Top 11 reason behind for TQM Fails?

TQM-What Is It? If you are reading this book, it is likely that you already know what we mean when we use the term Total Quality Management. Still, it's a good idea to define the term, and provide a brief overview. Certainly TQM can be defined in a number of ways, and the details of different approaches can vary somewhat. However, a good starting definition, drawn from Capezio & Morehouse is: "Total Quality management refers to a management process and set of disciplines that are coordinated to ensure that the organization consistently meets and exceeds customer requirements. TQM engages all divisions, departments and levels of the organization. Top management organizes all of its strategy and operations around customer needs and develops a culture with high employee participation. TQM companies are focused on the systematic management of data of all processes and practices to eliminate waste and pursue continuous improvement. " Perhaps a better way of understanding TQM is to compare a "TQM organization with what we might call a "traditional organizations". tet's look at a number of differences. 1. Customer-Driven vs. Company-Driven Traditional organizations tend to make their decisions based on what is most convenient for them, rather than what is wanted and expected by their customers. Being customer-based means gatf7ering information from customers/clients and modifying services and processes to meet those needs as well as possible. In government, this is not always easy, due to the conflicting responsibilities of a department, and the multiple customers/stakeholders involved in government situations. However, in many cases moving to a customer-driven organization can yield many positive results for government departments. 2. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation Traditional organizations tend to think and plan with respect to short term outcomes, white TQM organizations tend to think in much larger time spans. A typical example might be that a TQM organization would look at downsizing as having effects over a decade or two, while a traditional organization would look only at the immediate budgetary issues, letting future chips fall where they may. Also, successful TQM organizations make a long term commitment to the principles of TQM, rather than looking at TQM as a program; something with a beginning and end. This means patience. 3. Data-Driven vs. Opinion-Driven Traditional organizations tend to be managed by gut feel, or by opinion. They guess at what their customers want, and guess at the costs of waste, etc. TQM organizations base their decisions on data they collect; on customer needs, on waste, on costs, and on the sources of problems. While judgment is always involved in any decision, TQM organizations begin with the data, not with the solution. 4. Elimination of Waste vs. Tolerance of Waste Most organizations operate with a high degree of waste and inefficiency. Traditional organizations consider waste, whether it be in time, materials, etc, as a normal part of their operation. TQM organizations are very active in identifying wasteful activities, and eliminating them. 5. Continuous Improvement vs, Fire Fighting Traditional organizations tend to address problems with the way they do things only when there is a major problem or crisis. The watchword in traditional organizations is: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", except that often it IS broke, but nobody is paying any attention . TQM organizations are always looking for improvement, and are constantly engaged in problem-solving to make things better. 6. Prevention vs, Inspection Traditional organizations tend to fix problems after the fact. Rather than trying to prevent problems, they catch them after the fact, which is very costly. TQM organizations work to prevent problems and errors, rather than simply fixing them. 7. Cross-Function Teams vs. Fortressed Departments Traditional organizations tend to have sub-units that work autonomously and with little communication or involvement with other units. For example, personnel may have only limited interaction with other departments. Or, on a local level, administrative staff may have little communication with other staff in a government branch, and have a different reporting structure. In TQM organizations, there is more use of cross-functional teams; teams convened for a particular purpose or purposes, with representation from a number of units or levels in the organization. The use of cross-functional teams means that input is gained from parts of the organization that need to be involved. 8. High Employee Participation vs. Top-Down Hierarchy Traditional organizations tend to have very restricted communication and decision- making patterns. Employees are told what to do, rather than being inctuded in figuring out what to do. Information tends to flow from top to bottom. In TQM organizations, employees are much more actively involved in both the decision-making and communication processes. Information flows both top to bottom and bottom to top. For that matter, information also flows sideways. 9. Problem-Solving vs, Blame Traditional organizations tend to look to affix blame for things that go wrong. TQM organizations attack the problems in their organizations rather than the people. They fix things. 10. Systems Thinking Vs. Isolation Traditiona~ organizations tend to see the parts and processes of their organization as single things, unretated to other part of the organization. TQM organizations tend to recognize that most often, probtems arise as a result of multiple causes, and that sub- units are interdependent. TQM organizations tend to see problems as a result of the entire system. 11. Leadership vs. Management Traditional organizations tend to see people as objects to be managed; told what to do, disciplined, tracked, etc. TQM organizations exhibit more confidence in staff and more trust, and expect MORE from them, not less.

