TechLatino

“Here We Go Again!! ” TechLatino247′s Response to NYT Article: Keeping the Internet Neutral By Eduardo Porter

As I’ve written before, government policy should focus on making broadband faster and more affordable for all Americans – not putting it out of reach for those that need it most. That’s why I was surprised at Eduardo Porter’s New York Times editorial resurrecting outdated arguments about the Internet and arguing for government regulations that …

View full post

LISTA to Recognize President of NewCom International Jaime Dickinson

New York – Thursday, On Thursday May 24th at 7:00 p.m. ET, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association will host their 11th Annual National Tech Latino Achiever’s Award Gala, also known for their acronym LISTA, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, will recognize President and CEO of NewCom International, Jaime Dickinson for his …

View full post

LISTA Announces Dr. Bernice A. King to Keynote ETLS VIP Welcome Reception and Share her Mother’s Legacy.

LISTA invites Dr. Bernice A. King to Share her Mother’s Legacy with a Private Book Signing of Desert Rose. New York – Wednesday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m. ET at the Hotel Meliá located at 590 West Peachtree St NW Atlanta (Georgia), GA 30308 at the annual National Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National Techlatino …

View full post

LISTA #TechLatino247 Guest Blogger Kristian Ramos: Technology is the key to success for Latinos

Think back to your childhood and remember what it was like learning to type. Remember the computer class room, full of desktop computers and learning the Herzog System of typing. How critical that was for future job prospects. Now imagine your children’s computer lab, what will that look like? Given recent technologic gains, desk top …

View full post

Zuckerberg Plays Host in New Facebook IPO Video by Adario Strange, PCMAG.com

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apparently come a long way since his infamous sweat-drenched meltdown on stage at a tech conference years ago. So much so that he now serves as the company’s staple in a new video that Facebook posted in the run-up to its initial public offering (IPO). The video is part of …

View full post

14 Lessons from Benjamin Franklin about getting what you want in life By Thea Easterby, Freelance Writer

Benjamin Franklin was a man of action. Over his lifetime, his curiosity and passion fueled a diverse range of interests. He was a writer (often using a pseudonym), publisher, diplomat, inventor and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His inventions included the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove. Franklin was responsible …

View full post

“Here We Go Again!! ” TechLatino247′s Response to NYT Article: Keeping the Internet Neutral By Eduardo Porter LISTA to Recognize President of NewCom International Jaime Dickinson LISTA Announces Dr. Bernice A. King to Keynote ETLS VIP Welcome Reception and Share her Mother’s Legacy.LISTA #TechLatino247 Guest Blogger Kristian Ramos: Technology is the key to success for Latinos Zuckerberg Plays Host in New Facebook IPO Video by Adario Strange, PCMAG.com 14 Lessons from Benjamin Franklin about getting what you want in life By Thea Easterby, Freelance Writer

Apr 30

FCC frees up funds for rural broadband service By John Eggerton — Broadcasting & Cable,

Categories:

Broadband, Government, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Policy

by JAM

Officially launches Connect America fund, part of its long-term National Broadband Plan

The FCC Wednesday officially launched its Connect America fund, an expansion of its phone subsidy program to broadband support, which is part of its long-term National Broadband Plan.

The FCC voted last fall to reform the Universal Service Fund with an eye toward freeing up money to help migrate phone subsidies to broadband subsidies, where all the telecom action is these days.

In this first phase of funding, dubbed a “transitional mechanism to distribute high cost universal service support to price cap carriers,” phone companies have 90 days to take the money and run with its aggressive build-out requirements. The FCC is expecting those companies to be spending some of their own money as well to help extend broadband to rural “unserved homes and businesses.”

The initial outlay is estimated to deliver broadband to up to 400,000 homes and businesses.

