Last week I introduced Google+ (or is it Google Plus?) as the new not-quite-ready-for-prime-time social media platform that's going head-to-head against Facebook's 600 million users. It definitely has a much cleaner interface, and some pretty cool features that makes Facebook look just a bit stale. Is it the new killer app that we'll all jump on? Time will tell. The biggest hole is of course, that Google+ doesn't have any business functionality (yet), which will supposedly be available in a few months. In the meantime, if you've gotten an invitation to join the platform, these are some of the…

If you haven't heard of it, in a new battle of Goliaths, Google launched Google Plus (or Google+) recently in a head-to-head against Facebook. Facebook of course, is the seemingly unstoppable social media giant with about 1/10th of the planet's population as part of their network. I can hear the groans now. Yes, there's another social media platform to learn. So should you dump Facebook and switch? In a word, no, at least not yet. Is Google+ compelling? Yes. But as a friend of mine posted (on Google+), "Can't decide: Is Google+ like arriving early to party where it's just you and the nerds? …

As a business owner, one of your most valuable marketing assets is your website. As I mentioned in Marketing Your Business for Free, attracting people to your website through a Google listing is key to getting new customers. Once they click over to your website, is it doing all it can to encourage the potential customer to do business with you? Instead, it may be turning people away once they get there. A study a few years ago showed that your website may only have a mere 1/20th of a second to make a great impression on a visitor. Are you losing business because of some small changes you can …

Until a few days ago, I was an affiliate with Amazon.com. This meant I could advertise books and other products on my websites and if someone purchased one by clicking my link, I got a small commission for the sale. On Wednesday night, I and 25,000 other affiliates in California received a curt email from Amazon.com that our relationship was hereby terminated. The reason? Gov. Jerry Brown had signed into law a bill requiring out-of-state online retailers to start charging sales tax to buyers. Part of the letter from Amazon.com said, "As a result of this, contracts with all California …

According to the U.S. Small Business Association, 99.9 percent of all businesses in the nation are defined as small businesses, or those with fewer than 500 employees or less than $7 million in annual revenue. One of the biggest challenges for these nearly 30 million business owners is how to market effectively to attract people who want to do business with them. With limited budgets, they have limited resources to spread among marketing choices. Fortunately, one of the most powerful resources around is 100 percent free, and it didn't even exist just a few years ago. Google generates about 10…

Livermore residents came out in record numbers Friday to support and remember Korrine Croghan, a Granada High student who needed more than 80 units of blood in 2008 while undergoing an aggressive chemotherapy regimen. The Team KC and Livermore Community blood drives teamed up for their first dual-drive to raise awareness, bring in new donors and get community support. Both drives brought in 144 units of blood, which could help up to 432 patients. The Team KC drive, which was held at Marcel Orthodontics on Fourth Street, had 79 people come in to donate blood, from whom 63 units were collected…

As one who has had a more than passing interest in photography since I was a teenager, I could relate to Anna Vickroy when she said she has had a dark room in her home since she was a youngster. I, too, was the proud owner of my own Vivitar color enlarger, permanently ensconced in my parents' extra bathroom. I coveted the Canon A1 camera, at the time one of the best consumer 35mm cameras you could get. Alas, I had to settle for a Nikon FE, the best my teenage savings account could afford. But I digress. Vickroy is the owner of Ultra-Spective Photography in Livermore. In her own words, she "…

With all the modern trappings of society these days, your business card, email signature or even ending slide in a PowerPoint® presentation ("How to reach me"), can get pretty silly with all the lines of data. We're über-connected with so many ways to be reached, including email addresses, toll-free, mobile and land-line phone numbers, website addresses and so on. I give a lot of talks and presentations, and it used to be that I'd give my phone and email address at the end of the talk. People would frantically scribble them down in case they wanted to talk to me later. Today there's a new way…

On Oct. 27, 2008, Matt and Dana Croghan lost their 14-year-old daughter, Korrine, to the ravages of a rare form of cancer. No one would dispute that to lose a child is the worst nightmare a parent can face. I met with Dana and her friend Janet Hemmig a few days ago. From the quiet pauses in our conversation, it was clear that the memories and emotions are still fresh. Croghan told me Korrine would have been a senior at Granada High this year. "I don't ever want to forget a single moment," she said. Instead of focusing on the negative, though, members of the Croghan family have turned their …

As a result of the continued flagging economy, the Tri-Valley is seeing increases in its homeless population. The Livermore Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (LCPAAA) is holding a community dialogue at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Robert Livermore Community Center so residents can learn more and ask questions. Support agencies will provide information to educate attendees about the problems associated with homelessness and what resources are available in the area. The first hour will include presentations from several groups, including: Livermore Homeless Refuge  Tri-Valley Haven Open …

