' for themselves.  It will improve Britain's ability to compete with countries like India and China in terms of computer innovation if our schools deliver people to the market-place equipped with the right skills.  

Teaching children simple coding certainly does two things:

• Develops their powers of intelligent thought, and
• Nurtures their ability to make informed judgements about the highly sophisticated world of networked systems, cyber security and online commerce.

This lack of creativity in ICT isn't just a problem in Britain it seems the same problem exists in US.   There gurus and celebrities are supporting an initiative to expand the knowledge base and the number of young people becoming involved in coding.

The Oracle Corporation is joining the debate and vows:

to bring together ICT industry representatives, Ministries of Education and relevant association and certification bodies to support the teaching of computer science.

What do you think?  Have you bought your 7 year old their first computer yet?   And I don't mean an iPad, I mean a Raspberry Pi ……  Connect with me on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Here's something you will need to be very alert to within LinkedIn Groups:  it's happening in the larger groups where the 'hit' rate will be higher.

The setting up of bogus profiles is not a new phenomenom. Marketers have been doing this since the word go. There are now 175 million users of LinkedIn so this is a wonderful hunting territory for Inbound Marketeers.

Wikipedia says:

LinkedIn also supports the formation of interest groups, and as of March 29, 2012 there are 1,248,019 such groups whose membership varies from 1 to 744,662.

Marketeers are one thing, but hackers are something else.

Hackers go trawling the largest groups on LinkedIn and randomly spray their 'Likes' throughout discussion topics. 

Ok, where's the harm in that you're asking?  It's here …. in the 'Profile name space', they add an 'Infected URL' so that the name will look like this: 

“Sally http://************************** ”

and if you click on that link you will make yourself vulnerable.

Best-case scenario is that it is simply a strident marketer wanting to get as many eyes on his/her product in the hope that people are tempted to buy. In other words a through-and-through spammer.

Worst-case scenario it’s a ‘filthy-dirty link’ that will leave a bot on your machine to collect data … personal data …. financial data. 

LINKEDIN GROUPS

Imagine in a medium sized group of 25,000 members if just 1% of people actually click the infected URL and it contaminates the PC/Mac. Can you guess what type of haul or ROI these malicious spammer will have gained? It will be good enough to make it very worthwhile repeating the activity, that's certain.

If they are phishing for banking logins then there are huge monetary rewards to be achieved.

This type of crime is usually highly organised crime … but you yes little-old you, can subvert this action by staying alert and not being a silly-billy and clicking the links.

OPEN GROUPS IN LINKEDIN AREN’T LOOKING LIKE A GOOD IDEA ANY MORE

LinkedIn, at this moment in time, do not have any means to help you with this problem. Nor do they give any powers to Group Owners/Managers to moderate the LIKES feature. Once upon a time open groups were considered a brilliant idea, because they allowed people access rights to look at content with a view to enticing them to join. As time has gone by spammers have realised they can manipulate this to their benefit. They don't even need to join the group, they can now litter it with their 'likes' 'droppings'… which are akin to time-bombs that sit there waiting to attract careless individuals, who have 'Click-without-thinking' syndrome.

The phishing attack can happen in an open group and it can also happen in a closed group if the phisher is a member. 

Now you’re asking me “how a phisher can penetrate a closed group”, aren’t you?

To get into a closed group the phisher will set up an innocent looking profile, usually with a photograph of a young attractive female. Others might comment on the origins of these profiles from Asia, but I won’t.

It will have very little in the experience/history sections of the profile that would 'flag' it in the eyes of the moderation panel.

Once they've been allowed into the group they change the name on the profile and stick a dirty link to it.  Next step: A bot takes over from there on in and leaves the 'DIRTY LIKE' on as many discussion topics as possible.

The 'Like' function in LinkedIn Groups is a huge security loop-hole.

Could LinkedIn do more to help? 

Perhaps they could if they were prepared to place an algorithm on the ‘Name Section of Profiles’ and track any attempts by people to change their names.

They might also look at the structure of the name info.  Anything which contains ‘http://’ is an obvious sign, isn’t it?

It didn't take too much brain power to find these:

What are the options for owners of LinkedIn Groups?