The announcement comes only two days before the FCC plans to launch the next phase in reforming the Universal Service Fund, which is to seek comment on how to “reform and modernize” how the funds are assessed and collected. Telecom carriers pay into the fund — and pass that fee along to customers — to subsidize phone-now broadband service — where there is not a business case for it.

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 27

Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association Names Robert Bard and Roberto Abreu as Co-Chairs of the LISTA 6th Annual Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National Latino Tech Achievers Award Gala.

Categories:

Diversity, Hispanic Community Trend, IT Professionals, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Skills, Social Media, inclusion

by JAM

Join Us and Celebrate LISTA’s 15th Years of Community Service

Robert Abreu (left) Robert Bard (right)

Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA) announced today that Latina Style Publisher Robert Bard and LISTA’s New York President, Robert Abreu will Co-Chair the LISTA 6th Annual Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National Latino Technology Achievers Award. Robert Bard is the CEO and Publisher of Latina Style Magazine, a nationally-recognized award winning Latina Magazine. Roberto Abreu has been a LISTA member since 2005, and has been at the helm of our largest chapter since 2008. Abreu has been at the forefront of diversity, inclusion and procurement for many years and is very active in its continued efforts. In his last position in Corporate America he was Vice President responsible for Diversity and Inclusion at Goldman Sachs. Roberto understands the importance of technology as he also previously served as Goldman Vice President of security and forensics. Most importantly he understands the needs of the Latino community in Corporate America.

LISTA’s 6th Annual Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National Latino Technology Achievers Award will take place in Atlanta Georgia, the birthplace of Diversity on May 23rd and 24th, 2012 at the Georgia Tech Research Center, 250 14th Street, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30318 and at the Magnificent Melia Atlanta Hotel 590 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 and will feature notable guest speakers, expert panels, and visits throughout the day from Government officials.

Jose Marquez, National President of LISTA, stated, “As we bring diversity and inclusion awareness into the forefront, we are proud to have Robert Bard and Roberto Abreu co-chair our LISTA 6th Annual Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National TechLatino Achievers Award. Their leadership at the national level in diversity and inclusion, business, technology and community advocacy has been right on and with more women coming into technology than ever before Latina Style brings their unique perspective and capabilities which will make this event a very successful forum.”

“Now in its 15th year, LISTA’s commitment to the Latino community is unparalleled and unwavering. It is through organizations like LISTA, that change can truly happen,” said Mr. Roberto Abreu. “The summit this year will bring another layer to the LISTA’s empowerment activities; the summit will deliver new and thought provoking ideas to our community and our country.”

“I am honored to be the chair sponsor for Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National Latino Technology Achievers Award Gala for 2012,”said Robert Bard, President and CEO Latina Style. “Latina Style has been a partner of LISTA for many years, we are proud of the work LISTA continues to do. LISTA continues to advocate for Latinos and Latinas in the technology space which we must continue to edify. I am honored to be a part of LISTA and this year’s co-chair.”

The Emerging Technology Leadership Summit will feature workshops and panel discussions which will focus on Diversity and Inclusion, Corporate Change Management, Cultural Competence, Employee Resources Groups: The Bottom line, Brand Building and relationship strengthening through the use of social media and strategic leadership in high technology: where is the Latino community going?

Follow the Conversation on Twitter #Techlatino247 or @lista1

The Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and the National Tech Achievers Awards are sponsored by AT&T, Cigna, Home Depot, LatinaStyle, MicroTech, My Wireless.com, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, New York Life, Coca Cola, Verizon, Negocios Now, LatinaStyle, State Farm, El Wiri, BDPA, OVN Latino, Capital Wire PR, Slaesforce.com Macy’s, Comcast, and Georgia Power.

11th Annual National TechLatino Achievers Awards
The Nominations are in and the committee has casted their votes, the anxiety has begun…who will be LISTA’s National Chief Executive, Chief Information Officer, Chief Diversity Officer and the National Latino Technology Achievers of the year 2012.

