Today I got approved to be a Dive Control Specialist. This is a scuba diving certification through the certifying agency called SSI. It means that I am a Dive Master (can lead dives professionally) and Assistant Dive Instructor (help teach people diving).

I started this adventure as a somewhat experienced diver and have become a very competent scuba diver through the process. Jim Thompson, one of my good friends and fellow SCUBA Instructor told me that “Dive Con training is where you really learn to dive and help others, Instructor training is where you learn to teach.”

This is a big accomplishment and one more step towards my goal of cavern, cave and arctic diving.

Rafferty Pendery

I consider myself a bit of a tech junkie but I thought Gogo Inflight was one of those completely unnecessary services. That was until I was on a Delta flight from Tampa, FL to Vegas. On my 3 hour leg I had a chance to use the Gogo Inflight wifi and was basically in my office (minus being crammed against the wall…the airlines aren’t too considerate on jamming in as many seats as they can get).

I was able to IM with all my staff with no difference than my home wifi connection.

I tried doing a skype call with my wife just for fun, didn’t really work out. Reportedly she saw a frozen image of my face but could hear my voice clearly.

It’s definitely worth checking out.

Rafferty Pendery

Here is a very interesting article I found on SitePro News:

When it comes to “cool tools”, Google is the master inventor. Say what you want about Google, but they know what they’re doing when it comes to giving the public what they want and need. Take the telephone for instance. An old invention that now has been given a new twist with Google Voice (G.V.) . Hold onto your chair as I’m about to tell you how to have a lot more fun with Ma Bell.

Google is giving you the ability to manage all your phones with one centralized number. At the time of this writing, it’s only available to those in the U.S., and by invitation only. Upon registration, you’ll be given your phone number that you connect to any existing phone number. When someone calls the Google Voice number, it rings the phone number that you specified. The option of selecting a word for your personalized number is also given.

Now, if all Google Voice did was send phone calls to your cell phone, that would be great all by itself, but the amount of extra tools and features are truly amazíng.

When a call is received you can answer it, send it directly to voice mail, listen in on the incoming call to decide what to do with it, or start recording the call upon answering. How’s that for a few options?

After receiving a call you’d like to record, hit 4 on your phone to start recording. Different states have different laws when it comes to recording calls, so check your current federal and state laws before using this feature. Currently outbound calls cannot be recorded. Google does provide an automated verbal announcement when the recording starts and stops so the person you’re speaking with knows they are being recorded. So much for incriminating yourself (LOL).

Say goodbye to voicemail as you know it. When a voicemail is recorded, you can check it by going to the Google Voice website and logging in, or calling your Google number. You can even be notified by email, or text message of new messages needing your attention. The ability to listen in on voice mails as they are being left is a very handy feature.

Voicemail messages can be shared with others via Email, even downloaded as MP3 files and embedded on a website or blog. Messages are also transcribed as text and housed on Google’s site for later reading, or sent to you by email. When it comes to voice mail greetings, custom messages can be set for groups or certain individuals.

Google Voice is free for use within the U.S., but does give the ability to make low cost international calls to over 200 countries from your phone or Google’s site. You’ll first need to purchase credits through Google Checkout before making these calls. Rates vary per country.

Here are some other handy features:

• Phone spam filters which block calls and mark them as spam
• Conference Calling
• Temporary forwarding of calls to another number
• Access Google Voice from mobile browsers at http://google.com/voice/m/
• Call Widgets – Easily add a “call me” widget to your blog or site with copy and paste code located under setup.
• Do not disturb option which sends all incoming calls directly to voicemail when you don’t want to be bothered.

So what about when you call someone and want it to appear you are calling from your Google Voice phone number? No problem. The ability to make calls that will display your G.V. number on caller ID can be done in three different ways.

1) Hit call from within Google Voice website

2) From G.V. mobile site on your cell

3) By calling your G.V. number and logging into the system.

Google will call you at the number you specify and connect your outbound call. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The technical requirements to use this service are a computer with Win XP, Vista, Mac or Linux, Internet Explorer 6.0 or above, Firefox 3.0 or higher, Safari, Google Chrome and Flash 8.9. To request your invitation go to – https://services.google.com/fb/forms/googlevoiceinvite/ .

So, if you thought using the phone was outdated, sign up with Google Voice and put some “FUN” back into an old relationship. This just might be the best thing old Ma Bell has seen in years.

