AGLOCO: The Internet's First Economic Network

AGLOCO: The Internet's First Economic Network
Today’s hottest Internet businesses are all about the power of social networks. Companies like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube have become worth billions because businesses have realized that these social networks are generating huge advertising and marketing opportunities. As these social networks grow, the economic potential for its owners – and the advertisers who target the site’s users – is remarkable.
At AGLOCO, we asked a simple question: The users created the community, where’s their share of the profit?
It was from this question that AGLOCO set out to create the Internet’s first Economic Network, harnessing the power of Internet-based social networks to directly benefit the Members who help to create the community.
Becoming a member of AGLOCO is as simple as completing a brief sign-up page (name, age, location and email address.). Once you’re a Member, you will be asked to then download the Viewbar™ software. (Note: the Viewbar™ software is currently unavailable, as it is in closed testing. It will be ready for public download in a few weeks, and members will be notified when it is available.)
AGLOCO makes money for its Members in many ways:
Search: Every time you use the Viewbar™ to do an Internet search, AGLOCO earns money from the search engine providers. (For example, Google pays as much as $0.10 on average for each search that is directed to its search engine.)
Advertising: The Viewbar™ itself displays ads that are targeted based upon the websites you’re visiting. When you click on an ad and make a purchase, AGLOCO receives a referral fee, which we pass on to our Members. (Please note: Individual members do not receive any compensation for clicking on ads in the Viewbar™, and the Viewbar™ can detect if someone is clicking ads in a fraudulent manner.)
Transaction commissions: Many major retailers pay commissions when you refer customers who make a purchase. AGLOCO collects that commission and passes it on to our members. (For example, Amazon pays an 8.5% commission to most websites who refer customers, and has cut deals for even larger percentages. The bigger the AGLOCO community, the better commission we can negotiate for our Members.)
Software distribution: Numerous software companies pay websites to encourage the download of new software releases (for example, Adobe’s Flash and Acrobat Reader software), and trial versions of new programs. AGLOCO members not only get access to the latest and coolest software, they get paid for it.
Service distribution: Many online service providers will look to the AGLOCO community as a source of new and active users for their services. (For example, eBay, Skype, and PayPal, among others, all pay fees to people who help them recruit new active users to their services)
Product distribution: When Members agree to use a product, such as cell phones, high-tech gadgets, office supplies, new credit cards or financial services, AGLOCO can collect referral fees. Some companies even offer special rebate and cash-back programs.
AGLOCO Members make money in four ways.
Members earn a monthly share of the AGLOCO revenue based on the use of the AGLOCO Viewbar™ that month.
Members earn part of the company based on the use of the AGLOCO Viewbar™ that month (currently a maximum of five hours are rewarded). Click here for details.
Members who use our referral system to help build the AGLOCO network will earn more. (AGLOCO only has significant value as a large network and people who help build it should be rewarded. – We also feel that the early users who told friends about YouTube or MySpace or even Google probably deserved something too, but no referral system was available to record their work).
Members will also get a share of any commissions AGLOCO gets when a Member purchases a product or service from an AGLOCO Sponsor company.
Why should I join now?
First, it costs nothing to Join and takes less than one minute.
Second, you can help build the AGLOCO community by recruiting new Members TODAY.Right now, inviting your friends to join AGLOCO is as easy and productive as it will ever be – but you need to invite your friends before someone else beats you to them.Remember, the bigger the AGLOCO community, the more attractive AGLOCO is to potential business partners and advertisers.
Recruit your friends and family by contacting them through email. (But remember we have a strict anti-spam policy.)
Use your blog and your existing social networks, such as MySpace and Facebook, to contact your friends and encourage them to join a new community that will actually let them earn money.
Be a part of the Internet’s first Member-Owned Economic Community.
Join AGLOCO - Own the Internet!
http://www.agloco.com


Jion click under link.

