Category: Business

‘Free’ digital bulletin board

Business / Hardware / Marketing / Software / Technology

Last year I was trying to figure out how to build and display a ‘digital bulletin board’ on Main Street USA. The idea being that it would be remotely updated with text, video, graphics, AND would pull from RSS feeds, or just show scheduled content, and be easily updatable. The idea was to mount a flat-panel monitor or TV against a large window where there’s lots of foot traffic to catch the eye of visitors and residents when they were in town. It took a while, but I …

If It’s Not Their Idea, It’s Bad

Business / People

Sometimes, I’m still amazed when “business people” (or those who claim to be professionals) dismiss good, or logical ideas without a reasonable or acceptable answer. I SHOULDN’T be surprised, because a lot of people are driven by their own need to be important. Over the years, I’ve seen it many times, and I have no problem admitting that sometimes those ‘leaders’ have information they can’t share, which makes their decision appear to be a poor one. I think more often though, those bad decisions come from their thinking …

Scamming Senior Citizens

Business / Email / Software / Technology

A friend recently told me the story about how his father was scammed, and ended up in a spanish prison for drug smuggling. My own grandmother had been scammed (multiple) times, eventually causing my grandparents to lose their home. In this age of the internet, seniors are huge targets for being taken advantage of, for two main reasons: a) many of them come from an era where they tended to trust people more easily, and b) they are minimally familiar with the internet and how it works. Seniors …

Test Driving… Mattresses

Business / Marketing / Technology

I’ve had the same mattress for more than 10 years now. I literally bought it (new) from a Big Lots store. It’s a Serta Perfect Sleeper Courtland mattress. I’ve been a fat guy for the past 10 years as well, so I’ve definitely put the mattress through its paces. I’ve also had somewhat bad neck pain for several years, usually when I wake up. I’ve tried several different pillows… different brands, different styles, different thicknesses. Nothing has seemed to help. It occurred to me recently than I’ve stayed …

The Resurgence of Email

Business / Email / History / Technology

With the recent example of Amazon’s AWS service arbitrarily killing a business’s website by revoking the company’s hosting contract, the question must be asked – If a service provider can suddenly decide to not provide you service, how can you continue to reach your audience? The short answer is one of the foundational elements of the internet – the original POP… Post Office Protocol. Email. POP servers have (and are) a staple of the internet. They deliver (most) user verification and forgot password emails. They notify people of …

You Can’t Use PayPal Anymore, or, How to Kill a Small Business

Business / Customer Service / Reviews / Technology

In late 2015, I launched MouseMingle.com – the dating site for Disney fans. A few weeks ago, PayPal banned MouseMingle from processing payments with no notice – effectively killing my small business. Why did PayPal choose to kill my small business? Your guess is as good as mine. Why would I say that? Because the official message on my PayPal dashboard says that I’m “in violation of PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy.” The problem is, PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy says nothing about wholesome websites helping people connect and (hopefully) fall …

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