About The Author

Merle’s Mission Blog – “Rants, Raves and Random Acts of Kindness” a self proclaimed “Internet Junkie” with a passion for net marketing, affiliate marketing, social networking. An avid Blogger and writer with several niche sites. Find out more at merlesworld.blogspot.com.

Rafferty Pendery

Social Follow has been featured on www.Go2Web20.net. This websites lists quality social websites and is the best directory of these sites I have seen. Check out the Social Follow profile page at:

http://www.go2web20.net/app/?a=SocialFollow

Have a great day!

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant

Social Follow has been featured on KillerStartups.com at this link:

http://www.killerstartups.com/Social-Networking/socialfollow-com-all-social-networks-in-one-button

This is great for Social Follow, which is the free tool we developed for people to be able to easily link to the social profiles they want to from their website. When y’all get chance, read that post and if you like Social Follow, vote on the link I gave give. Of course you can retweet and comment if you want.

Thanks for the Support!

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant

Last night Facebook confirmed recent rumors and opened the doors for Facebook users to claim their very own vanity URLs (www.facebook.com/raffertypendery). Originally reserved for for businesses and Facebook partners with more than 1000 fans, as of midnight, the regular folks of the Facebook world can claim a username that will become the exclusive URL for their Facebook profile.

In their continuing effort to listen to its users, Facebook heard the high demand for the vanity URL request. Vanity URLs will make connecting on Facebook easier for individuals and businesses. Instead of having to search hundreds of possible name matches or distribute the current random numerical id used by Facebook, users can simply distribute their personal URL for their profile. Usernames are being distributed on a first come, first serve basis and must be a minimum of five characters including letters, numbers and periods.

There are some rules to keep in mind when you are figuring out your username. For starters, you should pick your username carefully, because you will not be allowed to change it later. If you do change your mind about your username selection, your only option will be to start a new account and Facebook is currently not letting new accounts select specific usernames. Choose carefully and if you are selecting for your business choose relevancy.

Generic usernames, like pizza or paste, will not be available. Facebook is encouraging individuals and businesses to select a username that is specific and relevant to their own identity or business. Businesses should definitely choose a relevant username if they want their vanity URL from Facebook to add value to their Internet marketing campaign. There is a form available to prevent trademark infringement.

With over 2 million profiles on Facebook, usernames are filling up fast and if you want to be part of the “Username Land Rush” or add more value to your Facebook identity. Log on today and claim your name.

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant

Millions of people use a variety of social websites everyday. Whether for professional forums or family sharing, social networking has started connecting people from every corner of the world for both business and pleasure. If you are setting up profiles for personal use, self-promotion or for building the brand and reputation of your business, the sheer number of social media platforms can make generating a following a difficult, but worth-while task.

How do you let people know where to find you in the social media world without completely coating your website in small and large badges, each with a different link? Enter the SocialFollow button, a social media gathering button introduced by the marketers here at Studio98, tested by their trusted friends and colleagues. The Social Follow button allows you to list all your social accounts from one location or button, making it easy for your website or blog visitors to find you on any or all social platforms without the bombardment of a million buttons and badges.

For those of you who still haven’t decided to hop into the social pool because you just don’t see the benefits, lets take a quick review of the value of social media marketing. There are two aspects of a social approach to marketing that remain true whether you are involved in B2B or B2C relationships: increasing inbound links to your website and improving or maintaining your brand and reputation. Additional benefits include generating targeted traffic and improving your overall community popularity. The greatest value in social media marketing however, is in the word of mouth and viral qualities of the platform and how this can improve your reputation and brand to generate more visitors and loyal customers.

Word of Mouth advertising has been the best form of marketing available since the dawn of promotion strategies. Today, word of mouth still provides the strongest branding and reputation building strategy for most industries and businesses, but the words are usually flying around the Internet instead of the neighborhood. It is the power of social networking that drives this electronic word of mouth force and the SocialFollow button is making it easier for your already loyal customer base to follow you where ever you are on the net and share your business with their network as well.

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant
(Creator of the Social Follow button)

A $5 cup of coffee in 2007? Of course! A $5 cup of coffee in 2009? I don’t think so…

Starbucks saw a rise in stock prices starting in Oct 2001, hitting it’s peak in Oct 2006. Starbucks’ key contribution to the coffee and marketing world was the value of creating a customer experience vs. the traditional pay for a cup of coffee now leave and go to work.