If you are a Group Owner or Manager/Moderator you have very few options available to you in an attempt to protect your membership.

Take these steps to demonstrate due diligence.  You won’t be able to prevent some members from the dangers of clicking ‘dirty links’ but at least you will have tried to alert people.

• Brief your Managers and Moderators
• Post a newsletter to your membership alerting them
• Post a discussion about this danger and make it a Managers Choice discussion
• Check the discussion stream more frequently for 'DIRTY LIKES'.

Be Proactive

There is only one thing you can do if yours is an open group and that is to go to each discussion topic displaying a ‘DIRTY LIKE’ and ‘like’ that discussion yourself, or get a nominated member to do this on your behalf. 

It won’t make the ‘DIRTY LIKE’ disappear but it will take it away from the ‘stream’, and thus away from the eyes of the membership population.  That action will lessen the risk.

If you own a closed group you must ‘kick the bogus member out’, and then take the steps I’ve mentioned above.

Finally, carry out an advanced search on your database of members and look for URLs.

Last night's UK airing of the BBC 1 programme 'New Tricks' (24th September 2012) got to grips with the world of hackers and hacktivists. It was good to see such a normally bland programme grappling with the dangers of the online world.  And, who knows whether the lines came from the pen of the script writers or from the minds of specially engaged web gurus, it was a pretty good watch in my opinion.

Anything that helps to bring home the dangers of the Internet is crucial nowadays.

Popular media such as TV is one way into the minds of the masses and I congratulate the TV companies for attempting to reflect what is happening 'out there in the real world of cyberspace'.

When writing about such like I cannot pass by without mentioning the brilliant BBC1 programme 'Spooks'. Interwoven throughout the 10 successful series we've seen glimpses of the sophisticated world of cyber-security and threat defense.

The first instance of this 'popular' form of internet security awareness education came in front of my eyes in 1995 when 'The Net' was released by Columbia Pictures. There may well have been earlier instances, and I welcome you to add them in the comments section below. For me this was a major opportunity to talk widely within and without of my personal and professional network, about the issues associated with online security threats: to individuals, corporate bodies and indeed governments. 

The topic isn't an obvious one for the dinner party table but following this movie which was very popular in UK, it became a necessary and acceptable one. It seemed to hit home just how malignant this threat to our lives could be.

Almost 20 years later we are still battling to stay safe online.

Those who would threaten us are more advanced and sophisticated than they ever were, and our protectors struggle to keep one step ahead. 

If that isn't a good reason to take responsibility for our own online safety nothing is.

This video demonstrates how some other agencies are attempting to bring the message home to people.

I wonder if my expert E-Crime contact in Belgium was in the mix for the filming of this event in Brussels?

Using a hashtag is not a device for making your tweet stand out from the crowd.

There is a solid reason behind using the hashtag: it makes navigating the Twitter Universe just a little bit easier.

There are approximately 340 million tweets made evey day on Twitter and roughly one-third of those are going to be of interest to you in your sector. So that leaves a huge volume out there that are of no interest at all.  Navigating the ones that might be of interest is made more practical if you employ the use of #'s.

So simply-speaking it is a way to gather subject-orientated tweets together.  In other words it is a way to mark KEYWORDS OR TOPICS.

So, this is not a valid hashtag:

#asifIdidn'tknowthat

How many times have you seen people throw a string of nonsense words together and place a hashtag before it?  It drives me crazy, #howaboutyou?

Gather Topics of Interest

I know that you know that gathering topics of interest is a valid use of hashtags.  Remember #Egypt and the Spring Uprising 2011, never in the history of mankind was news disseminated so quickly and spontaneously. 

These groups of Interests are gathered in silos which compete. Thus the term trending enters the conversation.  When hordes of people use the same hashtag the topic of interest is seen to compete with other topics of interest.  Trending results: the competing topics of interest are recorded by Twitter and published in lists of Top Trending Hashtags.

BBC news reported that:

In the food category the McLobster took top place after it trended on rumours that fast food chain McDonald's was to roll out the crustacean-based sandwich across the US. Previously it had only been available in Canada

Trending topics vary in subject from educational to political, and scientific to environmental.

