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July 5th, 2009 by adminThe SCORM LMS: Compliance for Your E-learning Advantage
June 7th, 2009 by carminedaddyE-learning is both advanced technology and a challenge for people who want to learn more and progress in today’s business environment. E-learning entails the use of technology to help people learn better: this means making use of the convenience of the online arena in delivering lectures and learning modules for people who have no time to enroll in classes and return to school. It also means making use of different multimedia devices and products to supplement conventional classroom lectures. This can include the use of audio and video files to accompany ordinary classes or schoolwork, which employees might find boring or monotonous.
E-learning is also a challenge. E-learning modules are delivered online, through a website or through software that functions by downloading learning modules through the Internet. These modules are best viewed by a conventional browser or supporting software, both of which entail long hours spent in front of a computer screen. This can be exhausting for many employees who already spend most of their day typing out reports and working out charts, graphs, and evaluations online. This means that e-learning modules have to be designed so well, in that they are attractive to the eyes, pleasing to look at without causing eyestrain, and delivering the most amount of important knowledge to employees at the same time.
On top of all these, e-learning modules have to be controlled by an efficient learning management system, or LMS. An LMS is a comprehensive software package that functions in sending e-learning modules and content to the right e-learning participants. In general, an LMS should be convenient for e-learning module creators to use: it should allow e-learning module creators and organizers to access the individual accounts of e-learning participants, and it should allow e-learning creators and organizers to change the content and style of e-learning modules no matter where in the world the e-learning creators and organizers are.
Creating a successful LMS means striking the balance between convenience for the users, and compliance with existing standards that govern the quality of e-learning products. Convenience can entail designing e-learning modules that are customized to meet the needs of individual businesses, even individual e-learning participants. This means that the e-learning infrastructure, or the LMS, has to be customized to either meet the needs of a fast-paced corporation, or the long-term educational aims of a distance education program offered by a university. An LMS should also ensure that e-learning products can meet the needs of as many different people as possible, whether these people are fast or slow learners, and whether or not these e-learning participants have disabilities that may get in the way of their ability to learn new things.
The LMS actually governs the run-time environment of e-learning products. This run-time environment is comprised of a union between the content provider and its host system, a collaboration that is, in turn, governed by a set of standards called SCORM. Short for Sharable Content Object Reference Model, SCORM standards ensure that an LMS and its e-learning product can cater to the needs of as many people as possible. To pass SCORM standards and receive SCORM certification, an LMS should be evaluated by the U.S. Department of Defense, whose ADL, or Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative, dictates the progress and implementation of SCORM standards.
Having a SCORM LMS, or a SCORM compliant LMS, can spell profit for e-learning creators and producers. A SCORM certification means, among other things, that the e-learning software and module can be used across a wide variety of browsers, and is compatible with the greatest number of commonly used computer software. In other words, a SCORM certification can be used as a basis for quality, and having a SCORM certification can translate into high quality products.
If you are interested in getting a SCORM certification for your e-learning module, do as much research as you can on how you can improve your software. A SCORM certification can also be a good standard for judging what e-learning modules you can use to ensure the best education for you and your company’s employees.
Rajesh Karavadia is the author and webmaster of http://www.learningmanagementsystemsite.com, an informative website about learning management systems. Different types of lsm are discussed including information on learning management systems and elearning management system
Leisure Audio - A New Affiliate Ideas That Works!
June 6th, 2009 by carminedaddyI recently became a member of Leisure Audio Books, and I want to share my humble opinion with you today.
This is like nothing I have ever experienced before, I was shocked to find that is totally unique, never seen before, and I believe it to be revolutionary, and I’ll explain why.
In my past experience, you join a typical program, they give you some cheesy promo tools, and they never say a word to you, they just expect you to go out and recruit as best you can on your own…
This is totally and utterly different.
First of all, the products rock, there’s a huge selection of topics on virtually any niche you can think of… all delivered in licenced .wma or Real format, so anyone with a computer, an iPod, or mp3 player can instantly enjoy these fine audio books, at their leisure…
Second, you don’t have to recruit, to earn nice money, you can simply sell these real products to real people, and they will be glad to have them to listen to…
Third, the commissions you can earn, are much higher than normal, and I really like that.