I remember being at a friend's birthday party a few years ago. My wife and I surveyed the guests and, as is sometimes the case, we knew about half the people there. The rest were friends of our friend Chuck. As we mingled and chatted with people, we bumped into a former co-worker whom I hadn't seen in years. Frank was as surprised to see me as I was him, because he lives out of the area. It turns out that Frank had known Chuck for many years. Was it just a coincidence that we had a common friend and never knew? Probably not. They say that there are six degrees of separation between any two …

A study last year of 330 companies showed that the virtual workforce is growing, a trend that is expected to continue for the next several months. This isn't necessarily about outsourcing work to other countries. Instead, increasing pressure from company costs, improvements in technology, cheaper "cloud" tools and the rising number of laid-off workers have driven companies to hire virtual workers. Inc. Magazine reported that the number of part-time workers has exploded, tripling from 3.1 million to 9.1 million people from 2000 to 2010. It quoted Cari Sommer, the founder of Urban Interns, a …

Twenty five local high-school students and leaders met Saturday at Asbury United Methodist Church to learn about different faiths in a program called Interfaith Works. The idea is to encourage young people to have open discussions, ask questions and learn from each other about the different religious backgrounds in the room. Prerna Abbi was the guest speaker. She is a humanist with Hindu roots and is particularly passionate about infusing interfaith plurality into community service. Abbi is part of the Interfaith Youth Core, a group of young people from all faiths and traditions that promotes…

Video has been in the news quite a bit lately with two recent items. Nearly two years ago to the day, Cisco announced its acquisition of Pure Digital, Inc., the makers of the popular Flip video cameras, "to expand our momentum in the media-enabled home and to capture the consumer market transition to visual networking." On April 12, it announced it was closing down the Flip business, which is disappointing because they are solid little HD cameras for a reasonable price (yes, they're still available at a bargain while supplies last). Last week, Google also announced that it was shutting down …

I met Michèle Sharik a couple years ago when I was subbing in a local all-bass handbell group led by Larry Sue called the Low Ding Zone. With her bright red spiky hair, high energy and easy laugh, she's a fun person to be around. Handbells, or more specifically, English handbells, are a type of musical instrument, most often seen at churches. In a choir, several people will ring one or more bells together to make music. Most handbells are cast out of bronze, and modern bells have a hard plastic handle. Some of the largest bells are made of aluminum, which saves weight. But because aluminum …

I met with Adam Walker Cleaveland, a local minister of youth and young adults, who with several religious leaders will be hosting a free all-day program for the Tri-Valley's high school students to listen and learn from each other. Whether they come from a religious or non-religious backgrounds, all youth are invited. The goal is to introduce new relationships that include mutual respect and religious pluralism, rather than conflict. Some leaders and faith communities who are supporting the Interfaith Works program include: Asbury United Methodist Church - Adam Walker Cleaveland Congregation …

Last month, in The Face of Hunger Has Changed, I wrote about Open Heart Kitchen and how it provides nearly a quarter million hot meals to the area's hungry each year. I caught up with Bruce Campbell and Mark Brunell, both Alameda County Master Gardeners who, along with many volunteers, have started an organic garden at Asbury United Methodist Church to provide healthy crops to Open Heart Kitchen. A seedling of an idea Last year, Pastor Chuck Johnstone suggested that the acreage behind the church, occasionally used to graze cows (to keep the weeds down), could be used to grow crops to feed the…

On March 11, a devastating 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan. The ensuing tsunami swept across the area, killing more than 10,000 people. Halfway around the world in Livermore, the Livermore Valley Opera was preparing to perform Madama Butterfly, a Puccini opera that takes place in Japan. It is loosely based on events that occurred in the 1890s in Nagasaki, Japan. The opera is a tragedy, with Cio-Cio-San as the central character who waits patiently for three years for her true love — her American husband — to come back to her from overseas. Just before the first performance Friday…

Joe Scerbo is the owner of GENTEC Electrical Services, a Diamond Certified commercial and residential electrician in Livermore. I wanted to find out more about solar energy, and specifically, is it "time" yet to consider putting solar panels on the roof? There are many different forms of renewable energy including wind, solar power, solar heating, but it seems more and more that we see solar panels showing up on people's rooftops. GENTEC is part of Shamrock Renewable Energy Group in San Ramon, a coalition of solar and renewable energy integrators that provide residential and commercial …

The nefarious activities of two charming elderly siblings and their hilarious relatives and neighbors make for great fun for fans of the Asbury Players. Among the relatives is a nephew who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt, another who stays one step ahead of the law and a third just trying to stay sane.  "Arsenic and Old Lace" is a farcical black comedy that was first presented in New York on Aug. 18, 1941. It tells the story of Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic in Brooklyn who must deal with his spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old folks with a homemade cocktail of elderberry …