What was this customer experience worth? $5 for a cup of coffee at least…until over-saturation hit. This is a problem Krispy Kreme is all too familiar with. Notice the trend between Starbucks’ 10 year stock trend:

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View the full SBUX chart at Wikinvest

and Krispy Kreme’s:

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With more than 12,000 stores Starbucks faces an over-saturation problem and brand loss. For the correlation in over-saturation read my post, Krispy Kreme: The Sugar High Aftermath. I’ve seen Starbucks now selling their coffee pre-packaged through other stores. In doing this they could be trying to “capture more of the market without having to increase overhead accordingly”. This is the wrong solution. Starbucks made it’s mark on the coffee industry by creating a unique customer experience, not strictly “selling coffee”.

If Starbucks wants to recover their stock prices and value of the company, they need to start with figuring out in present time what makes them a unique company. Having more outlets for their coffee isn’t the only or best solution and one that has been proven unsuccessful by Krispy Kreme following the same trend a few years earlier.

I bring this up because this is a marketing problem at this point more than anything. With an effective marketing strategy, Starbucks could reclaim more of the market, but they have a lot to do to catch up to strong competitors Dunkin Donuts, and McDonalds.

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant

Technorati Tags: starbucks internet marketing, starbuck marketing, starbucks and krispy kreme trends

Recently there has been an upheaval of “professionals” giving information on their “new business which is recession proof”. That’s not to say there isn’t good information out there on recession-proof business, it’s just about as easy to find as one red grain of rice in a barrel of brown rice with chop sticks.

I only have one comment about anyone talking about their “new, simple, home based project that is recession-proof”, you should be doing what you WANT to be doing and making money doing as well as not having to change industries just to get something more secure.

The concept is multiple streams of income.

I recently had a good friend bring an opportunity to my attention that requires NO MONEY from you (and hardly any time). The opportunity is called Get the Bar. It is still in Beta (testing) mode, but users are encouraged to start using at and will be paid to use it so they can get any bugs worked out of it. My affiliate link is www.WatchtoEarn.com if you want to skip my description of this. If you want to stay for the fun, it works like this:

1. Sign up for a FREE account.
2. Download the Get the Bar toolbar to your browser.
3. Click on the ads and send your link to your friends to sign up.

When you sign up you give a little demographic information about yourself (less than a Myspace page) and when you are ready to look at the ads you click a button and there is a list of ads you can click on. You are sent targeted ads from advertisors for your demographic. This concept is far more valuable in the eyes of the advertisors, versus the traditional “shotgun” approach where most of the people don’t care about their ads because they are not anyone interested in that type of product or service.

You get paid 4/10 of a cent for each ad you click on and watch for at least 5 seconds. Right now there is a maximum of clicking on 10 ads per day, but when the major release occurs this will move up to 50 ads/day. This doesn’t sound like much money, but this starts to add up when you invite people you know. You get paid 7 levels down on this, meaning you get paid 4/10 of a cent for each ad watched by people you talk to and sign up and then people they get signed up and people they get signed up, etc. etc. for 7 levels down.

The numbers work like this:
If you sign up 5 people who sign up 5 people who each sign up 5 people, etc. 7 levels down you would be making $40,000/month! Each person would only need to be looking at 5 ads per day totaling 25 seconds of work from each person.

This opportunity really has the ability to grow and fast. There are already 600,000 people involved and in the next few months, when the major press releases are done, this will boom. I highly suggest people get involved now. This is not something that requires any upfront cost, its FREE and is not something that you have to dedicate your life doing or change careers.

Moral of the story to building recession-proof life…multiple sources of income.

Check out my affiliate link at: www.WatchtoEarn.com.

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant

Most people in the US saw the Doritos Super Bowl Commercial which sparked internet from bloggers and critics alike. This is a very funny ad appealing to the “everything went the way I wanted it to because I’m eating a specific chip” ad.

Out of all the commercials at the Super Bowl this Doritos commercial stands out in my head most clearly. I will be publishing a post on my top 10 Super Bowl commercials. Keep an eye out for that shortly.

Rafferty Pendery
Internet Marketing Consultant