Fourth, it’s so easy to set up a website and dominate any niche you choose, because the training is so good, it makes it easy to get started right away.
Fifth, I don’t have any of the order filling problems, of offering a real product, Leisure Audio Books, has it handled, for me. Lucky me;~)
With Leisure Audio Books, I feel at completely at ease offering anyone hi quality hi fidelity products and the diversity is astounding! They have over 6000 titles meticulously sorted into 160 categories in a feature- packed store.
I had no idea know that there are at least 50,000 identifiable niche markets that can be independently addressed in the search engines for audio books! I do know now and I am out there selling… and for the first time it is working!!!
Plus it’s a huge relief to have the experts, Rod and Kevin helping me succeed, I almost feel like I have a huge “cheat” over everyone else, because I’m a part of a caring organization, who really coach, and really train, and really want me, and you, to succeed, no matter what the skill level.
So, I would have to sum it up like this, if you’re tired of an endless line of hype, smoke and mirrors, and you’d like to gain traction, start making a financial difference in your family’s lifestyle, and have a legitimate, honest, real way to make money online…you owe it to yourself to check out Leisure Audio Books.
Don’t believe me, I’m a happy member, and of course I’m biased, so do a check on Rod and Kevin, and I’m sure you’ll find the truth is that they are for real, and these are great products that virtually sell themselves.
I recommend that you see for yourself - GO RIGHT NOW, and take in the information presented on the website.
http://4647.leisureaudiosales.com/
Leow Kah Yee is the owner and webmaster of the Top Home Base Business Resources, http://www.tophomebusinessprograms.com/index.html, the home base business resources site for online home business marketers. You may publish my article provided you retain the links.
How to Put your Online Marketing on Autopilot
June 5th, 2009 by carminedaddyDo you want to not be actively participating in day-to-day marketing activities?
Do you want your target market to come to your web site and subscribe to your newsletter?
Do you want qualified buyers to come to your web site, buy your product and download it, all without any involvement from you?
One of the important building blocks of creating passive income streams is to have a web site that can do as much as possible for your web site visitors, before you get involved. For example:
- If someone wants to become your business coaching client, they should be able to fill out a questionnaire with information about their business, their goals, their budget, etc. This way, the client will be pre-qualified online, instead of you spending time on pre-qualification. Pre-qualification is a good process to automate, as answering a questionnaire can be done easily online.
- When someone wants to buy your ebook or special report, have a process that processes their payment, confirms the payment and lets them download the product without your involvement. Again, this will help you save the time getting the payment, processing the payment and delivering the product. This is another great process to automate, as all the tools for accepting payment online and delivering a digital product are readily available.
Remember, people come to your web site for many different reasons. Some want to read your articles. Some need your services. Others want to subscribe to your newsletter. Yet others need to purchase your products. All of these actions require a different online marketing process.
While each process is different, the processes may be easy to set up. Once you formulate what a process needs to do (process payment, deliver product, qualify a potential customer), you will be able to define and implement the process.
Over to you - let’s take action! Here are the steps you need to take to put your marketing on autopilot, and have your web site do the majority of your marketing for you:
- Audit your current web site, and all the processes to use to qualify clients, register newsletter subscribers, sell products, deliver products, etc.
- Identify how involved you are in each process - from the very beginning of the process, from the middle, not at all. Every process is different. Some will need your involvement at some point (when someone asks for a project quote). Others can be 100% on autopilot (digital product sale and delivery).
- Identify how you can improve each process. Are there ways to add more automation? Is there a way to pre-qualify a client futher?
By putting your marketing processes on autopilot, while still offering your customers your products and services, will give you more time for working with existing clients and creating more passive income streams products.
Biana Babinsky is the online business consultant, expert and author, who teaches business owners and solopreneurs how to put online marketing on autopilot and make money. Learn how to increase your own product sales get Top 5 Ways To Increase Your Online Sales Special Report absolutely FREE at http://www.avocadoconsulting.com/free_newsletter.html
What Is The Difference Between Windows and UNIX Web Hosting?
