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Colorado Springs presents new stormwater finance plan
KRDO Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers says funding the city’s long-term stormwater plan is his number one priority. Suthers and city council members met today to discuss how the city will pay for its 20-year $460 million stormwater plan. On Friday, city … |
June 11, 2017 at 02:44AM
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May 15, 2017 at 02:33AM
from Ben Farmer
May 15, 2017 at 02:33AM
from Steven Swinford
May 15, 2017 at 02:33AM
from Ben Farmer
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U.S. stocks flatlined Monday, ending the day largely unchanged, even as the so-called fear index hit its lowest level in almost 24 years.
May 09, 2017 at 02:42AM
from Johanna Bennett
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Altimeter Capital’s Brad Gerstner makes the bull case for airlines.
May 09, 2017 at 02:42AM
from Ben Levisohn
Motley Fool |
2 Compelling Reasons to Sell Marijuana Stocks – and 1 Reason Why You Shouldn’t
Motley Fool Marijuana stocks have been hotter than a firecracker lit at both ends. As state after state voted to legalize medical marijuana (and recreational marijuana for some), money flowed into the nascent industry. But is it now time to sell marijuana stocks … |
May 08, 2017 at 02:40AM
from
DALLAS, May 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — P10 Industries, Inc. (OTC:PIOIQ), formerly Active Power, Inc., today announced that the conditions to effectiveness of the prepackaged plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, as amended and approved on April 26th by the Honorable Craig A. Gargotta, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, San Antonio, Texas, …
The post P10 Industries, Inc. announces Plan Effective Date and closing of all items in its prepackaged plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 appeared first on ForexTV.
May 05, 2017 at 02:32AM
from Nasdaq NewsFeed
EMLENTON, Pa., May 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Emclaire Financial Corp (NASDAQ:EMCF) (Emclaire), the parent holding company of The Farmers National Bank of Emlenton (Farmers National), and Northern Hancock Bank & Trust Co. (Northern Hancock) jointly announced today that they have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger providing for the acquisition of Northern …
The post Emclaire Financial Corp Announces Expansion of Franchise into Adjacent West Virginia Market with Agreement to Acquire Northern Hancock Bank & Trust Co. appeared first on ForexTV.
May 05, 2017 at 02:32AM
from Nasdaq NewsFeed
The Time Warner Inc.-owned cable network is exploring the possibility of four different spinoffs for the critically-acclaimed drama based on George R. R. Martin’s fantasy epic “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
The post HBO is planning 4 ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoffs as series approaches final seasons appeared first on ForexTV.
May 05, 2017 at 02:32AM
from Market Watch
Daily Planet` |
Copenhagen weighs up green finance options
Daily Planet` For local governments, councils and city administrations across Europe, climate targets encompass retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient, or implementing new low-carbon transport, both of which are huge infrastructure challenges. One … |
May 05, 2017 at 02:42AM
from
Let’s be honest.
When you think “online courses”, there are tons of options available to you, from WordPress plugins, Learning Management Systems, LMS plugins, or even syndication sites.
But what’s key to choosing the right system, is a) knowing what you want to achieve from your long-term business strategy, and b) understanding how each option impacts your marketing efforts.
So this article is not your run-of-the-mill review or comparison between four of the best online course systems; instead it focuses on how each of these options compare from a marketing perspective, which includes search engine optimization. This of course, impacts the amount of traffic you’ll get without needing to actually pay for it via advertising.
Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable and Ruzuku are all well designed systems; and offer most of the same elements. You will just need to choose the one that’s right for you, and while you can read many reviews about any of these options, in this article, you’ll learn the marketing ramifications of your choice.
All four platforms offer landing pages, which are vital from a marketing perspective, as the landing page is where you’d send prospective clients to get them to sign up for your online courses.
(If you don’t know what a landing page is, it’s not a website; it’s one page that has one goal: getting people to seal the deal.)
In addition to landing page templates, Kajabi and Teachable also offer a website feature, meaning you don’t need to have your own website because it comes with the package. You can also choose your own website theme.
A screenshot of some of Kajabi’s website themes.
Very importantly, these two platforms are the only ones that offer a blogging feature. From a marketing and SEO point of view, this is essential because providing content via a blog builds your credibility as an expert in your field, and search engines love content. In fact, content is necessary if you want to get more traffic to your site without paying for it via advertising methods.
Teachable, Thinkific and Ruzuku can all be integrated into a WordPress website, so this is great if you have an established site, as the courses will then appear to be housed on your existing website.
So. If you were to integrate the platforms that allow it, onto your existing website that contains a blog, you would not need a blogging feature in an online course platform.
Depending on the package, all platforms allow you to brand your courses with your own look and logo, as well as allowing a domain name of your own, but check the packages for options of removing their brand name from your domain name. For example, Thinkific allows you to start on their platform for free, but “Thinkific” is added to the domain name of your choice until you upgrade to a higher package.