LISTA will recognize an important group of Latino Technology Leaders/Business Trendsetters who have shown through their commitment to excellence that the American Dream is still alive for the Latino community in the United States. These awards are given to individuals who have demonstrated by their actions, a commitment to the empowerment of the Latino community and for the strides they have made to further their careers.

These awards honor and recognize Technology professionals, who happen to be Latino for their exemplary efforts, commitment and dedication to Corporate America and the Latino Community. Over 600 attendees are expected including technology professionals leaders of businesses, corporate America and government officials.

“We look forward to a great event as we celebrate Latino Technology excellence across America”, said Jose A Marquez-Leon.

What: LISTA 6th Annual Emerging Technology Leadership Summit and National Latino TechLatino Achievers Award

Where: Georgia Tech Research Center, 250 14th Street, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30318 and at the Magnificent Melia Atlanta Hotel 590 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30308

When: May 23rd and 24th 2011 for information visit www.techlatino247.org

About Latino in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA) (www.a-lista.org ) is a 501c3 that promotes the utilization of the technology sectors for the empowerment of the Latino community. We are an organization that is committed to bringing various elements of Technology under one central hub to facilitate our partners, members and the community with the leverage and education they need to succeed in a highly advanced technologically driven society.
Follow the Conversation on Twitter #Techlatino247 or @lista1

About Latina Style (www.latinastyle.com )
LATINA Style Inc. is a national women’s empowerment organization, working specifically to address the needs of the Hispanic professional woman by bringing resources, information, and opportunities to our audience via our national publication (LATINA Style Magazine), our digital communications (www.latinastyle.com), and our national and local events throughout the year.

Contact
John Simmons Tania Einhorn
800-775-0889 703-531-1424
simmonsj@a-lista.org tania@latinastyle.com

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 27

Walmart Likely To Fare Better Than Wal-Mart By Thom Forbes, MarketingDaily

Categories:

Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, brands

by JAM

You’ve probably been wondering what impact the emerging bribery scandal in Mexico will have on both Wal-Mart, the corporate entity, and Walmart, the brand above the portals that consumers enter in their hometowns and online every day. More on the former than the latter, one intuitively suspects, but we thought we’d take a look at what others were writing this morning.

“Highly recognizable brands can be invaluable, but they require constant attention,” Douglas A. McIntyre wrote in a piece for 24/7 Wall St. a couple of weeks ago that is currently running on MSNBC.com. “Their value can rise or fall because of management decisions, changes in the competitive environment, and the beliefs that a brand has aged beyond its useful lifetime.”

McIntyre then endeavors to rank the nine most damaged brands in America. They are, in order of tarnish on their brass: Keith Olbermann, Chevy Volt, New Orleans Saints, Greece, Rush Limbaugh, Airbus 380, Netflix, Nokia and American Airlines. It’s enlightening to consider how many of those brands made the list because of boorish behavior or a false sense of entitlement –- which is perhaps what puts Wal-Mart in the position that is finds itself in this morning.

The New York Times broke a story on Sunday with a hed that suggests that an ill-advised attempt to gloss over the corruption in 2005 is beneath the blossoming crisis today:“Confronted with evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing.”

The investigation by theTimes’s David Barstow, Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab and James C. McKinley Jr. details “a prolonged struggle at the highest levels of Wal-Mart, a struggle that pitted the company’s much publicized commitment to the highest moral and ethical standards against its relentless pursuit of growth.”

Vice chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright, a native of Ecuador who was recruited from Honeywell in 2001 to become Wal-Mart’s COO in Mexico and later was CEO of Wal-Mart Stores USA, is perhaps the primary villain in the scenarios laid out in the article, but there’s plenty of finger-pointing to go around.

The Week has a good capsule report on the allegations and where they are leading here. On the financial front, there’s no question that the company is taking a huge initial hit.

“Wal-Mart’s Mexican crisis is a $10 billion problem,” writes the Wall Street Journal’s Justin Lahart. “At least that was the stock market’s first take.”

