The sudden absence of the people we admire, love, and depend on often causes us great sadness. In time though, those of us who are left by our loved ones learn that absence doesn't merely offer us a time for sorrow, but also a golden opportunity to make ourselves grow as more responsible and productive individuals.
On September 2, 2009, Mr. Ron Dulay, IT Head of Offshoring Inc. passed the torch of leadership and knowledge to his younger teammates in the IT Department. A solemn but funny and nostalgic celebration was held at Offshoring's multipurpose hall to bid Ron farewell as he left the company to undergo some medical procedures to improve his health.
Ron Dulay: Strict Leader, Great Friend
ERFrom the heartfelt messages friends and colleagues offered Ron during the party, it could be gathered that he was a strict leader who commanded respect but also a dependable friend.
Francis Guevarra of the IT Dept. said that Ron would always reprimand them whenever he noticed that their workspace was getting messy. Brix Sanga, also from IT, said that he learned a lot from their long-time boss and friend.
Other colleagues from Offshoring's Admin thanked Ron for his warm friendship throughout the years. Jamie Pelaez and Len Rada, Shift Supervisors for Offshoring said that they would always remember Ron because he was always there
when they needed him. Everybody smiled as Paul Christian C. Ruiz, Recruitment Manager and Concurrent HR Manager, read his meaningful poem about Ron. The two came from the same high school, Lourdes School of Mandaluyong, and are very good friends.
Finally, Mr. Angelito A. Cruz, Chief Operating Officer of Offshoring Inc., walked up to the microphone to express his gratitude to Ron's excellent work at Offshoring. He wished for his eventual recovery and offered him some gifts from his friends at the company. Looking Ron straight in the eye, he said that he's always just a call away if Ron needs some help.
Offshoring Inc.'s IT Department Remains Strong
Despite Ron's Departure from Offshoring, the IT Department is still composed of many talented and brilliant people who are ready to continue what Ron started. Offshoring continues to provide its IT staff with the equipment and trainings they need to become more efficient and effective at their job.
In his closing speech, Ron thanked all his friends at Offshoring who have been there for him in both the happy and challenging times of his life. He expressed his trust in the abilities of his IT teammates to perform well in his absence. According to Ron, “Knowledge is power” and everyone must strive to be more knowledgeable to do their jobs better.
Ron promised that he will do everything to make a full recovery and that he'll be back better than ever before. His family at Offshoring Inc. eagerly awaits that day with crossed fingers and hopeful hearts.
The Internet is a virtual smorgasbord of advertisements for products and services. Some people though have used its power to create demand through fraudulent marketing. Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful women in the world, recently filed a lawsuit against dietary supplement firms that claimed she and her show's expert, Dr. Mehmet Oz, recommended their products.
The complaint, which was filed last August, was directed at 40 firms that marketed their supplement products over the Internet. The firms were supposedly purporting to speak in Oprah and Dr. Oz's voice or fabricating quotes about the effectiveness of their products and brands which neither of the celebrities has actually endorsed.
Acai Berry: Potent or Fraudulent?
Oprah and Dr. Oz are particularly lashing out at companies who are selling supplements containing acai berry. Acai berry has recently become very popular among people who support alternative medicine because of its supposed health benefits. While Oprah and Dr. Oz have talked about the berries in their show, they have never endorsed any acai berry product.
Marketers of acai berry supplements have claimed that their products can increase energy, as well as improve sexual performance, digestion and skin appearance. Some also say that people who take these supplements gain healthier bodies because of improved sleep, reduced cholesterol levels, and high fiber content. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) however, has never tested any of these firms' health claims.
Harpo Inc., producer of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Dr. Oz Show” stated that consumers should know that neither Oprah nor Dr. Oz are associated with any acai berry product, including MonoVie, a popular brand of acai berry supplement. Harpo is working with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to investigate consumer complaints of deceptive acai berry companies.
Crackdown on Acai Berry Fraud
Madigan recently filed three fraud lawsuits against marketers and suppliers of acai berry products in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Firms targeted included TMP Nevada, Crush, Netalab and Advanced Wellness Research. The list of charges included luring consumers with free trials, prematurely charging consumers' credit cards, failing to supply the products, and making it almost impossible to cancel orders.
