by Lillian D. Bjorseth
President Duoforce Enterprises, Inc.
www.duoforce.com

It is far easier to build a better mousetrap than it is to let the world know you have built one. Entrepreneurs through Fortune 100 companies wrestle daily with how to come up with the best marketing strategies, those that garner attention and also sell product.

When you can succinctly articulate … right on the spot … the answers to the following questions, you will have made a solid start toward selling more services and products … or yourself when looking for a job or promotion to enhance your career success.

What is your/your company’s competitive advantage?  The objective is to identify specifically what sets you apart from others who sell the same thing or have the same educational or work background. In formulating your answer consider your:

1. Availability
2. Background
3. Customer service
4. Expertise
5. Price (salary requirements)
6. Quality of work

By: Lisa Schulteis
Today’s Virtual Edge, LLC
www.todaysvirtualedge.com

You’ve started to see them everywhere… those little black and white squares that look similar to a bar code, but aren’t quite the same.  What are they?  They are QR codes (abbreviated from Quick Response code) and they are two-dimensional codes that can be read by smart phones everywhere.

In this very mobile world, QR codes are becoming very popular.  You may have seen them in a magazine, on the door to your favorite restaurant, or somewhere out on the web.

There are a lot of creative ways that people can use QR codes. Some of the more creative uses I have see are on For Sale signs and real estate flyers to the Tree description tags at Home Depot.  The most creative use I have seen is by Tesla, a Korean grocery store, that is using QR codes to allow people to shop for groceries while waiting for the subway train!  Here are some additional ways you can use QR codes:

Just a few definitions you may find helpful

• @reply: A direct tweet sent to another Twitter user.
• Dweet: Tweet sent while drunk
• Hash Tag: The “#” sign. Allows Twitter users to group tweets by topic, making it easier to search particular conversations using Twitter Search.
• MisTweet: A tweet one later regrets.
• ReTweet: To repost something that’s already in the Twitter stream. Usually preceded by “RT” and “@[username],” to give credit to the original poster.
• SnapTweet: A tweet that includes a photo taken with a cell phone, uploaded to Flickr and posted to Twitter via snaptweet.com.
• Twittcrastination: Procrastination brought on by Twitter use.
• Twadd: To add someone as a friend or follower.
• Twaigslist/Twebay: To sell something on Twitter.
• Tweeter/Twitterer: Someone who uses Twitter.
• TwinkedIn: Inviting friends made on Twitter to connect on LinkedIn.
• Twittectomy: To remove someone from the list of people you follow.
• Twitterati: The A-list twitterers everyone follows.
• Twitterfly: Twitter’s version of a social butterfly, marked by the extreme use of @ signs.
• Twitterlooing: Twittering from the bathroom.
• Twitterpated: Overwhelmed with Twitter messages.
• Twittfeinated, Twigged Out, Twired: To be so hyped up on twittering that you cannot sleep.

Enjoy!