June 4th, 2009 by carminedaddyWindows and UNIX are in fact two different systems and of course we are referring to computer systems. A web host uses computers, (we shall refer to them as servers, just computers, but sometimes larger) to host websites, and all computers need a operating system, so Windows and UNIX are the operating system.
The Windows used is normally Windows NT or 2000 and of course as you know Microsoft charges for it’s software, while UNIX is an open source operating system, this means that the original creators of the system have given up the rights and anyone can use it, change, improve or do anything they want with, free of charge.
From this we already have to main differences, Window hosts are more expensive and UNIX is more reliable, because it as been improved by thousands of anonymous people.
Most probably you are reading this in front of your computer which most probably is operates on a Windows XP, have you noticed that it sometimes, it freezes, and the only solution is to restart it? UNIX is much more stable, robust, time-tested, flexible platform for a web server.
Hosting Marketers
http://hosting-marketers.com/
But Windows servers have also it’s positive sides, they are compatible with Microsoft applications, and fully support Microsoft FrontPage, Microsoft Access and MS SQL, they also offer advance-programming environments and features such as Active Server Pages (ASP), the ASP.NET framework, Visual Basic Scripts, MS Index Server, Macromedia’s and Cold Fusion.
Windows operating system require little or no experience in web development to get advanced features working very quickly because of better graphical user interface (GUI) Software such as Microsoft’s FrontPage is specially developed for the webmaster to decrease the website development time and efforts.
Lets go back again to UNIX, they support FrontPage, Flash, Shockwave, Real Audio/Video, Cgi Scripts, Perl, PHP, SSH (Secure Telnet), MySQL, Web-Based Control System, Anonymous FTP, Web Site Graphical Statistics, Web-Based Email System, Miva/XML, Cold Fusion Perl, JAVA, PHP, C, C++, Miva, Shell Access and other wide verity of feature like Telnet and SSH that provides lots of flexibility and freedom in managing file and directories, but some of this require advance knowledge of Unix commands in order for you to customize the scripts to match your website needs.
Because of the nature of UNIX, (open source) and the people who love it, there is on the WWW freely available software and scripts, again bringing the cost down.
Concluding which one is the best, it really depends what you need, if you need high uptime, security and not so expensive then go with UNIX, if you need to run Windows applications like, MS Access or the MS SQL SERVER then Windows is your choice.
Hosting Marketers
http://hosting-marketers.com/
Paul Santos
MP3 Players: How It All Began
May 12th, 2009 by carminedaddyYou have probably seen some old movies where some unruly teenager carried on his shoulders one the first “portable” audio players-a blaring cassette-tape-playing two-speaker monster (if you’re old enough, you may even have done this yourself). What can the desire of people to take their music with them do!
But the first truly portable audio player was the cassette-tape based Sony Walkman. That was extremely revolutionary in its time. This small plastic box (well, today it doesn’t seem to be very small any longer) with earphones brought on the dawn of the portable audio player and sparked a legion of imitators. The subsequent introduction of audio CDs and CD-based walkmans marked the start of the digital music age.
A relatively recent revolution in this area was the introduction of Apple’s portable music player, the iPod. Although portable mp3 players existed before it (the first mass market mp3 player, the Rio PMP300, was introduced in 1998), the iPod’s unique design, its user-friendliness, and Apple’s very good reputation for its sense of aesthetics created immense interest in the product. Soon iPod was catapulted to its current ubiquity. More than 7 out of 10 mp3 player owners today have an iPod.
Portable mp3 players today are a must-have in the “everyone-else-has-them-so-I-should-have-one-too” sense. Although they are indeed undoubtedly very handy. Especially among the younger half of the population, jumping aboard the portable music bandwagon is a way of staying cool and keeping up with the times.
MP3 format has been chosen as the most widespread. Songs of that format can be supported not only tajik music iPods but by the majority of devices. You can enjoy MP3 music while walking, driving, cooking, or listening to your dull lectures.
The primary source of music in mp3 players today is still audio CDs, as it is now very easy to create mp3s from them (using Total Audio Converter’s rip CD option). The widespread availability of internet access, with the ability to download plenty of music (legally and illegally) is also a crucial factor in the spread of portable music players. Though there is the reverse of the medal. The songs in the web are of dozens different audio formats. What to do with some FLAC or APE song?