Ruzuku works slightly differently to the other three with regards to white labelling: if you pay $209 per month, you have the option of being charged an additional starting price of $1250 to have your site set up for you, as your own.
Kajabi is the only online course creator to feature an email autoresponder service which you can use for email marketing or drip content.
It’s also the sole platform to offer opt-in forms which eliminates the need for integrating with other third party services, making your life that much easier.
Example of a Kajabi opt-in form.
All four platforms allow the capability of setting up affiliate programs; when you have systems in place to pay out commission to those who promote your courses, it will enhance your marketing efforts.
Ruzuku is the only system to include webinar software, but at a premium price.
Image Credit: Ruzuku
Ruzuku’s webinar interface.
Thinkific is the only platform you can start on for free, while you can get Teachable’s most basic plan for $39. On their basic plans, both do not allow your own branding. On the most basic plan, Teachable charges a 5% transaction fee and Thinkific charges 10% on their free option. After the free plan, you’ll pay $39 a month for Thinkific, and also pay a 5% transaction fee.
Ruzuku’s lowest plan will cost you $74.75 per month, but at that price, excludes the webinar feature.
Kajabi starts at $103 per month, without the option to remove the “powered by Kajabi” element, and the lowest option does not offer an affiliate program setup.
It’s worthwhile weighing price vs. feature, because with certain options, you may need to pay an additional service for something that another platform includes in their packages. For example, Kajabi has the highest pricing, but includes marketing services you’d need to pay for with third parties.
On another note, check for trial periods – it’s best to play around from within the dashboard to see if it’s a “fit” for you.
Before choosing the right online course platform for your needs, you should have a clear picture of where you want your business to be in five years time, and it’s important to do your homework as to how each platform impacts your marketing and SEO initiatives.
With this in mind, when conducting research to make your final choice, concentrate on:
Between the four platforms, Kajabi is superior with what it offers from a marketing perspective; everything you need not only to create and sell online courses, but also to market them.
The post Building Online Courses: Kajabi vs. Thinkific vs. Teachable vs. Ruzuku appeared first on MyVenturePad.com.
April 21, 2017 at 01:43AM
from Smith Big
If you followed the stream of announcements from Facebook developer conference F8 this week, you’ll have heard about the launch of Facebook AR Spaces, Messenger Platform 2.0, and tech being developed that gives people the ability to think and feel words. Perhaps lost among the flurry of announcements were the Chance the Rapper concert, Mark Zuckerberg Jesus, and the launch of a Golden State Warriors highlight reel bot.
Also noteworthy was the debut of financial services from some of the biggest names in the field. A total of five major financial services were announced, launched, or upgraded this week. Financial services — from personal finance bots like Trim and Digit to insurance sales to bank and credit card customer services — have proliferated on chat platforms like Messenger in recent months.
On Tuesday, Western Union and MoneyGram joined London-based TransferWise and launched Facebook Messenger bots for cash transfers. Wells Fargo said it is testing a Facebook Messenger bot for its customers, and American Express announced plans to update its Facebook Messenger bot with AI. The Messenger bot for Amex customers initially launched last fall.
Mastercard also announced Tuesday that its Masterpass payment service is being used to power payments for select Messenger bots. This represents what appears to be the largest rollout of a payment service on Messenger — beyond the Messenger Payments API beta that works with companies like PayPal and launched last fall. Masterpass can take payment from MasterCard, as well as from banks like Citi and Capital One.
The Subway Messenger bot being rolled out, for example, can be used to order a sandwich or salad at more than 26,000 Subway locations in 15 minutes or less.
“Mastercard is working with partners, including financial institutions and merchants, and the first few that we have worked with are Subway, FreshDirect, and Cheesecake Factory,” Mastercard VP Linda Kirkpatrick told VentureBeat. “Additionally, Mastercard and Turkish mobile retailer Getir developed a Masterpass-enabled bot that allows consumers to shop and pay for their items with delivery guaranteed in 10 minutes. We will be announcing more partners as and when they are ready to launch.”
Efforts this week and last fall are part of a larger initiative by Mastercard to bring its payment processing to chat apps or voice-enabled assistants, Kirkpatrick said. Last fall, Mastercard announced plans to launch a personal finance bot for customers and a payments API to allow for payments within Facebook Messenger.
“Bots are the first phase of conversational interfaces, which many predict will — like the mobile touchscreen — fundamentally alter the way consumers interact with businesses and brands. Mastercard continues to work with partners and merchants to improve the consumer experience by providing them the freedom to shop when, where, and how they want in the most simple and secure way possible,” Kirkpatrick added.
April 21, 2017 at 02:47AM
from Khari Johnson
Credit cards have a large and looming presence in the modern world. They are used to pay for just about anything, including groceries, vehicles, candy, toiletries, and anything else that you can think of.
In the United States, we really love our credit cards. So it shouldn’t come as a major shock to anyone when you see advertisements all over the place offering sign up bonuses, rewards, and reason after reason to open up a credit card with that particular lender.