Everyone loves the hashtag in all it's glory.

Businesses wake up to hashtags

Platforms that now support hashtags are:

• Google+
• Tumblr
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram
• FriendFeed
• Pinterest
• and a few others too

By using hashtags relevant to your business topics you can connect to even more people and grow your network exponentially.

Here's a good example of how someone uses hashtags while attending events/conferences.  Marian Schembari describes how she keeps ahead of topics and conversations people are having about topics of interest to her. 

This works.  I guarantee by the end of an event or conference you will have picked up lots more followers who are interested in the same business topics as you. 

The team used this strategy to great effect when attending the annual e-Crime Wales Summit. 

Here's how we used hashtags in that instance:

1. Check the main Twitter Account for e-Crime Wales to identify what the hashtag looks like for the event – e.g. #ecrimewales or #ecrime11
2. Set up a search column in Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to collect the traffic using this hashtag
3. Follow or extract those people into a special Twitter List
4. Monitor what the people are saying and join in the conversation
5. Streamline the topic.  Why?  Because it's too broad a converation to handle, so setting up a sub-hashtag helps to extricate more relevant chat.  So a relevant sub-hashtag might be #malware, #securitytraining #smallbizhelp and such like.

And, click through here if you would like to see some of the Live BlogFeed, showing exactly how those strategic contributions impacted on the conversation.

I think you'll agree this is a powerful tool for honing into what the important conversations are touching on, and who is actively speaking on the topic concerned.

This is why business people need to be 'au fait' with the use of hashtags.

Business Scenario

This is how a coffee shop or bistro might use hashtags.

Things that should concern the business owner:

• Their Brand Reputation
• Customer Service
• Popularity of the locality in the eyes of visitors
• Loyal Customers
• New Customers

Searching the various platforms, not least Twitter, it will soon become evident who is talking about those points I list above. 

The business owner needs to hear what is being said about their business brand and suitable response needs to be made.  Searching with the hashtag #name-of-the-business will bring back all types of delights and may be some disappointments too. 

Searching on the hashtag #customerservice or #UX (userexperience) and the #locality might also be enlightening.  It could also provide an opportunity for educating the business owner because he/she might not actually be aware how much their business success depends on word of mouth – negative and positive sentiment.  Recently I read a statement that said customers will defect to another brand after only ONE bad experience – so no second chances to get it right – business owners have to take it on the chin, customer service has to be right first time round.

There are many intelligent and creative ways in which to track sentiment via hashtags.  It's common place to the team at Peninsular Business Services (Virtual Assistants in Wales)  who handle this kind of work day-in-day-out on behalf of clients.

So the message is clear Hashtags Rule!

If you are a business owner, a national Brand or a global enterprise, you have to stop wasting valuable time and get right to the heart of social media – employ the use of hashtags and a targetted approach.  Only collect the data that matters.

Needlesstosay we coach individuals and train teams of business users how to do this effectively.  Just yell (via the comment box below or via those Buttons over on the right >>>>>>) … we'll hear your calls for assistance.

Set a password for your mobile device

I can't really imagine just how bad I'd feel if my phone was lost and all my contact details were placed in the hands of malicious individuals.  I know I'd be mortified that I'd put my contacts at risk of being spammed by a low-life thief.

Then there's the risk of identity theft to consider.  

I think it's pretty easy to identify which individuals in a persons contact list are those that are very close friends or family members.  All that is needed is a quick look through the SMSs to see the tenor of the engagement.

Now the cybercriminal is just one short step away from scamming my nearest and dearest and robbing them … they send them a quick message to this effect:

"I've done a really stupid thing … I'm on a [short break/conference in US/whatever ....] I've lost my credit cards so the bank has frozen my account … this is the new account sort code/ acct number … could you please transfer a couple of hundred quid so that I can survive the next few days … I'll pay you back immediately I'm home, promise …" 

Why would anyone want to risk this happening to them?

They wouldn't would they, it's just that they've forgotton to set security on their mobile device.

It takes 2-3 minutes to set a password on a phone:  it's child's play … do it now.

Thanks to eCrimeScotland via eCrimeWales for prompting me to write this short blog for my readers.