If convicted, the firms will not be able to continue with selling dietary supplements or misleading consumers through fraudulent marketing tactics. Consumers who have lost their money may also collect restitution payments from the companies if the lawsuits win. The firms would also have to pay civil penalties worth $50,000 because of their violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Meanwhile, Oprah and Dr. Oz have posted a message on their website warning people of dietary supplement companies using their names to sell their products. Many companies seek Oprah's endorsement as products she endorses have been known to experience instant boost in sales. Aside from acai berry supplements, Oprah and Dr. Oz are also targeting firms using their names to sell resveratrol, a substance produced by several plants. Dr. Oz warns people of such scams and the products' possible harmful effects to their health.
Blogging – who hasn't heard of it? Just in the US, over 12 million American adults blog while over 57 million read blogs. Technorati, a website for searching blogs, currently tracks over 70 million blogs all over the world. Many blogs today are more than just online journals. They have become one of the most effective tools to make money online.
How to Make Money Through Blogs
Whether you're a merchant, an advertiser, or just someone who wants to make money online, blogging is definitely the way to go. Some companies even hire teams of writers and SEO specialists to make fully working and revenue-generating blogs. Here are some ways by which you can make blogs work for you:
Advertising Software: The most common way for bloggers to make money online is through advertising software like Google's Adsense. Other programs you can use include Text Link Ads, WidgetBucks, and the upcoming MSN Adcenter now in its beta stage of development.
Sponsorship: Unlike other types of media like television and print, the Internet has the ability to direct the most interested consumers to the products they're looking for. For this reason, sponsoring blogs and advertising through them can reap huge rewards. Many advertisers today sponsor blogs and pay bloggers to write certain topics which drive massive traffic to their websites.
Affiliate Programs: It's very easy for blogs today to gain their target traffic levels, especially if they provide good content. Aside from large affiliate programs such as Linkshare, Clickbank, Amazon and Commission Junction, there are thousands of other smaller affiliate programs which can work for your blog.
The Perfect Combination: Blogging and SEO
Google, Yahoo, and other search engines today are not mere Web pages but battlefields. The potential to create revenue streams through the wise usage of these webpages has made SEO a crucial factor in any type of business, whether online or brick and mortar.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization refers to the optimization of a website by improving its various aspects so that it receives more traffic from search engines. Basically, the main goal of SEO is to put a website on top of search engine queries so that more people will click on it, thus increasing the opportunities for that website to generate money through the increased traffic.
It usually stays on topic and does not cover everything under the sun.
It regularly have fresh topics, which are not necessarily long but can be tiny bits of information that add up to a greater whole over time.
Links are present on the blog which direct traffic to websites you want to be searched more frequently by Googlebot.
Here are some features of a blog optimized for search engines:
Want a Search Engine Optimized Blog? Start with Offshoring
Offshoring Inc., a world leader in staff leasing services, has the people you need to create your blog or website optimized for search engines. Its highly skilled SEO Specialists, Writers, Programmers, Web Designers, Media Managers, and other competitively driven professionals have served hundreds of satistified clients across the globe. Through Offshoring's innovative workforce management, your blog will be bringing you bucketfuls of bucks in no time.
Realize your blog, optimize your website. Start with Offshoring Inc.
The diversity of Offshoring Inc.'s clients calls for an efficient and effective workforce management system that's able to address all employees' concerns at any time. Today, Offshoring Inc. uses an ERP-based software called MyWeb to process its resources in the most methodical way. The system connects all departments of Offshoring Inc., including Sales, Recruitment, Human Resources, Accounting and IT.
What is MyWeb?
ERP refers to enterprise resource planning, a program used to coordinate and manage all the information, resources and functions of an entire company from a shared database. MyWeb is based on ERP and operates within Offshoring's local area network. The software has many functions, including preservation of data integrity, which is impossible with non-digital workforce management systems.
In the early days of Offshoring, paperwork was needed to process the daily time record of employees, as well as other requests. The company's unprecedented growth however, required more dynamic means to transfer updated information from one employee to another. MyWeb was especially designed and developed to address this problem.
Duties of each department have become much easier and less complicated because of MyWeb's timesaving features. The database allows authorized personnel to view and use different modules, which are particularly designed for each department's functions. Instead of reviewing stacks of paper, Offshoring's administration only needs to view the well-organized data on the website to effectively manage the growing workforce.