KM and ICT in organisations

KM and ICT in organisations with the ambition of implementing a KM-driven Operational Excellent strategy (Free Article 3).by dr. A.P. de Bree MBA, Go4estrategy Consulting & TheKnowledgeCircle
In many profit and non-profit organsiations, knowledge management projects and strategies are very much ICT-driven. In this short series of free articles we will describe and explain the main focus and objectives of the ICT-function and ICT-competencies in general, needed to support a viable KM-driven Operational Excellent strategy.
1. Knowledge in an Operational Excellence strategy.
Organisations pursuing Operational Excellence are consistent in seeking ways to minimise overhead costs, to eliminate steps in the production process, to reduce transaction costs and to optimise business processes across functional boundaries. The Operationally Excellent company will focus on exploiting data, information and knowledge systems to automate processes and to strip costs out of its operations.
2. The role of ICT in an Operational Excellence focused KM-strategy.
The role of ICT and IT departments and functions, supported by related individual and organisational competencies, is trying to optimise supply chains and process flexibility in order to reduce waste. And to connect as cheaply and easy as possible with customers in order to support cross selling of a limited number of (often) standard products and services. Technology is important in order to be able to see what business processes are running and what their status is. The ICT systems do not only steer the business processes but often also execute them completely. On the Customer Intimacy side, companies focusing on this discipline use ICT to sort sales leads to decide how much effort to devote to chasing them. Traditionally, this was done informally, by individual salespeople. More and more companies are now doing it semi-formally, using computers to apply a collection of ad hoc rules about customer preferences. Operational Excellent companies like American Express are trying to formalise the process yet further by using supercomputers, neural networks and advanced statistical processors to analyse data in great depth. ICT thus supports customer selection, customer identification and configuration management in order to make decisions on the level of customisation and sales co-ordination.
3. Examples of companies and industries.
Companies like Charles Schwab have been able to become market leader by focusing on Operational Excellence in a new way. Schwab has reduced costs substantially by connecting its systems of buying and selling securities directly to the Stock Exchange in the United States and the United Kingdom and it is even organising off-exchange trading. This eliminated non-adding value work and costs by not using paper or faxed input instructions or non-value-added intermediaries. It thus also ‘dematures’ [1] a mature Banking business being securities and payments processing business, for ages the exclusive battleground of the large global competitors like Merrill Lynch, Chase Manhattan and a number of European universal incumbents.
Another example is the system every employee and partner of Federal Express is using to co-ordinate the delivery of packages across the complete chain. In a slightly altered version, Federal Express now offers the same system to its customers on the Internet. This reduces the number of calls for information on the packages and related questions dramatically and in this way optimises the internal value chain substantially. The same applies to the Direct Connect system that can be used by retailers in the United States to access the systems of General Electric Appliances, again optimising the complete chain while reducing costs for everybody [2].
Other opportunities for adding value are for example implementation of workflow engines, the use of standard interoperable packages, introduction of dynamic scheduling and direct customer configuration [3]. And last but not least, all the available integrated information can also be used for management accounting, decision-making and cost and quality measurement systems. Key elements for measuring performance across chains cover not only key information indicators of value creation but also require the analytical and operational functionality in information systems to identify and execute changes in the chain process that increase value produced (in this context costs saved). The knowledge related to these main objectives is thus critical for the success of an Operational Excellence driven KM-strategy. Organisations in Health Services, Ministries and large production plants in for instance the Publishing Industry can benefit from these characteristics.
[1] Sviokla, J. J. (1998), “Is Digital Technology dematuring your Industry?”, Web site Diamond Technology Partners. See also chapter 5 on the underlying measurement tools and the economics of the different value disciplines. “Demature”: when technology enables new competitors to enter, force and facilitate the creation of new products and services and alter distribution. It therefore destabilises current competitive forces within a specific industry.
[2] Treacy, M, Wiersema, F. (1995), “The discipline of Market leaders: Choose your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market”, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, U.K.
[3] CSC (1997), “An IT agenda for value chains should focus beyond process optimisation to process agility”, in: Foundation Report “Chains, Shops and Networks. The role of IS in New Models of value creation”, CSC 1997.
[4] Economically speaking, there is a problem in the virtual world. How it is possible to achieve economies-of-scale when there is no apparent relationship between what is processed and what is produced? No scarce resources are used up by processing virtual transactions. On the contrary, the Law of Increasing Returns shows that by processing more, more intangible assets are created in terms of knowledge and other intangible assets. If on the other hand prices and margins are accordingly going down continuously as has been the case in electronic payments and securities transactions in the wholesale world, than the ‘Law of Tim de Bree” applies: even if you have more and more of something, but customers do not want to pay for it, you still loose money. Digital transactions are commodities and are nothing more than a line on a computer screen.
........................................................................................................................... Dr. Tony de Bree MBA has worked as an interim manager and as a strategic advisor in a number of profit and non-profit organisations. Ranging from HRM-departments, Security Back-Offices of Investment Banks to European projects on mediating and monitoring electronic contracting and e-commerce in general. His presentations, books and articles have been well received during many conferences around the World, crossing boundaries of disciplines like knowledge management, (e)strategy, compliance, auditing, HRM, eLearning, e-business and e-commerce. He is currently part-time interim project manager e-business and e-commerce at ABN AMRO Trust and thus finds himself right in the eye of the legislative hurricanes of the post-11th-of-September off-shore financial services. He is responsible for design and implementation of innovative knowledge-driven solutions including eDMS and organisational change. He is also commercial partner in the network of Go4estrategy Consulting experts. Specialising in de-organising and targeting the bottom line with a positive, competency-based approach.
This is a "Shareware" Article(what's that? read on...)
This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice. Copyright © 2004 Dr. A.P. de Bree MBA..
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ICT International