And while Lahart writes that the 5% hit on the stock in the U.S. (and 12% on the Mexican market) might seem “harsh,” he points out that international sales represent an increasingly larger portion of Wal-Mart’s growth, the crisis will eat up a lot of its executives’ time and attention and, with a Justice Department investigation underway, it faces the prospects of huge fines.

But let’s remember that the company has adeptly navigated other incidents over the years that would daunt most corporate communicators.

“The world’s largest retailer has been frequently sued by the government, its own employees and its customers in cases that have also included accusations of corruption, as well as discrimination and destruction of evidence,” Bob Van Voris and Margaret Cronin Fisk write in Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Wal-Mart’s had a long history of legal conflict because they have a way of doing business that pushes the edges of what the law allows,” James Post, a professor at Boston University School of Management, tells them. “Sometimes it goes over the line.”

For its part, Wal-Mart is in “all-out damage control mode,” writes Andre Tartar in New York. His blog item contains video of David Tovar, its vp of corporate communications doing some classic marcomm dance steps:

“This investigations is ongoing and we don’t have a full explanation of what happened. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further on the specific allegations until we have finished the investigation. We are working hard to understand what occurred in Bentonville more than six years ago.”

Going back to the list of tarnished brands compiled by McIntyre, we see several that also have a history of sometimes going over the line in the POV of their critics, even if no criminal behavior is alleged. Olbermann and Limbaugh leap to mind. They tend to rebound.

Another thing to keep in mind about McIntyre’s list, of course, is that it represents one man’s opinion and is a mere snapshot in time. Our Consumer Republic not only has a short memory, it also loves a story that includes redemption. Particularly if the second act involves its keeping more money in its own pocket. As the lede of an AP story has it: “The public relations nightmare for Wal-Mart amid allegations of bribery in Mexico could be the least of its worries.”

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173092/walmart-likely-to-fare-better-than-wal-mart.html?edition=46027%20#ixzz1tFX9MVwD

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 26

Why Google & Facebook Fail At Mobile By Nick Bilton, The New York Times

Categories:

IT Professionals, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Skills, Social Media, apps, jobs, software development

by JAM

Like countless industry leaders before them, are Google and Facebook growing fat, happy, and complacent? Citing their lack of mobile focus as evidence, so suggests Nick Bilton. “This month, when Google showcased a new design for Google Plus, the company’s social network, it was as if mobile phones and tablets were still a glimmer in some future inventor’s eye,” Bilton writes on The New York Times’ Bits blog. “The made-over Web site was beautifully designed, but the smartphone app and mobile site were completely ignored.”

Facebook’s willingness to drop $1 billion on the two-year-old Instagram is clear evidence that the social network has also struggling with its mobile strategy. “Its mobile app, which is sometimes painfully slow, was updated only after the Web site was redesigned for Timeline,” Bilton notes.

Bigger picture, Bilton has a theory on why both Google and Facebook have been slow to capitalize on the shift to mobile. “It’s that working at these companies is like going to work on an all-inclusive cruise ship,” he posits. “The analogy is apt in terms of the luxury — and the isolation.”

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173032/why-google-facebook-fail-at-mobile.html?edition=46058#ixzz1tB342uIR

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 26

State Farm To Sponsor Billboard Latin Music Awards By Tanya Irwin, MediaPost News

Categories:

Being Latino, Hispanic Community Trend, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Social Media, digital media, wireless

by JAM

image credit billboardevents.com

For the fourth consecutive year, State Farm is the title sponsor of the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Awards, according to Telemundo Media, which announced the deal on April 23.

Other featured sponsors of the April 26 broadcast include Burger King, L’Oreal USA, Sprint, Target, T-Mobile and Toyota.

State Farm also will sponsor Telemundo’s partnership with Shazam, the world’s leading discovery service’s first-ever initiative with a Spanish-language broadcast network.