Clicking for Quick Results
Offshoring Inc.currently uses MyWeb Version 2, which has been particularly useful for the Recruitment Department. Any promising individual who wishes to join the excellent team of Offshoring Inc. may fill out an application form accessible from the company website and the data they put in instantly gets stored in MyWeb. The hardworking recruitment staff of Offshoring immediately reviews these forms to see who among the applicants have the potential to thrive in Offshoring's highly competitive environment. In this way, Offshoring effectively minimizes the role of job portals acting as “middlemen” in hiring the people they need.
Valuable data regarding Offshoring's previous and present clients are also safely stored in MyWeb, where the Sales Department can easily sift through them to get what they're looking for. Furthermore, with the integrated software, all employees have to do to connect with Offshoring's management is click away with the mouse. MyWeb can handle all attendance requests, such as sick leaves, vacation leaves, overtimes and undertimes.
MyWeb Version 2 also has chat and forum functions. In addition, Payslips, employment histories, profiles and other types of information are viewable. Employees can also easily file requests for IT services through MyWeb.
MyWeb Version 3 in the Works
MyWeb Version 3 is currently under development and would soon be launched for company-wide use. Among the added features will be a better navigational system and improved design and appearance. Offshoring is also taking the software to another level by developing an Operations module which will have an interface between client and staff. The new module will track progress of task assignments and capture daily communications. Finally, Offshoring INK, the official employee newsletter, will be hosted on MyWeb so everyone will be able to update themselves with company events any time.
Competitive and world-class staff-leasing services are not something to be taken lightly. Offshoring Inc. though, shows that it is well prepared to stay ahead of the curve in the industry by constantly improving its workforce management system.
Employees at Offshoring Inc., the industry leader in staff-leasing services, have a new way to connect with each other and the management. The maiden issue of Offshoring INK, the Official Employee Newsletter of Offshoring Inc., hit employees' e-mails on September 1. The newsletter contains the freshest updates about the company and the talented people who drive it to success.
A Vessel for Communication and Creativity
Offshoring Inc. continues to grow each day as more and more clients recognize the excellent work it produces. With this unprecedented growth comes the challenge of clear and efficient communication among employees and the administration. In his column called “Signed and Approved,” Mr. Angelito A. Cruz, Chief Operating Officer of Offshoring, said, “A lot of employees clamor for regular updates on what is happening in the organization and the newsletter is one way to address it. I am one of those who clamored for it not because I am lacking in updates but because I want to have a little space in it to reach out to you (employees).”
Aside from news, the maiden issue also contains sections which aim to boost the creativity and activeness of employees. The feature article written by Marck Ronald Rimorin of Qool Media talked about the unique challenge of Web-content writing and blogging at work and how it has helped him to fit in with the greatest young writers of the country. In the Featured Artwork section, Carlo Andrew Ferrer showed his dazzling art skills in his detailed and realistic drawing of Bumblebee from the “Transformers” film. Carlo used to draw custom toons for a client and he's also a skilled link builder.
Employees can update themselves with Offshoring's new policies by reading “The Policy Corner.” They are also encouraged to send in their opinions about the company through “iSpeak,” a column which answers any concerns they may have. Offshoring's admin hopes that they would get more input from employees through the newsletter.
The Man Behind the Pun
The Name Our Newsletter Contest, launched last August, was the brainchild of Mr. Angelito Cruz who wanted active participation from employees even in the process of creating the first issue. Vicente “Vip” Malixi, Senior PHP Programmer for Coleadium, won the contest with his witty pun on the company name.
As it turns out, Vip has an inspiring story about how he came up with “Offshoring INK.” “I was toying with the name of the company in my head when the idea popped up,” he said. “Even though I thought my idea was too simple and probably other people would come up with better ones, I decided to submit it anyway because when I was in grade school, there was this prestigous award given to grade seven students for the student's body of work during their elementary years. I wanted to win the Art award but I was so afraid of failing that I didn't bother to even apply for the award. When I met my art teacher when I graduated, she told me I had the best grades and performance for art and that I would've won for sure if only I joined. This was one of my biggest regrets, so since that time, I've always vowed to join contests and competitions and am never afraid to lose or fail. After all, 90% of our life's success is because we have the courage to try or 'just show up.'”
Vip's story is part of Offshoring INK's maiden issue. Mr. Angelito Cruz plans to upload the newsletter to MyWeb, the network software of Offshoring Inc., to make it more accessible to employees any time. Aside from the newsletter, Offshoring continues to find better ways to promote knowledge and participation among its highly skilled employees.