January 15, 2009 by Steve.

Google has released a new service called Google Friend Connect that makes it possible for Web sites to easily add social networking features that don’t require visitors to join a new social network. Google Friend Connect lets any Web site operator easily add functionality to a site that lets visitors join the site, see other users of the site, and participate in social networking activities such as commenting on and rating content.

From a strict feature standpoint, there isn’t much in Google Friend Connect that seems all that new. There are many other services already available that offer these types of services. What does make this service stand out is its extreme openness and potential for near-unlimited extensibility. That’s because, rather than using proprietary technology, Google Friend Connect heavily leverages open technologies such as OpenID, OpenSocial, and OAuth.

To get the service up and running on your site, you simply need to enter the site information on the Google Friend Connect site, download two files that need to be uploaded to your site’s root directory, and choose the gadgets you want to add to the site. For the gadgets, Google Friend Connect generated code that I then needed to add to my Web site templates and pages.

Gadgets include a Members gadget that displays visitors who have joined the site. This makes it possible for visitors to sign in, join the site, and utilize other social networking gadgets. Other gadgets include a Wall gadget that lets visitors comment on and link to a site, a ratings gadget, and a couple of demonstration gadgets. There is also a code snippet provided to aid developers in creating their own custom gadgets.

For more information on Google Friend Connect go to www.google.com/friendconnect/.

Posted in Marketing, Cool Tools, General | Print | 1 Comment »

January 7, 2009 by Steve.

JumpVault is software that addresses concerns from a growing number of businesses whose employees regularly use BlackBerry, USB flash drives, and other mobile devices to transport and transfer data. JumpVault transforms an ordinary USB flash or mobile device, such as a BlackBerry, into a secure virtual container. JumpVault, created by QuickVault, Inc., is password protected and offers the option for meta data logging to track movement of mobile data files.

The company says JumpVault fully protects information on any mobile storage device with internal flash memory—no matter the file size or type. The product also functions as a backup unit for laptops and workstations often overlooked by enterprise business continuity and disaster recovery programs. That means contracts, proposals, business plans, personal documents, confidential documents, spreadsheets, and legal documents can be protected on mobile storage devices.

Sarbanes-Oxley, Payment Card Industry (PCI), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandate by law that record holders safeguard certain types of information. JumpVault’s data loss prevention features protect mobile data from unauthorized access or disclosure.

JumpVault software is fully contained on the USB-enabled mobile storage device and operates across a variety of computer operating systems including Windows, Vista, and Mac. JumpVault has a built-in 256-bit encryption and offers the option of scheduled transfer of data from PCs to corporate servers. Data stored on a BlackBerry, for example, cannot be accessed without authentication. For more information, visit JumpVault.com.

Posted in Cool Tools, General, Agency Management Systems | Print | 1 Comment »

December 29, 2008 by Steve.

Traditionally, Web developers only needed to worry about how your Web site displayed in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE). No longer. Multiple Web browsers are commonly used by your prospects and clients. A bad looking page on a non-IE browser (e.g. Firefox, Safari, Opera) could make a prospect abandon your site.

Browsershots.org is a complimentary service that lets you test your Web design in 55 different combinations of Web browsers and operating systems. It’s a handy tool to make sure you know how your Web site will look on different systems—which sometimes mangle sites using nonstandard code.

It’s simple to use. Put your Web site address into the input bar, select the different browers and operation systems you want to test, and click submit. Browsershots proceeds to make screenshots of your Web design in different browsers.

Here’s how it works. When you submit your Web address, it is added to the job queue. A number of distributed computers open your Web site in their browser. Then, they make screenshots and upload them to a central server. This process can take a while, depending on how many combinations you selected. The screenshots are then displayed on the site and you can download them to view in more detail.

Posted in Cool Tools, General | Print | 1 Comment »

December 5, 2008 by Steve.

I read lots of information from many different sources. The problem I have is deciding where to store all of this information so that I can find it again when I need it. I have tried several methods. I have copied and pasted text into a Word document. I have used Microsoft’s OneNote. Both worked—sort of. Then, I discovered Evernote (www.evernote.com).

Evernote allows me to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform I happen to be using, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Evernote has three parts: a program (for Windows or Mac), a Web site where all data is synchronized and stored, and a mobile phone application. Here is how it works.

First, I capture the things I want to remember using whatever platform I am using at the time—my Windows laptop, the Web, or my mobile phone. If I am reading an article on the Web, I can select the text of the article and trigger the Evernote hotkey (Windows-A). Then, the text is stored in the Evernote program database that resides on my laptop. That information is synched with my Web account when I am connected to the Internet. I can also use my mobile phone to take a note or a snapshot. This information is uploaded to my Web account and then synched with my desktop the next time I connect to the Internet.

For example, I have taken a snapshot of a bottle of wine that I wanted to remember. That picture went to my Web account and then to my desktop—seamlessly. Best of all, the information is run through a recognition technology and indexed for fast searching and retrieval.

Posted in Cool Tools, General | Print | 1 Comment »

November 3, 2008 by Steve.

American Airlines has announced the launch of a new mobile broadband service, Gogo,™ provided by Aircell. Customers traveling on American’s Boeing 767-200 aircraft can access complete coast-to-coast coverage on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, and New York and Miami.