For the first time ever on Spanish-language television according to Telemundo, the awards show will be Shazam-enabled, allowing viewers and fans to get immediate access to more information about their favorite artists walking the red carpet, including links to artists’ Web pages for videos and pictures, as well as the ability to buy music directly through the Shazam mobile application.

Recent Shazam-enabled award shows include the 54th Annual Grammy Awards and “American Idol.”

The State Farm sponsorship is under the campaign theme “Sounds of Mi Vecindario”(Sounds of My Neighborhood). For the pre-show and red carpet arrivals, State Farm will have a branded area on the red carpet with Telemundo host Jessie Camacho, who will interview featured artists and ask them how their neighborhoods influenced their music, as well as monitors displaying a designated Twitter wall on Telemundo.com and on the “Premios Billboard” site.

In addition, to promoting the State Farm “Celebrity Music Teacher for a Day” initiative, State Farm teen driver safety and education ambassador, singer-songwriter Gustavo Galindo will be on the red carpet encouraging attending artists to autograph guitars that will be donated to the music and arts program of Boys & Girls Club of America.

Telemundo will produce an editorial content capsule that will air during the live broadcast and also will produce a piece on “Billboard Extra” featuring the final signed instruments that speaks to the initiative.

Telemundo’s broadcast of the 2011 “Billboard Latin Music Awards Presented by State Farm” drew the network’s highest-rated Billboard Latin Music Awards telecast across all major demographics in its 13-year history of broadcasting the premium awards show, according to Nielsen Media Research. The April 28, 2011 broadcast attracted more than 2.3 million total viewers and 1.3 million adults ages 18-49.

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173039/state-farm-to-sponsor-billboard-latin-music-awards.html?edition=46027%20#ixzz1t9YkeGsh

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 25

7 Totally Unoriginal And Obvious Ways To Improve Your Programs By Gretel Going

Categories:

Health IT, Healthcare, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Skills, Social Media, digital media

by JAM

Healthcare marketers are a paradox in that they have the luxury of being able to speak directly to their audience’s favorite topic—themselves—yet tend to fail miserably at it.

From where I sit, healthcare marketers are in a both challenging and exciting position. Challenging because the legal hoops they have to jump through can be rigorous and disheartening—and perhaps a good reason their messaging so often falls flat. Exciting because when it comes to healthcare marketing as a whole, most of it is really bad—rising above the crowd here won’t take too much.

Here are seven totally unoriginal (unverified and non-legally approved) suggestions that will make your next healthcare marketing program a whole lot more original:

1. Be More Social Than Your Average Faceless Corporation

Healthcare providers may have up, close, and personal relationships with their clients (or patients), but according to a report by the Health Research Institute at PricewaterhouseCoopers, these relationships are not extending into the virtual world.

The study found that nearly 90% of patients ages 18 to 24 and 61% of older adults said they would trust information from their health care providers found through social media. While 80% of health care companies have a social media presence, social media activity is minuscule.

2. Yeah, yeah, yeah—we need to be transparent.

You don’t need to share your secret sauce or patients’ records, but when you can, address your audience’s valid concerns.

3. Focus on short-term needs upfront; long-term fears once you’re in.

Sure, people are concerned about their long-term health, but they don’t usually make decisions that reflect that. Instead, they focus on their short-term comfort and instant gratification. A good example of this is presented by the dilemma faced by smokers who genuinely want to quit because they know it’s not good for them in the long-term, but it’s oh-so-satisfying in the short term. The key here and in many similar scenarios is to appeal to the short-term problems they need to solve.

4. Focus on the problems you solve and the outcomes you achieve … not your new state- of-the-art technology.

In general, people really just want to know that you understand their problems, can achieve the outcomes they desire, and/or that you’ve listened to their concerns. This is true of most people and applies to most marketing disciplines.

Remember, though, that healthcare marketers have a really great excuse to talk about their customers’ unique situations and personal concerns … and to let their customers talk about themselves.

