Happy New Year! I send my best wishes of peace and
prosperity to you in 2002.
This issue is loaded with new information and links focusing on how to use technology more effectively and
efficiently. Hope you enjoy and share with your friends.
Corbin
IN THIS ISSUE:
NEW ARTICLE: Interactive Polling - Finding What the Audience Wants
NEW ARTICLE: Privacy, Please--Ethics of E-Marketing
CORBIN'S WEB SITE FAVORITES - Updated
5 HIGHLIGHTED BOOKMARK FAVORITES
UPDATED ARTICLE: Guarding Against Computer Viruses
NEW ARTICLE: How to Spot Email Virus Hoaxes
---
and more!
SPONSORS
Thanks to
the following newsletter sponsors:
Conferon
(www.conferon.com):
Is your marketing reaching your target audience and boosting ROI?Conferon's MRA and Conferonline options help you meet attendance
goals.
b-there
(www.b-there.com):
Twice the efficiency. Half the work. Discover the benefits of integrated online
registration, housing, travel, &
e-marketing solutions.
Bill L. Johnson, CSP(www.billjohnson.com):Speeches
and Seminars, Wireless microphones, Multi-media projectors, Digital Recorders,
Stealth (invisible) and Headset microphones
NEW ARTICLE
What Does Your Audience Want? -- Find Out With Audience Polling
As a speaker, I wish that I could use audience polling devices at every presentation I give. Wireless voting
keypads involve the audience, stimulate discussion, and give everyone an anonymous, non-verbal vote.
The good news is prices are falling while the options are increasing.
This article covers the many benefits and gives current pricing information.
Reprinted with permission of Meeting News, Copyright 2001
Thanks to a host of enabling technologies - from Web-based registration and email reminders to cookies and targeted
banner ads - attendees can be inundated with information about events, venues and vendors. But constant bombardment
can make people prickly about their privacy. That creates
an ethical dilemma for aggressive marketers who want to leverage the data they've gathered about attendees.
This article covers the key points for responsible e-marketing.
CORBIN'S FAVORITES
"Corbin's Favorites" is the most comprehensive list of categorized Web site favorites for the meetings and
hospitality industries found on the Internet – with more than 2,100 listings especially focusing on meetings
technology.
The list has just been cleaned-up and updated with many new links.
This completely redesigned site has much going for it.
A consistent navigation scheme throughout the site.
A great city guide
Lots of content for travelers coming to Pittsburgh
with hundreds of 360-degree view and streaming video links.
Most importantly, however, is the e-commerce capability. A
site visitor can book accommodations, make restaurant reservations, buy museum tickets, purchase souvenirs and
much more.
This is a superb example of how a city can promote itself online.
This site was the first online mall for meeting planners established in 1995 (back in the dark ages of web
development). Its recent redesign contains lots of content and links that should not be overlooked by meeting
professionals. Included are news, directory and link listings, an active job board, and the MIMList, the
industry's most active online discussion group with more than 2000 participants and is moderated by the passionate
and extremely knowledgeable industry leader, Joan
Eisenstodt.
Have you ever wondered the back-side details of a web site? Who owns it (the administrative contact)? Their address and
phone number? How long has the site been online? Their web hosting service? And more.
Under the area of privacy (or subtitled: it is scary what people can find about you) is this background checking
site.
The tag line reads: When in doubt, check him out! And goes on to state:
"At a time when people are meeting over the Internet, through personal ads, and dating virtual strangers, it is
important to BE SAFE and BE SMART...FIND OUT WHO THEY REALLY ARE!"
For a fee they offer: background checks, criminal and civil record checks on dates, potential mates, nannys, in-home
service providers, business partners and prospective employees.
The Internet continues to redefine personal privacy. As Sun Microsystems CEO recently tersely stated: "You have zero
privacy anyway. Get over it."
However, as citizens, we must be vigilant about protecting this privacy. I will be addressing this issue in detail in
an upcoming newsletter.
UPDATED ARTICLE: 5 Easy
Steps to Guard Against Computer Viruses
I continue to get numerous emails with worm attachments. The latest has been several copies of the goner worm.
The fundamental rule to avoid these viruses and worms is never open up file attachments ending with the following
attachments:
.exe
.vbs
.bat
.scr
.pif
NEW ARTICLE: How To Spot
Computer Virus Hoaxes
Virus hoaxes are alive and well too, and in fact, are more prevalent than real viruses.
I have recently received many virus hoax messages urging me to delete an important Windows file: SULFNBK.EXE saying
that this file was a virus.
These messages followed a typical pattern that should ring warning bells. In general, any message that asks you to
copy and send to everyone in your address book should be treated with suspicion.
This article covers the virus hoax warning flags, some of my favorite virus hoax web links, and even a link for those
of you who may have deleted the SULFNBK.EXE file.
My speaking and consulting travel schedule for will bring
me to: Nashville, Honolulu, and Atlanta. Bookings are down a little since September 11, especially for February. If
you have or know of a group that would benefit from my presentations, please let me know.
http://www.corbinball.com/contact.htm
SPONSORSHIP: Want
to help sponsor Corbin's Tech Talk Newsletter with more than 4,600 subscribers
interested in meetings, events, trade
show and hotel technology?
PRIVACY STATEMENT: We respect your privacy. Your name and e-mail address will never be sold, traded, rented,
bartered, or given away. Nor will it be used for any other purpose than to communicate with you. Period!
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