Free Seminar: Reaching Mobile Shoppers
Mobile shopping is becoming more widespread as consumers use their mobile devices to shop while in stores. A small but growing portion of shoppers are even purchasing via their devices, indicating a bright future for m-commerce.
If you are interested in learning more about tapping into the m-commerce marketing you can attend a free, online webinar on Thursday, February 23, at 1 pm ET. The seminar, Cashing In on Mobile Shopping--What Marketers Need to Know About Coupons, Commerce and Payment will feature eMarketer Principal Analyst Noah Elkin.
Key takeaways will include:
- A review of challenges marketers are facing
- Mobile strategies to enhance customer loyalty and brand engagement
- Advantages of offers and promotions that incorporate location,context and timeliness
- Benefits of complementing existing mobile check-in services with more robust checkout and payment solutions
Click here to register. If you cannot make the webinar you can still register and a link to view the deck and recording the day after the webinar will be emailed to you.
March 2012 Federal Tax Filing Deadlines
03/15/2012 S-Corp Election Decision Due (if Applicable)
03/15/2012 S Corporate Returns Due / Calendar Year
03/15/2012 Issue K-1's S Corporate Returns / Calendar Year
03/15/2012 Corporate Returns Due / Calendar Year
03/15/2012 Corporate Returns/S Corp Extensions Due / Calendar Year
03/15/2012 Form 1042S - Foreign Persons US Income subject to withholdings
03/15/2012 Form 1042 - Annual Tax Return of US Income subject to withholdings of Foreign Persons
03/15/2012 Employers Make Monthly Payroll tax deposit on the 15th of each month
03/15/2012 Electing Large Partnerships - Issue K-1s to partners - even if you're on extension
03/31/2012 Electronic filing of W-3's with Social Security Admin including issued W-2's
03/31/2012 Electronic filing of US transmittal of US information Returns
Need More Tax Information?
Happy Valentines Day? Or Sexual Harassment At The Office?
In many schools, children swap Valentines with classmates. They may even tease each other about being sweethearts or having secret crushes. Working diligently from a list of classmates so no one was forgotten kids are encouraged to share Valentines. But the rules for giving Valentine's Day cards and gifts at work are very different from those for school aged children.
Read why giving out cards and candy at work can be a bad idea - or in some cases, could even be seen as a violation of federal laws protecting workers against a hostile work environment and sexual harassment.
Here are pitfalls, and other things you can do if you want to do something thoughtful for employees without running the risk of getting hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit.
Avoid Disaster - Backup Your Data
Your computer is a device that has moving parts that can fail or degrade. Software applications can have bugs, defects, or can become outdated. Computer viruses are rampant and at some point just about every single computer user will have to deal with one.
Something as simple as a power surge can turn your business life upside down in a split second if your are not backing up your computer data.
At best, if you suffer data loss, you may be able to hire someone (assuming you are not a computer whiz) to help restore missing data -- at worst -- your precious data is gone forever.
Taking the following steps can help you minimize your risk of losing data:
- Use an appropriate surge protector specifically designed for computer protection -- never use extension cords or overload outlets.
- Get a backup battery. Good backup batteries start at about $80 but can save you heartache and money should your power go out. Backup batteries tend to wear out so check yours from time to time. Most only last one to three years. Backup batteries protect you against power surges and outages than can fry your computer as well as give you backup power long enough to properly save and closeout files and applications.
- Back up your computer in multiple ways. Make backup copies of important files and keep them in a different directory, portable storage device, or external hard drive.
- It is also highly recommended that you backup your files online. This protects you against data loss should your device be stolen, or if your computer was destroyed in a disaster.
- Use antivirus software and firewalls to reduce the risk of being infected by viruses.
- Keep software and drivers up to date. Out of date applications are more vulnerable to security breaches as well as failure.
- Never use bootleg software copies. Aside from being illegal, using "pirated" copies of software puts your computer at high risk for problems.
Why You Need To Back Up Your Outlook Email
If you are not backing up your email you are probably among the majority of technology users. But that is no excuse for not taking necessary precautions to safeguard yourself against data loss.
If you use Outlook, be aware the Microsoft Windows users are reporting problems with Windows deleting files it deems as being corrupt. Among those being deleted are the .pst files that contain a copy of all your emails stored in Outlook.