Photocredit: Authors own photo not for distribution 

Install virus and spyware protection

I am very happy to recommend F-Secure for online protection, I like the peace of mind it provides on my Windows PC. I'm days away from making a decision to buy an Ultrathin device which will be perfect for when I'm travelling, and I'll definitely be installing F-Secure.

I might even be taking that 'great-leap-of-faith' and changing to a Mac OS.

The good news is F-Secure has a product for the Mac, so all is potentially well in my world. Incidentally, that 'leap-of-faith' I mentioned is to do with my ability to learn a new OS and successfully run the both simultaneously, because most of my SME clients will be using Windows for a long time to come.

A little bit about my exposure to the MacBook Air

I was somewhat hooked by the Currys and PC World Sales guy, I'll admit, but, I also know deep down inside the added security such a robust OS will provide. Many of my friends and colleagues are already Mac evangelists and they've all had a moment in our relationship when they've attempted to convert me.

The MacBook Air is undeniably gorgeous and is the standard that all the new ultrathin devices aspire to.  The Acer, Asus and Dell come very close indeed. If I choose the Mac it will be because I consider the keyboard to be more superior than the others. You have to be prepared to spend time using the keyboards on the demo machines to appreciate this – well, you will, if you are a touch-typist. 

I liked what Mark the Sales guy had to say about the Thunderbolt feature -  he is the store manager, and he had just returned from a seminar at Apple HQ. (I'm very impressed with the standards of CRM at my local store, all the tech guys are delighted to spend time talking with customers, and in my case it was a lengthy time because I was set on getting as much info as possible).

Although I can't make best use of the Thunderbolt port at the moment, due to the delivery of low broadband speeds on ancient copper to my home, there will come a time in the not too distant future, when I'll benefit from greater internet speeds, so I'll be able to hitch up the 27" Thunderbolt Display to the Macbook Air and enjoy some of those awesome features.  [I really hope you're reading this @BTCare].

Matt Burns for TechCrunch tells us:

"Thunderbolt is fast — really fast. The standard is rated at 10 Gbps over two channels, which works out to transferring a Blu-ray disc in less than 30 seconds. That’s 20 times faster than USB 2.0, and 12 times faster than the industry speed demon, FireWire 800. Engadget stated in an early Thunderbolt MacBook Pro demo they watched a 5GB file transfer in “just a few seconds.” 

Superfast Broadband speed brings superfast delivery of threats too. No matter how fast your Broadband speed is I urge you to take a common sense approach and get protection for your devices.

All F-Secure’s security products, including F-Secure Internet Security 2012, are based on the same technology as F-Secure Client Security that received the AV-TEST Best Protection 2011 award.

I attended an event recently where several people were presenting.

Each one covered a similar subject but only one of the presentations excited me.

The successful presenter connected with me and ensured I was fully engaged.

The unsuccessful ones were brain-numbingly-long-winded and filled with slide-upon-slide of TEXT.

Oh how I longed for them to end and put me out of my misery!

It was really hard work concentrating on reading the fast moving stream of words while at the same time, attempting to listen to what the presenters were actually saying.

What made matters 10-times worse was the fact that those unssuccessful presenters must have thought we the audience couldn't read because they insisted on repeating every word that appeared on their slides.  It was an excruciatingly painful experience.

I couldn't wait for the pain to end.

Before becoming a Virtual Assistant businesswoman my early career was deeply rooted in education. As a teacher and later a lecturer I had more than the average exposure to great presentations, so this has had the effect of making me hyper-critical of anyone standing on a podium. That being the case, I make no apologies for condemning the presenters at that particular event, and branding them as novices.

There are basics that everyone who is planning a presentation should understand. Groundwork is critical.

These are useful tips which will help you to succeed in making a connection with your audience:

• Know your audience, find out what types of business people are in the mix, and plan to deliver 3 or 4 references in your dialogue which will match their business experiences. Making it, in part, a dialogue with your audience will ensure you reach out to them. No-one likes being talked to, we like being engaged in conversation.
• Stimulate the audience by using plenty of bold images, choose carefully, choose ones which convey the message clearly. (Even if you have to present graphs or statistics, it is possible to liven it up with attractive graphics).
• Involve your audience, by having eye contact with as many as possible.
• Give your audience time to assimilate the visuals, leave gaps in the commentary so that they can concentrate on just what is being presented on the screen.
• Don't read out the text appearing on the slides.  Instead weave a brief story to explain exactly what the intended message is meant to be.