What’s ailing them? What are their health and wellness goals? How do you solve the exact problems they have? What are some of the ways you’ve helped people in their exact positions before? How are you going to help them, specifically, achieve what they, specifically, need to achieve?

This is what you should talk to them about. Or you can talk about your awesome new x-ray units and how much you care.

On that note…

5. Don’t just say you care; show it.

Nothing shows you care more than consistently satisfied patients (or customers)—the real ones who are singing your praises on social media or in online reviews, not the fake ones who are actually just paid actors, according to the disclaimer on the bottom of your TV screen.

Nothing says you don’t care more than stock imagery. That’s all.

6. Ditch the fear; embrace the empowerment.

Sure, striking fear into consumers’ lives is easy, but it’s also a cop out—one that says more about you than it does about them.

Scaring people into using your services definitely works, but in order to scare them, it’s safe to say that they’re already scared, so why not just jump in and tell them how you’re going to empower them to be un-scared? Strengthening people is the goal of healthcare, is it not?

7. Be different.

In this homogenous market it won’t take much. Be informative. Treat people with respect. Show them how you’re going to help them solve their problems (which you have a great appreciation for and understanding of, by the way). Don’t use stock images of doctors wearing pristinely white coats, arms folded over their clipboards. Break some patterns. Don’t do things the way they’ve always been done just because that’s the way they’ve always been done. That kind of stuff…

Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173091/7-totally-unoriginal-and-obvious-ways-to-improve-y.html#ixzz1t3mqh1UL

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 25

Emails We Love: Clever Copy Round-Up By Beth Negus Viveiros, The Big Fat Marketing Blog

Categories:

Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Skills, Social Media, apps, digital media, software development

by JAM

Several messages crossed our inbox this week that had outstanding subject lines, copy or promotional themes. Here’s a round-up of the best.

Subject Lines of the Week

“We’ve added a new topping: Smartphones”
To celebrate the release of their new app for Android, Domino’s Pizza is offering free Android smartphones. The promotion, not surprisingly, is for phones that are “free” with a two year service contract plus data plan from Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless. But the clever subject line draws attention to the app for prospective (or current) Android users, and may even get an iPhone user or two to check Apple’s App store to see if they have a version of the Domino’s app (they do).

“Great Deal for the Hero in Your Office”
To encourage folks to step up and bring in breakfast to honor their support staff (who, let’s face it, are really the one’s running the office), Bruegger’s used this subject line to promote a “Big Bagel Bundle” for $9.99. The special is available on this Wednesday, April 29 only (Administrative Professionals Day) and the email features a link to a printable coupon.

“It’s a Green World After All!”
Disney plays with the concept of Earth Day and one of its own iconic songs in this subject line. It wins as clever copy, even though we’re not quite sure buying more branded merchandise no one really “needs” is the best way to celebrate Mother Earth, even if it is from the House of Mouse.

Copy and Themes of the Week

Angie’s List
Sometimes, short and sweet is very sweet. Angie’s List won a lot of points this weekend with a lighting fast response to a password reset request and this copy, saying they get us, they really get us: “We hear you–too many passwords; too little time! Click here to reset your password and sign in to Angieslist.com”

Barnes & Noble
The bookseller followed the Angie’s List model of simplicity with their subject line (“B&N Review–This Week’s Best Reading”). While that was a perhaps a little too simple and straightforward, the newsletter one found inside was a great collection of reviews and opinion pieces from BNReview.com.

Stride Rite
Did you know April is Foot Health Awareness month? I didn’t either, until I got this email from Stride Rite. While there are links to the various categories of shoe sizes available on the retailer’s website (and a free shipping offer), this email stays informational in tone and is a great relationship building exercise to connect with parents. Readers can link to a page featuring a video on footwear facts parents should know, and other toe trivia.

