I don’t often use my column to vent, but between experiencing some really bad customer service and listening to a vintage Clark Howard radio episode over the last several weeks, I feel compelled to put an issue on the table—customer no-service. I’ll admit, I’m warped about this topic because I worked in telephone user support for Digital Equipment Corporation for about three years, so giving bad customer service was just not an option. In fact, the extremely high standard of customer service may well be one of the reasons Digital couldn’t hold on in the contemporary marketplace. Now isn’t that a commentary on the sad state of affairs?

Several months ago, I wrote an article with information from the FTC about SPAM regulations. Since then, I’ve found their web site to be a treasure trove of information about Internet fraud. As problematic as SPAM and Internet cons are, it’s comforting to know that the Consumer Sentinel, a consumer fraud database, tracks the cons and the con artists. According to the FTC, here’s what online consumers are complaining about most: Internet Auctions The Bait: Shop in a “virtual marketplace” that offers a huge selection of products at great deals.The Catch: After sending their money, consumers say they’ve received an item...

Many of the elders I know are not like my mom, who can e-mail, use most of the features on her cell phone, and spends time on the Internet every day—she can even handle a conference call on her phone—go, Mom! However, many seniors automatically get a glaze over their eyes at the mention of technology, especially those who were firmly implanted in a career before personal computers came onto the scene in the eighties.  Don’t get me wrong…there are many out there like my mom who embrace it all. This month’s column is all about technology being marketed to seniors. Although these products are marketed to seniors, they can be of benefit to everyone, so whether you’re a golden-age techno geek or not, read on!

One of the things that is not covered in Marketing 101 is how beneficial it is for most businesses to be active in their local Chamber of Commerce. Okay..I already hear the moans and groans from some readers whose experience with the Chamber is much like the local country club, but hear me out before you let a 20-year old experience seal the deal.

Last month, I started us off with an overview of the Google that most people know best—the upstart company whose search engine dominates the Internet. This month, I promised to expound upon some of the Google tools that are just as impacting as the search engine. Google supports some very interesting tools and customization for your web site through business products, bizsolutions.google.com/services. There are way too many to cover in this short space, so we’ll just review some of my favorites…