You may think that using Outlooks Archive features is a backup tool. It is not. When you archive emails in Outlook it does not create a backup it simply moves emails from the .pst file into another file. If your .pst file is destroyed you will lose all emails that are not archived and the archives will not contain a copy of any non-archived emails.
If your .pst file has become corrupt or was deleted, check with your email host provider. If you are leaving a copy of your emails on the server you may still be able to find them on line. For example, Dreamhost.com uses SquirrelMail. If you selected "leave a copy on the server" in your Outlook settings, you may be able to pull them from your server's archives.
Some email clients cannot handle large archive files so you may need to use another email client. If you use Outlook, try setting up an IMAP account which will list all file folders (including any archives) on your server. You may be able to access archives via IMAP, or even Thunderbird if you cannot get them from a POP3 Outlook set up.
How To Back Up Your Outlook Email
Got A New Computer? Cool Time Saving Tip
If you are setting up a new computer you have to install a lot of software applications, or, if your computer crashed, you may need to reinstall even the most basic features. Now this process can be automated for you through a great website that can help speed up your reinstallation process and save you time and hassle. Even better, it is free to use.
www.ninite.com allows you to create an install list from a wide variety of popular (and some not so popular) browers, PDF readers, developer tools, and other applications like image software. document handlers, and messaging tools. Just check the applications you want to install and NiNite creates a downloadable execute file that grabs all the latest versions of the platforms you use. Simply execute the one NiNite file and the rest is done for you... no checking "I accept" or "Next" buttons. Just execute one file and walk away. Another cool plus, NiNite matches the applications to your computer's specs!
Try it now: www.ninite.com
Things You Can Do With a Law Degree: Bank Teller
Article Picks
In a humorous, but serious article, Elie Mystal discusses job placement offerings by law schools. Apparently, with a law degree, you can pursue a career as a bank teller, at least if you get your JD from Brigham Young University.
Mystal also notes in a second article that, "J.D. holders have found out the hard way that holding a law degree only opens doors to "law" jobs. They aren't degrees of general utility."
D-Day Is Coming: How Google's Strong-Arm Tactics Will Hurt Consumers
Or should I say "G-Day" is coming.
March 1, 2012 -- mark your calendars because that is the day everyone who uses Google will be required to accept their new Terms of Service / Privacy Polices if they want to keep using Google products. Refuse (opt-out) and every Google account you have will be deleted including YouTube, Gmail, webmasters, analytics, blogger, if Google owns it, you they can cancel it.
Google has been amassing data about you from your computer, phone, mobile device, Internet habits, and your accounts (i.e., YouTube, Gmail, etc.) for a long, long time. Now you will be required to give them permission to use that data for their own marketing purposes.
If you have an Android phone, Google will invade just about everything nook and cranny on your phone. And, the new way Google will deliver search engine results will have an instant, dramatic, negative impact on anyone who cares about search engine optimization.
What Google's New Terms of Service (TOS) Really Mean To You
Online Sales: Who Packages The Stuff We Buy?
We buy millions of things online, but who (or what) puts our items into packages? Mick Mountz weaves a fascinating tale out of online ordering. Watch Video on Ted.com
Tax Mama Seminar - Top 10 Tax Changes For 2011
Top 10 Tax Changes for 2011 Filing
Order your Top 10 Tax Changes course today. $39 -- Offer expires THIS - Friday, February 3 at midnight PST.
Learn the 10 most important changes in tax law affecting the 2011 tax returns and tax practitioners.
Topics covered:
- Circular 230 changes affecting tax professionals
- Form 8939 and other death-related filings
- Per Diem rates and reporting
- Extender Bills
- Client consents and disclosure issues
- Important changes to note on certain forms
- E-Services
Regularly priced at $49, you get instant access for only $39! You can view the on-demand webcast at your own pace (using fast forward and rewind controls). In addition, supporting materials are available for download. You have up to one year to complete the course.
Earn 3 CPE hours.
Speaker: Eva Rosenberg, MBA, EA, known as the Internet's TaxMamaŽ, publishes the popular www.TaxMama.com website, cited by Consumer Reports magazine as one of 2007s top tax advice sites.