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 24

Facebook to buy 650 of Microsoft’s AOL patents By Associated Press

Categories:

IT Professionals, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Skills, Social Media, apps, digital media, software development

by JAM

AP) – Microsoft, which just bought patents from AOL for $1 billion, is now turning around and selling most of them to Facebook for $550 million.

Facebook is buying about 650 of the 925 AOL patents and patent applications that Microsoft bought, Microsoft and Facebook said Monday.

Facebook will also get a license to use the rest of the AOL Inc. patents that Microsoft bought. Similarly, Microsoft Corp. will get a license to use the patents Facebook is buying. This part of the arrangement amounts to an agreement between Facebook and Microsoft not to sue each other over any of the AOL patents. The companies are not saying what the patents cover.

Microsoft said the deal enables it to recoup half the cost of the AOL deal while reaching its goals for the purchase. Facebook’s general counsel, Ted Ullyot, called the move a “significant step in our ongoing process of building an intellectual property portfolio to protect Facebook’s interests over the long term.”

Patents have become a valuable commodity for technology companies in recent years, and companies frequently use them in lawsuits against one another.

Facebook, which is expected to go public in May, is embroiled in a patent suit with struggling Internet company Yahoo Inc. Yahoo had sued Facebook saying the company violates 10 of its patents covering advertising, privacy controls and social networking. Facebook responded with its own lawsuit this month accusing Yahoo of violating 10 of its patents.

The patents from AOL are adding to Facebook’s quickly expanding patent portfolio. The company recently acquired 750 patents from IBM Corp. covering technologies that deal with software and networking. At the end of 2011, Facebook had just 56 U.S. patents, which was a relatively small number compared with other big tech companies.

Facebook has said it expects to raise $5 billion in its initial public offering. The actual figure is expected to be higher, however, and could value the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company at as much as $100 billion.

This post has no tag

Leave comment

Apr 23

5 Things Aspiring CIOs Need to Know By Adam Stone (IBM)

Categories:

Government, IT Professionals, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association, Skills, jobs

by JAM

image credit therisetothetop.com

UNDERWRITTEN BY
By Adam Stone

It seems straightforward enough. Work hard, rack up achievements. Move steadily upward. Enjoy the view from the corner office. As many information technology leaders have learned, things are never quite so simple.
Beyond mere hard work and talent, rising executives must have certain kinds of savvy. They need to know when to ask for help, and from whom. They must have big vision and an understanding of business priorities. Here are five things the aspiring CIO needs to know on the road to that corner office.

GET A MENTOR
As you strive toward the top IT post, you’ll be entering a new world with new rules. It helps to have a close colleague and confidant who knows the lay of the land.
IT leaders know this, even if they don’t practice the principle. Sixty-one percent of women and 56 percent of men say a mentor is necessary for success in IT, according to the 2010 Technisource Women in Information Technology Report from Monster.com.
Yet only 33 percent of women and 28 percent of men say they’ve had or have a mentor to support their IT careers.
Mentors help steer not only professional, but personal growth as well. They can guide you around pitfalls, or simply listen as you think your way through situations. They can challenge you to explore your own goals, asking questions that open your mind to new possibilities.
Whether by email, phone or in-person weekly or monthly meetings, encounters with a mentor are an invaluable resource for an up-and-coming player.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS
In the race to the top, there’s always the temptation to go above and beyond. But for the rising executive, it’s possible to reach too far.
“The discipline to recognize our own limitations in completing work is the biggest challenge I have encountered,” says Steve Romero, IT governance evangelist at CA Technologies Inc., in the company blog. “We all want to say yes to delivering anything that is asked for.”
That readiness to go the extra mile can be a career-killer. Those who overreach are bound to come up short. Better to score a win on a project that’s within your abilities than to overestimate what you can do and ultimately miss the mark.
Recognizing your limitations means learning to the speak the words most people would rather not own up to—phrases like “I don’t know” and “let me get some help with that.” Otherwise you could be setting yourself up for failure.
Government IT leaders are under special pressure to know when to say when. A recent Government Accountability Office study found that while CIOs should have influence over 13 areas of information management, IT chiefs at 30 agencies said they were able to govern just five to seven. They noted various rules and limitations effectively tying their hands on the rest.
The bottom line: You can only do as much as you can do.