The Link Between Planning & Doing

If you have read the preceding articles in this section on strategic planning, YOU will have a sense that strategic planning involves more than getting together for one day a yearto develop a strategic planning document. Strategic planning is both a logical, rational process, and a process that involves people. It takes more than developing a plan for that plan to be implemented. In this article, we consider that the critical link between planning and doing is leadership. Traditional Planning Methods The traditional way for government organizations to plan is for a group of people, usually executives/management, but sometimes including employees, to get together for some period of time each year. Generally, inadequate time is allocated to the exercise, but if it is completed, it results in a document that contains a mission statement, broad organizational goals, and other elements as is deemed appropriate. Then, the plan is usually hidden away somewhere, never to be seen again. Traditional methods yield traditional results. As a wise man once said "If you keep doing what you have been doing, you will get what you have always got". It needn't be this way. Reconceptualizing Strategic Planning Planning should be considered as a blueprint for change. The plan should be the basis for introducing controlled change into an organization so it can adapt to changing times. By anticipating shifting demands, the plan serves the purpose of allowing the organization to control its own direction, rather than waiting until political forces demand change (and demand change NOW). In addition, the plan allows for consistent monitorin~ofsuccess,~nd re-examination of the degree to which organizational resources should be structured and allocated to achieve future goals. But, if we look at strategic planning in this light, as a blueprint for change, we also need to consider that any organization has built-in inertia.. the tendency to keep on doing what one has been doing. On its own, the strategic planning process, as traditionally undertaken, is insufficient to overcome this inertia. Other forces need to come into play if the plan, and proposed changes get implemented. Leadership - The Key Force In the context of strategic planning, leadership means a number of things. We can outline the role of leadership in the following ways, keeping in mind that leadership may come from appointed leaders (management and executive) and from the ranks . 1.Those in leadership roles ensure that as many members of the organization as possible buy into the values, mission, and broad organizational goals. There are two components to this function. First, leaders manage the perceptions of staff with respect to the planning process. Remember that most people have experienced the "plan-in-the-drawer" syndrome, where effort expended in planning is seen as wasted when the plan is ignored. Prior to the planning process, leaders must emphasize that THIS TIME, things will be different. Second, leaders manage the planning process so that staff feel that they have adequate input into the process, that they are heard, and their values and visions are incorporated into the final plan and its implementation. Specifically, leaders arrange things so that the process is open, and conforms to accepted rules of communication. That may mean hiring an external consultant to orchestrate the planning sessions. It will certainly mean that rules get established to guide participation. Everyone who wants to participate should have the opportunity, and even reticent staff should be gently encouraged to involve themselves. 2. While managing perceptions of the planning process is important, the critical role of leadership occurs after the plan has been completed. Leaders must treat the planning results as the "organizational signposts that guide behaviour and decision making". After all, nobody is going to take a plan seriously if the formal leaders ignore it, or never refer to it again. If you are serious about using strategic planning as a tool for organizational success, consider some of the following actions. A. When working with staff to set individual objectives, be sure to mention how the individual objectives will contribute to the achievement of the mission and organizational goals as outlined in the strategic plan. Make sure that the employee is familiar with the plan when individual objectives are set. In addition, at each meeting with each employee, work with the employee to help him/her determine how the values outlined in the strategic plan apply to them. In other words, given the particular values, strategic goals and mission statement how is the employee to behave or make decisions. B. Once the strategic plan has been completed, the formal leader of the organization (and perhaps others) should present and discuss the plan with the up-line manager or executive. It is NOT sufficient to send a copy. Because you will need up-line support to implement the plan, you will need their commitment, and commitment will only come from discussion and explanation of the plan. C. At staff meetings, when decisions are required, explain how the strategic plan is used, or is to be used to make decisions. If you are the manager communicating a decision you have made, explain your rationale in light of the mission, values and goals expressed in the plan. If you are using a participative decision making process, help staff refocus on these components of the plan, so that they can be used to guide decision making D. When doing performance reviews with staff, ask the individual to explain how his or her actions are consistent with the elements of the plan. How has their action contributed to organizational goals? Has their behaviour been consistent with organizational values? What needs to change so that the individual can further contribute to implementing the plan? Consider recognizing contributions to achievement of the plan, even if the individual did not have specific responsibility as outlined in their individual objectives. And, when setting future objectives, consider writing an objective that refers to the values expressed in the plan. For example: "Will act in accordance with the organizational values expressed in the strategic plan". If you go this route, make sure -that~the implications of these values are clear to the employee in terms of his or her behaviour. 