They’ve even brought celebrities into the act! Nary has a day gone by without seeing some celebrity promote their “favorite” credit card. If you’re interested in travel credit cards, this is an excellent opportunity to gain points that can provide free airfare, hotel accommodations, and even cold hard cash.
Since credit companies are always looking for new ways to bring in customers, they will partner with a wide range of travel brands. Through these partnerships, credit card customers can then receive special discounts, loyalty points, sign up bonuses, and much more. With that said, it might be easier said than done as far as picking the best travel credit card is concerned.
To help you choose the perfect one based on your particular needs, we’ll lay out the various options to help you find the best travel card to suit you.
The Sign-Up Bonus
Many of today’s best travel credit cards offer new customers a huge sign-up bonus.
What consists of a huge bonus? Well, sometimes the mileage points are so big that you could end up getting a free flight. As an example, let’s say you decide to choose the Alaska Airlines credit card. This card offers a huge sign-up bonus in the amount of 25,000 miles. To qualify, you’ll have to pay a $75 annual fee and get approved by the credit card company.
Other cards even often offer bigger bonuses with a catch. As an example, the Citi Prestige card will provide you with 50,000 mileage points as long as you spend $3000 in the first three months.
Shopping at Specific Retailers for Additional Bonus Points
Many of today’s credit companies offer bonus points when you spend money using their card. But the best companies offer even greater, additional extra points if you shop and make purchases from specific retailers.
Another way to qualify for these extra points is if you have a branded credit card that you get with a popular brand. In this situation, you’ll be able to earn your bonus points a lot quicker. Traditionally, one dollar is the equivalent of one bonus point.
With certain travel related credit cards, you can get as much as five times the bonus points when spending money on your card while shopping at specific retailers.
Low Minimum Spending Limit
With many of today’s credit cards, you are required to reach a certain spending limit in order to qualify for the best bonuses. Some people have come up with ways to fake their spending, but the truth is it’s actually better to reach your bonus with your average day-to-day spending instead of cheating the system.
On average it’s best to sign up for credit cards where their minimum spending requirement is around $1000-$3000, and you’ll have to spend that much between 3 to 6 months.
While some other cards will offer huge bonuses, quite often you’ll have to spend around $10,000-$30,000 in a short amount of time in order to qualify for them.
Annual Fees
Finally, you may want to choose a card that has a relatively low annual fee. Some of today’s top branded credit cards have annual fees that run from $50-$95 each year.
To qualify for the best bonuses, you will have to pay the annual fee. There’s no way around it.
Conclusion
Now that you know all of your options, it’s time to choose the perfect travel related credit card to meet your needs. According to Best Credit Cards Review, best rewards credit card comparison site, “To improve your chances of getting new credit in the future, wait six to 12 months between applications. Above all, use your credit wisely.”
So if you’re having trouble getting the perfect travel card, don’t give up.
The post Choosing the Ideal Travel Credit Card appeared first on MyVenturePad.com.
April 21, 2017 at 01:43AM
from Smith Big
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Is Hashtag Activism Finally Changing Corporate Culture? http://ift.tt/1Lvs5Xj #corpculture #corpgov #riskmanagement
April 21, 2017 at 02:42AM
https://twitter.com/oceg/status/855174436995174403
from OCEG
Oracle founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison has always liked to talk smack about his rivals and lately the rival getting the brunt of his attention is Amazon.
Every chance he gets, Ellison will claim running a database on Amazon’s cloud is much slower than running one on Oracle’s cloud. And don’t even get him started on the performance of Amazon’s own homegrown databases versus Oracle’s pride-and-joy database.
But here’s the rub. Manty corporate IT folks say they know that Oracle’s database outshines Amazon’s, but that alone isn’t enough to win the day. One consultant summed up the situation perfectly. He was talking to Wall Street analyst Pat Walravens from JMP Securities at the AWS Summit in San Francisco this week. Walverens reported the conversation in a research note. (Walravens has been a critic of Oracle over the years. He currently rates Oracle’s stock a “market perform.”)
The consultant said that the Oracle database “is a great product, but it can’t compete on cost or ease of use… It’s like a Formula 1 race car – you need a great driver and a team to look after it.”
So Oracle is racing to move its own customers into its own cloud where at least some of the management headaches will be mitigated, even as AWS CEO Andy Jassy crowed this week that Amazon’s home grown database, Aurora, is “the fastest growing service in the history of AWS.”
SEE ALSO: The alarming inside story of a failed Google acquisition, and an employee who was hospitalized
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Warner Bros. might have to pay $900 million if it can’t prove ghosts are real
April 21, 2017 at 02:41AM
from Julie Bort
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Behavioral Implications of the CEO-Employee Pay Ratio http://ift.tt/2pC9mnH via @HarvardCorpGov #corpgov #compensation #disclosure
April 20, 2017 at 02:43AM
https://twitter.com/oceg/status/854812116909469697
from OCEG