Aircell’s Gogo service will be available to customers as a fee-based service in all cabins. Aircell will charge $12.95 on flights that are longer than three hours, which include American’s Boeing 767-200 flights. Each paid Gogo session includes full Internet access. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are not available. Gogo turns an American Airlines flight into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Once the aircraft has reached 10,000 feet, users can simply turn on their Wi-Fi enabled devices such as laptops, smartphones, and PDAs, open their browsers and be directed to the Gogo portal page where they can sign up and begin surfing. Gogo is powered by the Aircell air-to-ground (ATG) Broadband System, which runs over Aircell’s exclusive nationwide network.

Posted in Cool Tools, General | Print | No Comments »

October 22, 2008 by Steve.

Microsoft recently launched a new Web site called Photosynth that creates 3D views from digital photos. With nothing more than a digital camera and some inspiration, you can use Photosynth to transform regular digital photos into a 3D, 360-degree experience.

Photosynth is a mixture of two independent breakthroughs: the ability to reconstruct the scene or object from flat photographs, and the technology to bring that experience to virtually anyone over the Internet. Using techniques from the field of computer vision, Photosynth examines images for similarities to each other and uses that information to estimate the shape of the subject and the vantage point each photo was taken from. Photosynth was inspired by the breakthrough research on Photo Tourism from the University of Washington and Microsoft Research.

It is easy to use. Using any digital camera, take a series of pictures of a scene or object (such as a client’s factory). Make sure you overlap each photo. Take as many pictures as you want, and take them from as many different angles as you can. Fifty to 100 pictures should be sufficient. Upload the photos to Photosynth and the service will “stitch” the pictures together, creating a panoramic view you can navigate using a browser.

Photosynth provides an interesting new way to deliver visual information to a client or underwriter—and it’s currently free.

Posted in Marketing, Cool Tools, General | Print | No Comments »

October 16, 2008 by Steve.

During a recent presentation, I noticed a younger person in the very back of the room working on his computer as he was listening to me talk. (And no, he wasn’t taking a continuing education class.) During one of the breaks, he approached me and said, “We have to talk.”

He explained that he had started a new agency less than two years ago that concentrates on personal lines coverages for individuals with high net worth and high valued homes. He had two additional full-time employees and did not have a physical office. He was receiving most of his leads through Internet lead aggregators, such as Netquote and InsureMe.

As I listened to this “20-something” describe his insurance agency, I was struck by his creativity and willingness to expand beyond what had been done in the past. I’ve since started an e-mail conversation with him so that I can explore how he uses technology to support his organization. I wanted to know how he tracks client information. He uses Salesforce.com. Following are some excerpts from one e-mail conversation:

Q: What’s lacking in current agency management systems?

A: Mostly, they are all commercial insurance driven. (And rightfully so… with their distribution model and the fact that 99% of agencies are general in nature… they’d be foolish to make a niche product for personal lines.) If I have to choose to create workarounds in an existing commercial agency management system or just build one from the ground up using my exact terms and processes, I prefer the custom ground up idea.

The major plus of an existing agency management system would be company integration… upload/download. Because I’m so niched… my primary company barely does anything with upload/download as it is. If I download partial information, I’m really not that much better off than downloading nothing. In the end, if I have to log into the company portal to get “real” up-to-date information… download isn’t that impressive. Not to mention that we have a low target for number of accounts… say 300 to 400. With that low number, using a people-driven process to move data from the company to our system isn’t all that impractical… particularly if we move to outsourced/overnight processing either overseas or in our own backyard (i.e. $12 per hour to look at all the changes posted in [the carrier] system and to move that data into our agency management system).

Q: What are the advantages of SalesForce.com?

A: SalesForce’s “Long Tail” model is its biggest strength. Because SalesForce is simply a platform without a predesigned set of usage guidelines, their focus is keeping the main infrastructure on the cutting edge. I’ve been thinking of it like a box of Legos. They’re constantly adding pieces that we can add to our custom build, so long as we don’t “misuse” pieces. The most exciting part is the SalesForce App Exchange. People can build their own apps and customizations and sell them to people using SalesForce. This means if a guy in India wants to make a few bucks, he can build a .wav to text converter that works seamlessly inside SalesForce.

Bottom line

Traditional agency management systems will be around for a long time. Yet, how many young people are entering the industry without preconceived notions of what a data management system should be? Certainly one young agent does not create a trend. That said, this agent is using (and will use) whatever technology platform he can find that will help run his business.

Posted in Cool Tools, General, Agency Management Systems, Opinion | Print | 2 Comments »

September 29, 2008 by Steve.

A new, free plug-in module for Outlook called Xobni (available at http://www.Xobni.com and pronounced “ZOB-nee” which is inbox spelled backwards) adds some social-networking and data-mining features to your existing Outlook e-mail. Once installed, it lives as a vertical panel on the right side of your Outlook screen and doesn’t block or intrude upon Outlook’s own panes or functions.

Xobni indexes all of your stored e-mail, starting with the most recent messages. Once your e-mail is indexed, the Xobni sidebar shows a profile of the sender for any e-mail you have selected in the message list in your inbox or other folders. Each profile is divided into different sections, including a search box that is much faster than Outlook’s search function.

Other sections include the name of the sender for any e-mail you have selected, with a photo (if available), a phone number, and a bar chart showing how many e-mails you’ve received from that person, as well as times of day when that person appears to be most or least active on e-mail. Also included is the sender’s e-mail network—other people included in e-mails to you, “Conversations” which display e-mail threads (other e-mails you’ve exchanged with the sender), and a section which lists all the files that are attachments on received e-mails.

Give Xobni a try! It might make your Outlook e-mail more useful.

Posted in Cool Tools, General | Print | No Comments »