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
It’s next to impossible to manage a function you have never performed yourself. You’ll rarely see a football coach who’s never carried the pigskin himself. To lead an IT team, sometimes you have to be down on the field.
Seventy-six percent of those who have led a major project said the experience was critical to their career development, according to a CIO magazine survey of 100 up-and-coming IT leaders.
The logic seems self-evident, but that isn’t always the case. Many top executives in information technology and throughout government rise through the ranks based on management experience, rather than on specific technical know-how. That’s OK: Management is a specialized skill too.
But a little field work goes a long way.
While a manager may know why technology is needed, an IT chief with real-world experience is prone to think more about what the technology can actually do. A business leader focuses on the end goal, but a hands-on technologist takes a realistic view of the steps along the way.
Field experience gives a leader a firm footing for moving ahead.

UNDERSTAND THE CFO
At many organizations, the CIO is one notch down the org chart from the chief financial officer. Let’s face it: Money talks. With IT departments typically operating under the aegis of the CFO, it’s important to get to know that office, to understand the financial function and how it relates to the CIO’s operations.
Some 42 percent of IT organizations or executives report to the CFO, according to a survey by Gartner and Financial Executives Research Foundation. In smaller organizations the percentage goes up to 60 percent. Even if the chain of reporting varies in a government setting, the basic rule applies: CIO and CFO must move forward hand in hand.
The typical disconnect involves the CIO seeking funding for a project, looking at it purely from the technology point of view. The CFO in turn sees the situation through a financial lens. What will be the payback on this investment? Both, ideally, meet in the middle. What is the business aim, and will this project fulfill it at a reasonable price?
But it takes some thoughtfulness to reach that middle ground, in a process that begins with the technology chief recognizing the CFO as a partner rather than an impediment.

MEET THE CUSTOMER
It’s easy for the CIO to see no further than the IT team. The minutiae of management easily can consume the day, making it easy to lose track of the customer. To be truly effective, the IT leader has to walk the beat, interfacing in person with the department heads and end users who are the ultimate recipients of your technology decisions.
Face time offers a chance to determine needs. Rather than purchasing and deploying software and applications to a throng of faceless end users, rising IT executives can forge ties that help to drive policy and guide strategy.
More than this, personal contact helps build relationships that endure over time, generating the positive ties that support your career progress down the road.

This post has no tag

Leave comment

La Nueva Onda LISTA

“Here We Go Again!! ” TechLatino247′s Response to NYT Article: Keeping the Internet Neutral By Eduardo Porter

LISTA to Recognize President of NewCom International Jaime Dickinson

LISTA Announces Dr. Bernice A. King to Keynote ETLS VIP Welcome Reception and Share her Mother’s Legacy.

LISTA #TechLatino247 Guest Blogger Kristian Ramos: Technology is the key to success for Latinos

Zuckerberg Plays Host in New Facebook IPO Video by Adario Strange, PCMAG.com

14 Lessons from Benjamin Franklin about getting what you want in life By Thea Easterby, Freelance Writer

FCC frees up funds for rural broadband service By John Eggerton — Broadcasting & Cable,

Walmart Likely To Fare Better Than Wal-Mart By Thom Forbes, MarketingDaily

5 Things Aspiring CIOs Need to Know By Adam Stone (IBM)

Latinos In Technology

LISTA Members

Latest tweets

Latest Activities

Archives

Copyright

TechLatino

La Nueva Onda LISTA

Latinos In Technology

LISTA Members

Latest tweets

Latest Activities

Subscribe

Archives

Copyright