The solution is quite simple. Get some audio encoding/decoding tool to convert your songs to your favorite mp3. For example, Total Audio Converter (http://www.CoolUtils.com) is a brainlessly simple tool that supports almost all audio formats. No matter what source format your track is, Total Audio Converter will easily convert it to the format you need. What is important TAC was developed to be handy and suites any digital music newbie.
Today, 1 in 5 Americans, and about 11 out of 20 American teenagers, own at least one portable audio. More than 1 out of 10 older adults (aged 35-54) own an mp3 player as well. (Interestingly, two-thirds of mp3 player owners are male - girls, where are you?) From these stats alone, it’s easy to see that portable music players are definitely here to stay. And that is GREAT
Alexander Johannes is a professional writer that loves music and eveything connected to that area.
Universal Music Group vs. Music Listeners
April 26th, 2009 by carminedaddyFiled under: General, Microsoft, RIAA, IFPI, BPI, Zune Marketplace
I’ve been holding my tongue a bit on the subject of UMG’s demand that Microsoft cough up more than a buck per Zune sold, and Microsoft’s acquiescence to what amounts to a tax on portable media devices. When coupled with Cary Sherman’s recent slash and burn attack on fair use rights, and UMG chairman and CEO Doug Morris calling you a thief in Billboard Magazine, it’s pretty clear that the RIAA and its member companies are beginning to circle the wagons for an all out attack on the way you pay for music.
Sean Ryan quips in Forbes, “The next question is whether they will demand a $1 royalty for each of my children, since they have ears, which can hear music, and a brain, which can store it. Or would that be $2 since they each have two ears?” But, does he put forward a proposition that is all that far fetched, or that much different than what UMG has demanded? Assuming most children the age of Sean Ryan’s will own a portable media device (at least one) in their lives and, assuming that Universal Music Group gets a buck for each player sold (as they wish to do, and are doing in the case of Zune) then, the tax has already been passed. You didn’t get a vote, you don’t get a say and, unless you’re willing to go totally old school and listen to your vinyl records in the dark ages, you’ll be forced to pay up.
As much as Morris, Sherman, and a host of other industry wet blankets would like for it to be illegal for you to trans-code that CD you own into a format compatible with your Zune or your iPod, the laws of the United States beg to differ with them. Fair use is still fair use, and you still have every right to rip that CD you paid for, and listen to it anywhere you wish. You had that right with cassette tapes, the vinyl records that came before them and, aside from the DMCA making it illegal for you to crack the DRM on a bought and paid for digital download, you still have the right to listen to the music contained within that file in any way (and in any place, or any format) that you see fit.
What UMG has done is lay the first piece of framework for putting the kibosh on the democratization of the music industry. The RIAA labels have owned distribution in the United States (and made it difficult if not impossible for many small labels to get distribution) for decades and, just as a market for distribution sprang up that existed outside of their domination, they’ve managed to secure a loophole that will again put small independent labels on the sidelines.
Steven Levy on Boing Boing’s “Get Illuminated”
April 25th, 2009 by carminedaddyFiled under: General, Apple, Microsoft, iTunes
Steven Levy, author of “The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness” is on Boing Boing’s “Get Illuminated” podcast in the most recent episode.
Levy talks about Steve Jobs and the creation of the iPod (something he’s researched to a level unmatched), the Zune and why it’s a lousy device and, what the inevitable iPhone could be.
It’s a worthwhile listen. Levy is a brilliant and articulate guy who practically burries himself in technology.
[via Boing Boing]
More St. Vincent Video From SXSW
April 24th, 2009 by carminedaddyby Robin HiltonYou may recall that Bob and I sat in cheap mp3 St. Vincent during one of the band's practice sessions for this year's South by Southwest festival and conference. We shot video of the session as Annie Clark and her band worked through some fantastic new songs from St. Vincent's upcoming new album, Actor.We finally got the full video edited and up for you to see. Check it out and let us know what you think of the band's new songs.