3. A final role of leadership is to create more leaders. One goal that formal leaders (executives, managers) can set for themselves is to encourage down-line employees to take on some of the leadership roles outlined above. This can be particularly effective in decision making. The ideal situation is for staff to internalize the plan to the extent that some take on the role of reminding people of the plan, and its relevance to any given decision-making process. Cultivate leaders in your organization by giving increased responsibility, and encouraging this kind of leadership behaviour. Conclusion Leadership, regardless of when it comes from formally appointed leaders, or Informal leaders, provides the link between planning and doing. Leadership, regardless of when it comes from formally appointed leaders, or informal leaders, provides the link between planning and doing. Effective leadership helps alter perceptions about strategic planning, and the organization itself, helping to overcome inertia, the tendency to keep things the same. Without leadership, most strategic plans will end up as dead pieces of paper. Most importantly, when planning occurs without leadership, cynicism increases when staff see that the plan is being ignored, or even violated. The outcome of this is that formal leaders suffer a loss of credibility.

Top 10 Advices for Students , Do better research

I wrote about ways for students to add a little extra “kick” to their research papers. Those strategies were meant for students who had already mastered the basics of performing research, not students just getting started doing research and writing papers. As with writing, though, research skills are rarely taught very clearly — professors assume students know or can figure out how to do good research, or at best turn their students over to a librarian for a tour of the library’s facilities and resources. Is it any wonder that so many university students rely on Wikipedia as the first and last stop in their research itinerary? To help students get up to speed on basic research skills, here’s 10 tips to help you find, organize, and use the information you need to put together a decent research paper. 1. Schedule! I tell my students that the first step in writing a research paper is to admit you have a research paper. Write up a schedule with a series of milestones to accomplish by a specific date (e.g. find 10 sources by September 20, finish preliminary research by October 15), and keep to it. You will need time to get an overview of what material is out there, find out what’s in your library, select relevant material, read it, take notes, and start putting it together — and to do a second wave of research to clear up points raised in the writing of your first draft. 2. Mine bibliographies. Once you’ve found a good, solid academic book or essay on your topic, you’re golden — at the end there will be a list of dozens or hundreds of sources for you to look up. You can usually skim through the bibliography and note down anything whose title sounds relevant to your research. Academic authors aren’t very creative with their titles, so it is usually pretty easy to tell what their work is about from just the title or subtitle. Go back through and see if you recognize any of the authors’ names — these too might be worth following up. once you start finding the work the first book referenced, do the same thing with their bibliographies — soon you’ll have a list of far more sources than you need (but you need them, because your library may not have all the books and journals referred to, and inter-library loan is so slow as to be useless for students who need to finish by the end of the semester). 3. Start, don’t end, with Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a great place to start your research — spend some time searching for keywords related to your topic, browsing the links you find on each page, and following their suggested resources. Take notes, especially of any good sources they recommend. The goal here is to get a good overview of the subject you’re writing about, and Wikipedia is far better for that than most print sources, because of its hyperlink ed nature. By the time you get ready to write, though, you should have much better sources at your command than Wikipedia, so avoid citing it in your paper. 4. Have a research question in mind. Technically, your thesis should emerge from your research, when you have data in front of you. But you need a kind of “working thesis” while doing your research — a question you want to answer. As you come across new material, ask yourself if it looks like it will help you answer your question. Anything that looks relevant but doesn’t help answer your question you can put back. It’s tempting to gather a lot of background material, and some is necessary, but too much will waste your time without contributing to your research. Get one or two good sources for background (your initial Wikipedia searching should be adequate in most cases) and then keep focused by working towards an answer to your research question. 