These guys from 'Slides That Rock' know just what I'm talking about.  Feed the visual sense with bold, attractive images, and large text.  This Slideshare presentation delivers the message clearly.   I hope you enjoy it.

Rebecca Herold, CIPP, CISSP, CISM, CISA, FLMI

Infosec and Privacy Expert, she is the author of 15 books to date

"The Privacy Professor" ™, has over 2 decades of info sec, privacy and security experience, and is currently the owner and principal for Rebecca Herold & Associates, LLC. Rebecca is also an author and Adjunct Professor for the Norwich University Master of Science in Information Assurance Program. Rebecca is also partner and subject matter expert for Compliance Helper (compliancehelper.com), helping healthcare CEs & BAs. Rebecca has led the NIST Smart Grid privacy group since June 2009. Rebecca has written 15 books to date, chapters in many books and hundreds of articles.

 I am looking forward to the day when we can look at the news headlines and not see some report about a lost or stolen computing device or storage device that contained unencrypted personal information and/or other sensitive information. 

And, I also want to stop seeing stories reappear about such an incident, such as the stolen NASA laptop with the clear text Space Station control codes that was stolen last year, but is making the headlines yet again today. 

NASA is a large enough, and tech savvy enough, organization to know better!  However, there are many organizations that simply don’t understand what a valuable information security tool encryption is. 

I work with many small to medium sized businesses (SMBs), all of which have legal obligations (such as through HIPAA and HITECH, along with contractual requirements) to protect sensitive information, such as personal information.  Over the past year I’ve heard way too many of them make remarks such as…

• “I’m using encryption; I have an email add-on that automatically encrypts all my messages.  So, don’t have to worry about security.”
• “Our site uses SSL so everything sensitive is encrypted.”
• “Our IT department created an encryption process to scramble all the data in our server.”
• “I don’t have to use encryption; I’m not in a regulated industry.”

Such misconceptions are why cyber-crooks have long targeted SMBs… they know that the data there is rarely encrypted or insufficiently encrypted.

Here are the common long-held myths related to these misconceptions, and what organizations need to know about these flawed beliefs.

1. Myth: Using SSL or HTTPS encrypts data everywhere.

You Must Know: It is good that organizations are using HTTPS and SSL!  However, in general HTTPS and SSL only encrypts data in the pathway between web servers and web browsers.  That data will not still be encrypted in storage areas, or in emails, or other locations.  There are different types of encryption for different types of data uses and storage areas.

2. Myth: Encryption is too expensive for SMBs.

You Must Know: Encryption is now a fraction of the cost that it used to be.  There are also some very good freeware encryption tools available.  There is no reason that SMBs, or any other types of organization, or individuals, should not be using encryption; cost is no longer a good excuse.  Encryption is simply too effective of a security tool not to use!

3. Myth: Encryption is too hard to use.

You Must Know:  Is creating encryption solutions difficult?  Well sure, but because of all the options available from a wide range of vendors you do not have to create your own encryption solution.  Is it hard to use those solutions?  Several years ago using encryption was comparatively difficult.  However, now most encryption solutions are good and easy to use.  Any type of SMB can use encryption of every kind that they need to use to mitigate risk and meet compliance requirements.

4. Myth: By using encryption we then don’t need to use firewalls, anti-virus, or other security tools.

You Must Know: Au contraire, mon frère! Encryption is indeed a great tool that can protect data.  However, there are many other threats to networks, systems, and applications that you also need to have other security implemented to protect against.  Firewalls and anti-malware systems and software, just to name a few, are also necessities in today’s high-risk digital environment.  This is commonly referenced as the need to have “security in depth” and “security in layers.”  You should implement all the layers of security necessary, which also should include physical security controls (e.g., locked doors) and administrative security controls (e.g., policies), to reduce your risks to acceptable levels.  You should identify all the necessary administrative, physical and technical (which includes encryption) controls within your business risk management plan.

