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1. Web 2.0 for the non-Web CEO: Start a blog

For the technophobe small business executive, a step-by-step guide to using the Net's most powerful new marketing tools.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Kim Shiffman

For the technophobe small business executive, a step-by-step guide to using the Net's most powerful new marketing tools.

Why blog? You'll create closer bonds with customers and gain credibility among prospects.

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2. Security: Stop, thief?

Can you protect your business from today's increasingly sophisticated crooks?

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Chris Atchison

Can you protect your business from today's increasingly sophisticated crooks?

Louisa Robazza still doesn't know who broke into her company or why they left one vital item behind. What she does know is that the burglary cost her firm more than $40,000 in equipment, lost time and revenue-and nearly crippled her operations.

Until that fateful day last December, Robazza, managing director of Ad Vendors International Inc., was confident that her company was physically secure. The London, Ont.-based advertising agency was growing at a torrid pace, and a year earlier had relocated to prime office space in a safe part of the city.

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3. RIDING THE WAVE

A new inlay embedding technology enables Canadian corrugated manufacturer to turn out value-added packaging with on-board RFID tracking capabilities.

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Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Andrew Joseph, Features Editor

A new inlay embedding technology enables Canadian corrugated manufacturer to turn out value-added packaging with on-board RFID tracking capabilities.

Although it's been around since the end of World War II, the science of radio frequency identification (RFID) is still in many ways a technology waiting for its mainstream acceptance.

While the technology's many benefits have been widely lauded by its proponents-notably through concerted efforts by the retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to mandate its suppliers to start using RFID to track the movement of their goods through the supply chain-technological hurdles, a multitude of different standards, and prohibitive costs have so far prevented RFID tags from replacing traditional barcodes as the preferred means of product identification in the global CPG (consumer packaged goods) industries, despite the considerable 'buzzword' factor generated in packaging industry circles earlier this decade.

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4. KERNEL KNOWLEDGE

Upstart popcorn manufacturer aims to take a bite out of the competition with newly-acquired packaging prowess.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Andrew Joseph, Features Editor

Upstart popcorn manufacturer aims to take a bite out of the competition with newly-acquired packaging prowess.

The aromatic scent unleashed by a handful of freshly-cooked popcorn may be well one of the most tried-and-true ways to set off a trip down the memory lane to the days of care-free youth and childhood, and thanks to folks like Snack Brands Inc., that rush of subliminal nostalgia can be found in every bag of gourmet popcorn produced and packaged at the company's lively, 5,800-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ottawa.

Started up just over a year ago by three long-time friends and stakeholders in the fledgling venture-president Chris Garofalo and vice-presidents Todd Muise and Mike Pomerleau-the 12-employee operation has wasted little time in pursuing a promising niche opportunity in the private-label gourmet popcorn segment, quickly revving up the plant's annual production capacity to an estimated 100,000 kilograms. Also operating a Toronto-based headquarter location, housing all the administrative and sales functions, the company has already gobbled up the exclusive retail rights as manufacturers of Kernels Extraordinary Popcorn-a flagship brand of the 25-year-old popcorn franchise stalwart Kernels Popcorn Limited, which today operates 65 retail outlets across Canada, in addition to global locations in the U.S., Australia and South Korea.

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5. Essential Web tools: Social media and research

Want to find out what people are saying about you in the blogosphere?

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Ian Portsmouth, Jim McElgunn, Kim Shiffman and Kara Aaserud

Technorati: Get in the blogloop Want to find out what people are saying about you in the blogosphere? Technorati, a free, real-time search engine that continuously scours over 63.2 million blogs, is your tool. It gives you instant access to the latest buzz in your industry, including about your firm and its rivals. Since all activity is monitored and indexed within minutes of posting, it's a great place to start trading and participating in the conversation - something you should do often. If you have a corporate blog, Technorati works by finding links and keywords(a.k.a. "tags")that you've highlighted, in turn driving more traffic to you and connecting you to like-minded bloggers. Even better, once you claim your blog on Technorati, it acts as an effective marketing tool by placing your profile information and image next to all the searches that bring up your keywords. Popular alternatives: Feedster, Google Blog Search

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6. Essential Web tools: Personal productivity

Still scribbling to-do lists on scraps of paper at home, at work and in the car?

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Ian Portsmouth, Jim McElgunn, Kim Shiffman and Kara Aaserud

Ta-da List: Get control of your to-do lists Still scribbling to-do lists on scraps of paper at home, at work and in the car? Toss them all and try Ta-da List, a free online to-do list that's simpler to use than its rivals.(It's also an element of Backpack; see page 4.)You can create as many lists as you want, from "Phone Calls to Return" to "Bills to Pay." And your main "My Lists" page offers a summary of all your lists, showing the number of items left to do on each. Looking to delegate? You can share your lists with employees of your choosing.