5. Deal with one piece at a time. Don’t try to tackle your subject all at once. Get enough of a sense of the topic that you can create an outline of the things you need to understand, and then deal with each piece on its own. You’ll find the connections between the pieces when you write your first draft. 6. Use a system. Start your research with an idea of how you plan to collect and organize your notes and data. Although I’ve written papers using index cards before, my favorite system is to use a one-subject notebook. At the top of a fresh page, I write the full bibliographic reference for a book or paper, then copy quotes and write notes — both tagged with the page numbers they came from — interspersed with thoughts and ideas that occur to me as I’m reading. I’d love to use a computer more efficiently when doing research, and have built databases and tried wikis and outliners and other kinds of software, but I’ve never found a system that worked well — I spent more time fiddling with the software than getting work done. Whatever system you decide on, make sure that every quote, fact, and thought is tied in some way to its source so that you can easily insert references while you’re writing. 7. Know your resources. Spend some time getting to know what resources, both online and offline, your library to offer. Most libraries offer tours to students, or talk to a research librarian — or at the least, walk through the library to get a feel for what is where, paying special attention to the microfilm repository and periodicals, which you’ll use a lot in the course of most research projects. Most university libraries also subscribe to a number of academic databases, and most are now accessible online — get to know the research material you can access from home. J-Stor, for instance, holds full-text photographic copies of hundreds of journals, all easily searchable. There’s nothing quite like thinking of something in the middle of the night, logging on, and printing out two or three relevant journal articles to review in the morning. 8. Ask for help. Use the human resources available to you as well as the material resources. Most professors spend their office hours waiting in disappointment for a student to drop in and give them something to justify the time they’re required to keep an open hour — be that student! Ask for help in finding and evaluating sources, or for help in figuring out what to do with the material you’ve collected so far. Another often-overlooked resource is your friendly neighborhood librarian. Librarians are, in my estimation, the best people on Earth — they know the material in their charge forwards and backwards, they are deeply concerned with seeing it used, and they have committed their lives to making information more available.Most librarians will be happy to help you find relevant material for your project, and some will even locate specific pieces of hard-to-find information for you. Don’t forget to ask your fellow student for help, too — some of the might have come across work directly relevant to your topic. 9. Carry an idea book. As you start really getting into your project, your mind will start churning through what you’re reading, even when you’re not consciously working on it. If you’re like me, you’ll be struck by sudden revelations at the least convenient times — in the bathroom, in the shower, at the supermarket. or while getting ready for bed. Keep a small notebook and a pen with you everywhere (well, maybe not in the shower — although I do keep dry erase markers by the sink so I can write down quick thoughts on the bathroom mirror when I get out of the shower); jot down notes whenever an idea crosses your mind, and transfer these notes into your research log (or software, or whatever) as soon as you can. 10. Bring it up to date. Pay attention to the publication date of your material — while it’s ok to use older material, ideally you’d like the bulk of your references to come from the last 10 years or so. If research in your topic seems to dry up a decade or so back, it might be because the field moved on, but it also might be because funding opportunities disappeared, a major researcher died, or any number of accidental reasons. One trick is to Google the major researchers whose work you’ve found and see if you can find their homepages — most will list recent publications and their current research activities — it could be that someone has a book about to come out, or reports published in obscure or foreign journals. If so, you might try inter-library loan, or in some cases, try contacting the researcher herself and ask if they can send you a draft or reprint. Be courteous, explain what you’re working on and what you’re trying to find out, where your research has taken you so far, and what light you hope their work can shed on your topic. Do not ask for a list of references or what your thesis should be — nobody wants to do a student’s work for them. These tips will help put a decent bibliography and a body of notes and data at your fingertips when you sit down to write up your paper. Although evaluating sources is also a necessary part of doing good research, it will have to wait for its own post, as it’s too big a topic to reduce to a bullet point here. A librarian or your professor can help, especially if you restrict yourself to books and journals available in your university library. Internet sources are trickier, as it takes no effort at all these days to put up a professional-looking website saying whatever you want; until you’re comfortable with the material in your chosen field, it’s best to stick to known sources like Wikipedia and sites endorsed by your library or department, if you use the Internet at all. Remember, though, that until a few years ago, most of us managed to do research with no Internet at all! With typewriters! Walking uphill! In the snow! Barefoot!

How to swim?