ICT International
Introduction
The digital revolution is a global revolution. New technologies reach all corners of the world and make their impact on the lives of people of all nations in all spheres of life. Especially in wealthier countries, we have moved from the personal computer to broadband access, from floppy disks to DVD’s, from clip art to digital photography and movies, and from user to creator, all within a very short space of time. In education, multimedia suites, subject-specific software, online communities and access to seemingly endless resources via the Internet illustrate the changing face of learning. With each technological shift, each new software or hardware, new challenges are presented for teachers to improve delivery and enhance learning. Whether you wish to integrate ICT further into your teaching of modern languages, or to bring the global dimension into your lessons, ICT international can help. You will find information and links to journals, policy documents, reports, partnership opportunities, events, funding programmes and resources. Global CALLIf you wish to improve and reflect on practice with colleagues worldwide, it is now very easy to keep in touch via email and the Internet. Click on Global CALL for information on teacher associations, online publications and forums, as well as reports and useful links focused on CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) from around the world. Projects plusElectronic communications allow teachers and pupils to develop partnerships and build projects with schoolchildren from other countries and continents. Pupils can use ICT creatively, working together to produce web pages or multimedia presentations, for example. To read about international projects you can get involved in, or to identify funding or potential partners, click on Projects plus. The global dimensionTechnological advances have truly created a ‘global village.’ Global issues such as poverty, environmental depletion, sustainable growth and fair trade can be explored more easily, by developing multi-lingual partnerships with schools across the world to compare experiences. Click on The global dimension for information on relevant funding, finding partners and resources in both English and target language.
Policy and practice For general information on UK and European policy on language learning, ICT in education and the international dimension, click on Policy and practice for useful links. You can also explore the use of ICT in schools across different countries of the world, with many websites offering policy documentation for download.

About Information Technology at RIT

About Information Technology at RIT
In the late 1980's it became apparent to a small group of faculty at RIT that there was a need for a new kind of computing professional: someone who could function as a "users' advocate" and create computing infrastructure that "made things work." The typical business environment had shifted to a network of microcomputers, and users needed technical support to help them choose appropriate computing technologies, integrate technology into their workplace, and help them adapt to it and use it effectively. We saw that need and the Information Technology (IT) Department at RIT was born.
We were the first postsecondary program in information technology in the United States, accepting our first baccalaureate students in the fall of 1992. We followed up in 1995 with a MS in Information Technology. Being first had its advantages. During the explosive growth of the World Wide Web, we were defining IT as an academic discipline. As the digital revolution progressed, we educated information technologists with a "user focus." Today we have over 2000 graduates. Our graduates are game develolpers, web masters, new media developers, web content developers, network and system administrators, database specialists, application developers, and interface designers. In addition, we have had the honor of being the model for information technology programs at several other universities.
As IT technologies have emerged, our undergraduate and graduate curricula have kept pace. IT students can study website design and multimedia, computer game development, human-computer interaction, application development, database concepts, networking and system administration, electronic commerce, and learning and performance technology.
We are currently a major contributor to the effort to formalize IT as an academic discipline distinct from and on a par with Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Information Systems. In the spring of 2003, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) created the Special Interest Group for Information Technology Education (SIGITE). This effort led to the creation a model curriculum for IT and professional accreditation guidelines. In 2005 RIT's Information Technology BS program was in the first group of IT programs to be accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - telephone: (410)347-7700.
Whatever tomorrow's "hot" IT technology is, we will be here providing high quality technical education for future IT professionals!