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7. Essential Web tools: News and information

Information overload is closer to being solved with "personalized news aggregators" such as Feeds 2.0.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Ian Portsmouth, Jim McElgunn, Kim Shiffman and Kara Aaserud

FEEds 2.0: Make the news come to you Information overload is closer to being solved with "personalized news aggregators" such as Feeds 2.0. Also known as "feed readers," news aggregators gather syndicated Web content from disparate sources into a single consolidated view that spares you the bother of constantly checking your favourite blogs and podcasts. Feeds 2.0 takes this idea a step further. Using sophisticated proprietary algorithms, this free service figures out your preferences and prioritizes feeds to suit your interests. It even recommends sites you've likely never heard of. You help it get smarter by marking pages you find interesting - and uninteresting. The more you use it, the smarter it gets.

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8. Essential Web tools: Networking and collaboration

Before Web-based business networking, there was no timely and simple way to discover who is in your extended network - that is, the friends of your friends - and how they might help you.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Ian Portsmouth, Jim McElgunn, Kim Shiffman and Kara Aaserud

LinkedIn: Supercharge your Rolodex Before Web-based business networking, there was no timely and simple way to discover who is in your extended network - that is, the friends of your friends - and how they might help you. Now there is. Luckily, LinkedIn is easier to use than to explain how it works. Sign up for free, create a personal profile, use the search engine to find your existing contacts who are also members and ask them to link to you. If they accept, you'll see who they know and, in turn, who those people know - growing your extended network exponentially with each person you add to your immediate circle. And you can scan every profile in your extended network to find, say, finance experts, then ask your immediate contacts to introduce you to those experts, who can even be asked to introduce you to their contacts. Got it? If not, you can become a paid member starting at US$20 a month and contact any of LinkedIn's nine million members directly.

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9. Essential Web tools: Data storage and transfer

Thanks to Amazon.com, never again will you need to endure the agony of losing an important computer file.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Ian Portsmouth, Jim McElgunn, Kim Shiffman and Kara Aaserud

JunglEDisk: keep your files truly safe and sound Thanks to Amazon.com, never again will you need to endure the agony of losing an important computer file. Its S3 service is a secure, encrypted storage system offering unlimited data backup.

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10. Crime Stoppers 2.0

How you can prevent the three most common online threats.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Chris Atchison

How you can prevent the three most common online threats

Threat: Phishing Scams
Solution: Train your staff to be vigilant

Alert your employees to the danger from fraud artists who send e-mails from an apparently trustworthy source asking for confidential information. If fraudsters get this information, they can sell it or use it to hack into your company's network. Rohyt Belani, managing partner of Intrepidus Group Inc., a New York- based IT consultancy, offers a tip on training your team to spot phishing attempts. He advises that you stage simulated phishing probes of your staff, then show employees precisely how falling for a real scam could have harmed your firm.

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11. Cooling

Mitigate Preventable Risks - Be Proactive - Plan For HVAC Failure

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Jennifer Paterson

Mitigate Preventable Risks - Be Proactive - Plan For HVAC Failure

Contingency planning within facilities is not a new concept. Buildings are equipped with CO2 detectors, back-up power, sprinkler systems and natural disaster evacuation plans. But what happens when a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system breaks down unexpectedly? A Trane Ontario presentation titled "Cooling Contingency - Developing an Action Plan for HVAC Failure in Your Facility" in Scarborough, ON on March 18 addressed that question. Shannon Price, marketing engineer for Trane Rental Services, led delegates through the essential steps to ensuring that a building is prepared for any catastrophic HVAC system failure (see sidebar).

"In today's world of uncertainty and high expectations, the importance of preparing for business interruptions can not be overlooked," said Price. "For many businesses, a catastrophic HVAC system loss can have significant consequences to important business operations. A proactive cooling contingency plan can help mitigate preventable risks and, if necessary, resume critical functions in a timely fashion.

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12. Breathing Easy

Realizing The Benefits Of Low-VOC.

Uploaded: hursday, October 28, 2010

By JENNIFER PATERSON

Realizing The Benefits Of Low-VOC.

As Enermodal Engineering completed a recent retrofit of its Calgary, AB office, the building was designated the first LEED Platinum Canada-CI (Commercial Interior) project. For commercial interior projects, the LEED rating system covers energy and water conservation, the use of construction materials and furnishings that have low environmental impact, and indoor air quality (IAQ). But these factors do not only apply to the IAQ once the project is finished. It also concerns how the IAQ of the space during construction is both environmentally friendly and more endurable for the workers.

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13. 5 ways to tame technology

W100 entrepreneurs face a dilemma shared by most business owners: taking on new technology when you're not a nerd. Here's how they've harnessed the digital beast.

Uploaded: Thursday, October 28, 2010

By Chris Atchison

W100 entrepreneurs face a dilemma shared by most business owners: taking on new technology when you're not a nerd. Here's how they've harnessed the digital beast.

Ask a group of successful entrepreneurs to talk about their businesses and you could be in for a very long conversation. Ask the same CEOs how they manage technology, and you could be in for the opposite: a very long silence.

To varying degrees, every business - from high-tech manufacturers to low-tech retailers - needs some combination of software and hardware to operate. Those who maximize their return on technological investments by making smart, strategic purchases are often the most profitable. But how do you make those key decisions if, like most entrepreneurs, your technological expertise stops at opening e-mail attachments?

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