Why learning basic swimming techniques can be useful? Swimming is a great recreation activity for anyone wanting to burst a few stress bubbles. Even merely getting into the water and letting the body float is enough for some. On the other hand, there are some individuals who like to go through and fro between the ends of the swimming pool as fast as they can. Of course, their intention is not to dazzle others, rather to enjoy the rush of the adrenaline and the feeling of euphoria that it gives them. By mastering the basic swimming techniques anyone can get to enjoy this feeling and feel the tension ebbing from the body. After taking charge of a pupil interested in learning swimming, a coach or instructor, first of all, imparts basic swimming techniques and strokes to him. Depending on how fast and easily the pupil can master them, he, sort of, comes to understand whether the pupil is going to swim like a fish or a duck. Let us see what these basic swimming technique for beginners are. Basic Freestyle Swimming Technique Most probably, the coach will start the training by teaching the freestyle swimming technique for beginners to his pupil. The freestyle stroke is the most basic stroke that each and every swimmer gets to cut his teeth on. Depending on his style of teaching, the instructor may want his pupil to practice the stroke right in the pool, or on the land itself by going through the motion of the stroke. In certain cases, mock practicing a swimming stroke on the land can be very useful, as the pupil has only to concentrate on executing it and there is not water to be dealt with. Some of the instructors believe in showing videos while explaining the proper swimming techniques to follow. The following is a list of instructions for freestyle swimming stroke. • Lie on your stomach in the water and position both the arms in front, move one hand downward direction to push the water away. Do it as if you are trying to chase the water with with you palm and keep the fingers joined together. • Continue to swing the hand so that it passes the thigh and exits the water. • Let it swing above the head and come in front till it touches the other hand which then starts its motion. • While doing this, let the hands be relaxed and not stiff when they enter the water. • When the hand touches the thigh, turn the head simultaneously and steal a breath. • It is also important to use thigh muscles to kick or flutter the legs so as to aid the hands in gaining momentum through the water. Basic Backstroke Swimming Technique Backstroke is another of the swimming stroke to add to one's repertory. As compared to freestyle stroke, this one is a little bit harder to execute which makes it all the more important to learn backstroke swimming techniques properly. The following are the instructions to execute the backstroke technique properly. • Lie on your back in the water and maintain the head in line with the spine. • Swing a hand in the air and let it pass close by the head. When the hand is immersed in the water, try pulling a hand-full of water to the surface. • Maintain the hand fully stretched and let the pinkie enter the water first. The entry point should be above the head and just outside of the line of the shoulder. • When the first hand is about to hit the water, start swinging the other hand to follow the first , so that, at any time they are at 180 degrees with each other. • By the time the hand in the water is about to exit, the other hand will hit the water and enter it. • If the instructions are followed correctly, then the swimmer will end up recovering one hand from the water and pulling the water with other. • Use the legs to kick the water away from body. • The windmilling of the hand through the water i.e. the speed of the backstroke is controlled by the kick speed. • It is also necessary to swivel the whole body along the rotating arms. The shoulder of the pulling hand must be slightly above the pool while rotating the arm. • The shoulder of the recovery arm must be maintained at the surface of the water. • Take a breath when a hand enters the water and exhale when it enters the water at the start of the next cycle. • After mastering basic swimming technique for backstroke the swimmer may want to go ahead and learn backstroke flip turn. Basic Breaststroke Swimming Technique The breast stroke is an exhausting swimming stroke where the swimmer has to use hands and leg muscles a lot. • Get into the water and float by assuming a slightly tipped up and down-forward position. • Keep the legs close together and hold the hands close to the chest. • To execute a breaststroke bring the legs toward the chest and kicking them away from the body in one motion and squeezing them closer. • Remember to throw the feet away from the body while executing the kick, to displace more water. • This makes the swimmer glide through the water and he can control his direction by pointing his toes and extending his arms. • Let the glide continue for a moment and then turn the palms outward. • From this position, pull with both of your fully extend hands in and around circular sweep till palms, once again, are close to the chest. • While executing the sweep of arms, use the momentum gained to raise the head above the water and take a breath. • With the lungs full of air, submerge the head under the water and repeat the process for the next backstroke. Acquiring basic swimming techniques is not an easy task. Not everyone can adjust immediately to the transition from being on a solid medium, such as, land, to being in the water that gives easily. One must enjoy the process of learning how to swim, be patient and keep on practicing, to master it. Later on, one can move on to learn the butterfly swimming technique to enjoy swimming to the fullest. One can do beginners swim workouts to supplement and enhance his or her efforts in the pool.