IT Consulting Services

IT Consulting Services
or simply fill in where needed.
Networking & Communications
Networks
Wireless, WANs
Next-generation telephone systems, VoIP
Wiring (network and phone)
Internet
Internet and e-mail
Broadband connections
Web site hosting
Web site design & development
Problem Solving
Diagnosis and recovery
Pest and spyware removal
Virus removal
Security
Security for data and networks
Virus prevention
Pest and spyware prevention
Spam prevention
System maintenance
Hardware & Software
ITS CorporateClass™ PCs built and supported in-house
Support third party PCs, Macintosh
Hardware and software delivery and installation
Consulting
System design and consulting
Long term planning
Backup solutions
Data recovery
Planning office moves (telecom, power, wiring)

Information and Communication Technology Program

Information and Communication Technology Program
The Program of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) established in 2005 is the newest program in the Faculty of Science. At present, the Program offers a four-year full time undergraduate program leading to a B.Sc. Degree in Information and Communication Technology. Around 70 students are admitted to the Program each year. The ICT curriculum is organized into four tracks of subjects : information technology, communication technology, computer hardware and software technology, and technology for management.

What is ICT sourcing?

ICT is a management tool to support an agency's business requirements.
It typically includes components such as applications development, infrastructure (mainframes, midrange machines, desktops and servers), communications, strategy and administration.
ICT sourcing determines how an agency's ICT components are obtained, managed and run.
The basic objective of ICT sourcing is to deliver the required level of support for the agency's business requirements in the most cost effective way.
This is encapsulated in the Government's policy objective of achieving the best overall Value for Money ICT outcome.
For some agencies, the 'best level of support' may mean access to skills and expertise not available internally, or greater flexibility to allow ICT to meet changing business requirements.
Others may use ICT sourcing as a way to release resources and allow for a greater focus on strategic objectives.
We have defined three broad types of ICT sourcing, based on the degree to which ICT is managed externally and the number of vendors involved:
Self-managed: ICT is predominantly managed and run by internal resources, possibly including contractors or consultants, with little or no service level agreements (SLAs) with external vendors.
Single sourcing: ICT is predominantly run by a single external party under an SLA.
Selective sourcing: ICT is predominantly run by multiple external parties under one or several SLAs.
Single sourcing and selective sourcing are often grouped together and called 'outsourcing', while self-managed is also be referred to as 'in-house'.
In a self-managed arrangement, agencies would purchase goods from suppliers, and procurement would largely be transactional.
In an external arrangement - either single or selective - agencies would generally need to manage a more complex relationship with a vendor.
There are other sourcing models such as business process outsourcing (BPO), shared services, co-sourcing, offshore, and contracting out.
These can be considered variations within the three basic models described above.

What is IT?

Information technology (IT) comprises the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to employ information and communications technologies appropriately, securely and fruitfully in learning, employment and everyday life. IT is to ICT as literacy is to books, journals or screen displays.
IT capability at school age includes:
understanding of how information is structured in a database;
skills in carrying out a search on the World Wide Web with sensitivity to meaning, accuracy of data and reliability of sources;
understanding of how computers can simulate real processes e.g. predator-prey relationships;
skills in using software e.g. word processing or e-mail to communicate effectively;
understanding that ICT can be used to control things;
knowledge of how to use ICT securely, with consideration of the feelings of other people, their rights to privacy and ownership of material.
The focus of IT is on pupils' capability with ICT. This is why IT is the overall title used for the National Curriculum subject and qualifications.
Not all IT learning will involve the use of computers. For example, teachers might ask pupils to:
sort real objects into different categories as an introduction to databases;
read a piece of printed text in order to identify the key words that might characterise it and help to retrieve it electronically if necessary;
develop paper-based models and simulations of situations;
consider the use of font sizes and print effects in newspapers and magazines as part of their work with word processors;
give each other instructions as a way of teaching about precision and control;
compare the use of IT tools and software with other ways of undertaking a design, composition or analysis task."