5. Myth: Encryption must be deployed everywhere in an organization.

You Must Know: Appropriate types of encryption solutions should be deployed where ever necessary to mitigate risk to sensitive information.  And the types of encryption will vary based how the data is stored, transmitted and used.   Some areas of your organization, such as in the internal intranet where certain types of data is made available to all employees and protected by an external firewall, typically does not need to be encrypted.  Other areas should always encrypt sensitive data.  Here are some important areas where the appropriate types of encryption solutions should be used:

• Websites: Typically using HTTPS and/or SSL
• Emails: Often using vendor or freeware add-on solutions.  However, many email systems now come with encryption capabilities that you can use.
• Mobile computers: Data in storage using one of many different vendor solutions.
• Mobile storage devices: There are encryption solutions for disks, USBs, CDs, DVDs and tape.
• Wireless transmissions: Using a wide variety of wireless encryption options.

I could write much more about each of these myths, but this should get you pointed in the right direction.  If there is enough interest I will write some follow-up posts about each of these.

So, the lessons are that 1) every organization and individual should use encryption to protect data, and 2) sensitive data should always be encrypted on mobile computers and storage devices and in transit through public networks.  If all organizations would start doing this you would see the numbers of breaches reduced dramatically.

Also, most organizations have some type of contractual or regulatory requirements for encryption, particularly for personal information.  A good topic for another day.

This busy Virtual Assistant needs a portable device she can sling into her handbag, admittedly it is a rather large handbag, but she's scouting round for a 13" Ultrathin reliable and robust gadget.  It definitely won't be a tablet but some very interesting news hit the ether recently regarding the launch of the iPad 3.

So it seems 9to5mac, and subsequently DigitalTrends Blog are wrong about the launch date for the iPad 3!  They thought it might be on Steve Jobs' birthday on 24th February, based on the intel coming out of a report on activies at one of the manufacturers in the Apply supply chain.

Presumably CNet have had wind of the same rumours but they are playing it safe by saying that the Chinese manufactuer is preparing for a March launch.  It turns out they are right.  Launch date is now set for 16 March 2012.

Adam Rosenberg said in December 2011 that:

Apple is a company that likes sticking to a script, and the script clearly pegs another tablet announcement/launch for the start of the year. Yes, the iPhone 4S launch was shuffled just this year from the usual summer to the fall. My money's still on early '12 for the next iPad though.

So that brings us to the race

I'm not intending on switching to a Mac OS so the MacBook Air is not in the picture for me, but here are two very strong contenders.

Both Dell and Acer are shooting out the latest in their offerings to compete for 'some' of the same space. Yes I know they aren't tablets but they are front runners in the lightweight, slim laptop market.  And, if you don't fancy a huge outlay of cash then the price of these new ultrathin laptops could be very tempting indeed.

So I'm seriously considering buying one of these beauties.  

My 7 year old Dell Precision Pro is just so heavy!  When I'm on site with clients or in meeting prospective clients, and needing to take them through a proposal there and then, I need a device that I can quickly whip out of my handbag, and activate.  (I'm a practical type of gal so the fact that either of these would fit very nicely into my current handbag, has great appeal for me!).

Lance Ulanoff wrting for Mashable says:

Here's how you know when a gadget is good – when it ruins you for other gadgets in its class.

He's salivating over the Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook.   He calls it a 'sweet machine', awww.  I'm listening to him when he says

Because it's so light, I never considered it a burden, and when I took it our of my bag, I got looks.

Time and time again, I was impressed by how well the S3 performed, how quickly it started up and how fast it resumed from sleep.

It's a real, full-sized, full-performance laptop that won't weigh you down or leave you in a lurch by running out of battery life at the wrong time or not resuming fast enough when you need it.

Adam Westley at Acer says he's amazed at home many people were on the set when they shot the Acer S3 ad … guess what Adam, you are not alone …. just take a look at this masterpiece … priced at £899.99.

Thanks to Acer Facebook Page for this greeat promo video

Some fine photographs of the S3 here in the Mashable Gallery too.

I can see what all the fuss is about, it looks absolutely gorgeous!

On to look at the Dell XPS 13

Can the Dell XPS 13 seduce me away from the Acer?