Wireless Email Security

To me, the important lesson derived from the recent dust-up between the United Arab Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia and RIM, the company behind the BlackBerry, is that governments can spy on almost all wireless email. And, they get annoyed when they can't. Not being able to hack into BlackBerry email almost got the devices banned in a number of countries. Interestingly, there are no stories of the US government threatening to shut down BlackBerry service because they couldn't read the email. According to Reuters, U.S. authorities are able to tap into BlackBerry messages. The article also notes that "... security experts say that many governments around the world enjoy the ability to monitor BlackBerry conversations as they do communications involving most types of mobile devices." Obviously, a heads up for anyone that sends email wirelessly. Just how protected is your wireless email from spying? Starting with the basics, wireless email may be sent over Wi-Fi or a data network from a cellphone company. WiFi over a router that you control is easily encrypted. WPA-TKIPand WPA2-AES are reasonably secure as long as you chose a long password that's not in the dictionary. And, WPA and WPA2 encryption apply to any and all data traveling over the air, not just email. For more on this, see my September 2009 article "The Best Security for Wireless Networks." On a public Wi-Fi network, a VPN can be employed to also encrypt all data coming and going. For more on this see my article "Being Secure on Public Wi-Fi: VPN, Firewalls, File Sharing." Without a VPN, email sent over a public Wi-Fi network can still be encrypted using webmail with secure HTTPS web pages. Gmail is a great choice as Google encrypts all web pages, not just the login page. Yahoo is a poor choice, they only encrypt the login page. But email is also available using dedicated email software (Outlook, Thunderbird, Outlook Express, etc.) rather than webmail. Many, if not most, email software employs no security at all. It is available however, and we'll discuss it more later. While Wi-Fi encryption is well-understood by many, encryption on CDMA and GSM cellphone networks is a bit more obscure. In discussing this back in February 2008 Steve Gibson said that these encryption technologies have been cracked. They are old and were designed when there was little computational horsepower available in cellphones. "It's not like, you know, CDMA and GSM has been cracked to the degree, for example, that Wi-Fi has been. But there are papers on the 'Net that talk about how this stuff can be cracked. So it's not like there's super-strong, industrial-grade, current state-of-the-art crypto. The problem is, these technologies, these digital cellular technologies are so old, and now so widely deployed, that they can't be updated without obsoleting the entire network. And they're, I mean, they're encrypted to the extent that you have to really, really, really want to crack them in order to get inside them. But it is possible. Has been done." There is also another way to tap into cellphone-based transmissions. At the recent Defcon convention, a hacker mimicked a cell tower and simply told the phone to turn off encryption. Kim Zetter writing for Wired describes it: "A security researcher created a cell phone base station that tricks cell phones into routing their outbound calls through his device, allowing someone to intercept even encrypted calls in the clear. The device tricks the phones into disabling encryption and records call details and content before they’re routed on their proper way through voice-over-IP. The low-cost, home-brewed device, developed by researcher Chris Paget, mimics more expensive devices already used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies – called IMSI catchers – that can capture phone ID data and content. The devices essentially spoof a legitimate GSM tower and entice cell phones to send them data by emitting a signal that’s stronger than legitimate towers in the area." Encryption is essential Regardless of the encryption, or lack of it, employed by the transmission system (Wi-Fi, GSM, CDMA), email software, be it on a computer, smartphone or any portable device, should offer encryption of its own. For example, someone with her own domain may get her email from either the registrar that registered the domain or the company hosting her website. GoDaddy is a big player in this field and they offer instructions for iPhone users on how to send and receive encrypted email from their iPhones. But, iPad owners that follow other instructions from GoDaddy, will send email in the clear. Not only messages, but email passwords too are transmitted in plain text. Three protocols are used with email, POP and IMAP for reading, and SMTP for sending (typically someone reads email with either POP or IMAP). Each protocol comes in both a secure/encrypted version and an insecure edition. The secure versions employ the same SSL/TLS used by secure web pages and may be referred to as POPS, IMAPS and SSMTP, a naming standard familiar to anyone who has dealt with secure HTTPS web pages. The secure email protocols also connect using different ports. Ports are logical entry points on a server computer, in this case a computer running POP, IMAP or SMTP server software. The secure version of IMAP connects to the IMAP server using port 993. The secure version of POP connects to POP server software using port 995 and secure email is sent using either ports 465 or 587. With web pages, insecure HTTP uses port 80 and secure HTTPS uses port 443. Be aware, however, that what is encrypted by the secure email protocols is the connection between the email software on your computing device and the email server that it communicates with. For sending email, this means messages are encrypted between you and the SMTP server that actually sends your email. Oftentimes the SMTP server is provided by your ISP, but large companies and serious techies may run their own. What is not encrypted, however, is the transmission of the email message out from the SMTP server to the server computer that stores email for the recipient. This article is focused on wireless email however, and using SSMTP rather than SMTP insures that email traveling over the air is encrypted. To be sure of end-to-end encryption, the email message themselves need to be encrypted before they start their journey. The ability to send messages that are, themselves, encrypted is another topic altogether. Let me just say that an encrypted message can be sent using an encrypted protocol, and nothing says that both of these can't be done through a VPN, adding yet a third layer of encryption. The classic issue with encrypting the actual messages is that both the sender and recipient need to use similar software and it can be difficult to set up initially. For most people these hurdles are too high. I recently attended a hacker conference where the guys that setup the wireless network gave a wrap-up presentation on the last day. In discussing how the network was used during the conference, they were surprised to find both POP and IMAP traffic. This elicited shock and awe from the attendees. How could anyone be so un-informed as to read insecure email during a hacker conference over a wireless network? It boggles the mind.

10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a destroyer Social Media Strategy

Why do businesses need social media? It’s a good question, and one that everyone should ask before they get started. After all, spending time, money, and other precious resources on social media marketing before you have an understanding of what it can do for you is kind of like putting the cart before the horse (not advisable). What are your goals? Just because you’ve heard that other companies are doing it doesn’t mean that social media will magically work for you. Like any marketing strategy, it takes maintenance and a clear vision of the bigger picture. Your tweets, posts and comments should all be coordinated to meet the ultimate goal, which is to establish trust, build your brand, and increase sales. Which is why, of course, your business needs a killer social media strategy. In order to tap the potential of this fabulous marketing tool, you’ll want to first determine if social media can meet your goals and objectives. If you’re still figuring out your marketing plan for 2010, consider the following 10 reasons why a social media strategy may be well worth the effort. It finds your customers Companies using traditional marketing methods (e.g. surveys, focus groups, test marketing) often spend millions to locate their target markets. Where are the people most likely to buy your products and services? Establishing a social media strategy will help you see where potential customers are hanging out. You can search for related groups and Fan Pages through Facebook, start accounts on social bookmarking sites such as Digg or StumbleUpon, and check on who is linking to your site to find out who’s interested. It tells you what they like …and what they don’t like. Social media gives businesses on small budgets the ability to find out what people are saying about them (and others) in their industry, without paying large sums on market research. With your ear to the ground on social media, you’ll be the first to know if your product is working or if changes need to be made. Does your brand need a makeover? You’ll find out here first. It reveals their interests Regardless of what people are saying about you, it’s important to know what they’re talking about in general. What motivates them? What are their issues? In every industry, there are existing conversations going on. A social media strategy will allow you to get in on these conversations so that you can offer solutions, push buttons, and get people talking. It introduces your brand Is your company new? Or has it been around awhile but hasn’t been using social media? Starting a fan page on Facebook and a business account with Twitter is sort of like moving into a new neighborhood. You can introduce yourself, hold get-togethers and talk about topics of interest. Friends and followers will soon start inviting their friends over to see what’s going on. This is an effective way to make the connections that lead to sales. It expands your reach Even an established brand may be missing out on potential customers. Through social media, you can find out what online communities your existing customers belong to. These places can become portals to a larger audience for your products and services. And don’t forget that your customers can spread the word for you to these communities. Interest them with compelling and useful content, contests and giveaways, etc. They’ll soon be telling their friends and colleagues to check you out. It gives you feedback A big advantage to using social media is the “give and take” built into it. While large corporations are paying people to give them feedback, you can invite comments and opinions through your blog posts and fan pages for free. Then, channel them into improving your products, your brand image, etc. When you listen and respond to your customers’ opinions, suggestions and even criticisms, they start to feel invested in you. It provides a test audience No company wants to throw a new product or concept out there without first testing