Thanks to Mashable, for this video.

This particular device is the first one apparently which tackles the issue we face when flitting between wireless connectivity zones.

Samantha Murphy writes:

The XPS 13 also comes with a 128 GB SSD hard drive, 4 GB of memory RAM and Intel HD3000graphics.  It's also the first ultrabook on the market with Intel Smart Connect technology, which keeps content updated when around wireless connection.

… handy if you are rushing to catch a flight and the device detects the airport's wireless network and automatically pulls in information to your latest meetings, emails and reports so you can work with up-to-date data on the plane.

Now you have to admit that's a great feature, BUT is it one that will make the pendulum sway in its direction?

The cheapest of the options is reported by CNet as being £650, more detail about the specification also available by checking out the CES 2012 video below:

Hmmmmm …… what to do?

I'm keeping a close watch on what Dell and Acer, and more importantly, what other people are saying in the ether about these two super pieces of kit.

It's going to be a close call, but as soon as I've made my decision I'll let you know.

In the meantime if you get wind of the launch dates please, please let me know via @LadyBizBiz on Twitter.

A very sad story might have turned out differently had proper research been carried out before this particular new business was launched.

I hate reading about SMEs that fail. Business owners invest heart and soul into their businesses so failure can send them into a downward spiral.

I came across a horrifying figure quoted in the business press in the last half of 2011 that made me take a very sharp in-take of breath: in Wales 45% of SMEs fail in the first two years despite having had Government assistance.

There are many reasons why a fledgling business fails.  We wrote about the steps to take to ensure the best possible chance of survival for small businesses early in 2010 when the first wave of recession had negatively affected many business owners.  

This story involves an ill-thought-out business model.

I'll be generous to the people involved and say they were probably overwhelmed with the amount of work landing on their doorstep. Overwhelmed to the extent that a proper business plan evaded them.

SmartyVA was an online training program for Virtual Assistants who specialize in social media management that was based in San Luis Obispo, Calif. It opened in 2009 and closed in February.

At its peak: In 2009 Starr Hall, a public relations consultant who was overwhelmed with requests for social media help, saw an opportunity. She invested $10,000 to create SmartyVA training materials and a website with a search engine that aggregated job leads. The six-week training program cost $1,000 and was aimed at stay-at-home mothers and disenfranchised women, like victims of domestic violence. When graduates took jobs through leads on the site, SmartyVA received 10 percent of their earnings. The company generated $100,000 in revenue its first six months.

What went wrong: SmartyVA’s profitability depended on graduates following up on job leads they received through the system.

“A hundred virtual assistants finished the program, but only 21 of them were working,” Hall said. “If all of them had been working, profits would have been huge.” 

Looking back: “I didn’t anticipate how different the mind-set of the women I was training was from my own,” she said.

I can't help thinking that the owner might have carried out more in-depth research into the people she recruited as Affiliates.  I think she might have succeeded if she'd stuck to the original target audience.  

Not so 'smarty' eh?

This is an attractive business model for some Virtual Assistants who are aware of the number of talented and skillful women sitting at home looking after children.  SmartyVA isn't the only VA Agency to enter the ecosphere, there are 10's of dozens already in existence….in fact I'd say there was a proliferation.

The Affiliate Programme is flawed if you don't recruit wisely.

These are the things that need to happen in order for this model to work:

• VAs need to be recruited from a well established community
• Build and Drive that community yourself if necessary: LinkedIn is a perfect platform for this
• Admit to this community only people who fit a pre-determined profile, which you will have thought through in advance, and in all honesty I don't think students or new graduates, fit the criteria
• You must have lengthy and in-depth knowledge of the community members
• The 'target market' should be identified from those members that are the best match to the work on offer
• Work trial tests need to be implemented to confirm skill-sets
• Contracts should be drawn up to guarantee commitment to the relationship

If these pointers are adopted the relationship has a much better chance of succeeding, and service levels guaranteed to be of the highest standard.

Repeat business should result.  

Then and only then, will the business model have the best chance of success.

This story was extracted from an article which appeared in The Bulletin on 4th January 2012

Photo Credit: Fotolia ©Lvnel