it out. You can tap into your pool of social media groupies to find those willing to test out your ideas and give you valuable feedback before you launch. Your social media pages offer places where people interested in your ideas are already gathered, so you don’t have to take a “hit or miss” approach to beta testing. It showcases your company’s personality Engaging through social media lends itself to more personal contact with customers. You can avoid being a faceless, impersonal storefront by letting people know who you are. Commenting, posting blogs and inviting conversation allow customers to connect with you and your brand. This builds stronger relationships over time. It makes you accessible Fans, friends, and followers have direct access to you. Unlike the pre-social media days, when consumers often had to deal with companies that they perceived as unreachable, you can quickly respond to your customers’ problems and frustrations before they balloon into a big mess. Likewise, being able to personally respond to positive feedback strengthens bonds by making people feel that their opinions matter. It lets you share Through social media, you can create all kinds of content and post it in one place. Make videos, write articles, and post blogs and podcasts to your pages, where everyone can access them. You can communicate in fun and inventive ways because there are no rules for how to best reach your audience, so you can mix it up and appeal to everyone. Sharing also gets people to share back, and gives you access to resources and links that could become invaluable to you. There are many things that social media can do for your business. Developing a strategy for using it means that you need to think about what you want to accomplish this year and determine how social media fits into the plan. One of the benefits of a social media strategy is the fact that you can customize the available tools for your particular needs. You can choose to concentrate your efforts on the sites that seem to offer the best return on investment, while taking a “wait and see” stand on the others. The bottom line is this: your customers are out there having conversations on social media with or without you. You can choose to join in or not. But when you think about the potential that social media marketing offers, it may be well worth your time to at least start exploring the possibilities it offers.

Ideas for Improve Your Golf Game

About Rife Golf Putters: They have been a revelation. It is not a claim or projection, it's a guarantee. These have been the shortest of clubs joining the pack lately. They make the golfer feel strong and give him a sense of ease to swing at the ball with all the force he can. The mighty swing that people debate about these days is a license that golfers have acquired through these Rife Golf Putters. This latest addition to the Galvin Green Golf Gear is being used by every Pro on the Tour. The golfers pride themselves on using these Galvin Green Golf Putters. They sort of take a higher ground than those without the Putters. Lets us not take the moral ground now and talk facts! The Rife Putters have been designed in a very innovative way. A steep curve is visible at the bottom where all the weight is driven. This helps the golfer club the ball hard. Two metallic rods are connected to the back of the cleft which power it. These are attached to make the metal robust. A good look at this Galvin Green Gear will tell you that the weight has been driven downwards, to the exact place which the player uses to club the ball and send it flying high. These Galvin Green Waterproofs teach the golfer to maintain poise. They are a good training base to polish skill and master the art of giving the ball some swing. Through them, the golfer can train to change the trajectory of the ball mid air and alter its course for a different landing. Trials have proven that the putters have an innate tendency to make the ball go far than usual if the speed is moderated by the player. They have shown that the ball can travel more distance, swing in the air and with the wind can change its landing trajectory. This is certainly music to all those ears desperate to find a club that would suffice their requirements. These are certain nuances to be learnt through practice. You just cannot show up on the turf and act that since you have been involved with the game for long, you will master shots through these putters. They are new, ask for rigorous practice and once that happens, your game is set to excel. Certain changes they help you in making will leave your contemporaries and fellow golfers in astonishment. They will not stop winking and stare in disbelief. The putters are made with special metal. This metal is solid and stays stout. Unlike some clubs that have been brought to attention in the past for budging under the force. These ones do not budge. They stay solid and allow the players to have their way and try out innovative shots. Players should see the writing between the lines and take this opportunity to try and flourish further. The Putters are a revelation, a way to take your level of golf to newer heights. This can be achieved if the work is there. Golf has again shown that with technology and practice, a lot can be achieved that once was a distant dream. A lot can be accomplished without much pondering. The Rife Putters are challenging equipment. They challenge the skill of the golfer, question his efficacy once again and ask whether he is ready to handle them! The answer: Practice. Learn how to manipulate the outcome of the shots through these Putters. You learn the art and you will never be the same player when you are on the turf.