BrainSack

Yelp is a little more legit looking than most online complain/review sites and seems to be more legit than most complaint sites but don’t overlook the fact that they are still a complaint portal in the form of reviews. I have seen some pretty nasty reviews on this site about businesses.
Yelp provides online local search capabilities for its visitors. A typical search includes what the user is seeking (e.g. a barber shop) and the location from which the search is to be performed, entered as a specific address, neighborhood, city/state combination, or zip code. Each business listing result contains a 5-point rating, reviews from other site visitors, and details such as the business address, hours, accessibility, and parking. Site visitors can aid in keeping the business listings up to date, with moderator approval, and business owners can directly update their own business’ listing information.

Listings and related content are organized by city and a multi-tier categorization system. Content and listings can also be discovered through categorized reviews or via Yelp member profiles and their review lists. Maps leveraging Google Maps show reviewed businesses to further aid in business discovery.

Need Reputation Management? Call: 1-888-358-ARMOR

Yelp combines local reviews and social networking functionality to create a local online community. Adding social web functionality to user reviews creates a de-facto reputation system, whereby site visitors can see which contributing users are the most popular, respected, and prolific, how long each has been a member, and which have interests similar to theirs. Strong peer feedback mechanisms and the featured placement of popular reviews on the site and in local newsletters help motivate contributors. Yelp also applies a “First to Review” reward system to create a competition among contributing members, further motivating the creation of reviews and adding to the site’s business coverage.

The company strengthens the online community through off-line events at nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and cultural venues in various cities for its most prolific and loyal contributors named “Elite” members on the site. These members must provide a photo and their real name, be at least 21 years of age, and in return receive a special badge on their personalized page for every year they author a specific number of reviews. The concept is meant to indicate that the user is a trusted author of business reviews. The site also has a forum for online socialization and to discuss local businesses and events. A number of competitors emulating these Yelp concepts have failed or were acquired. Source: Wikipedia
Now the problem with Yelp:

There have been numerous reports from business owners that Yelp has been removing or not allowing new positive reviews to appear on their Yelp listings. Businesses have also said that Yelp has purportedly solicited funds from them in order to help improve their star ratings. Not only does yelp seem to help their paying client remove negative listings or keep them from appearing, they also seem to allow more negative items on non-paying member profiles. There has been a lot of negative press about this issue and you will find details about this issue if you simply Google the term “Yelp Scam”.

If your business is on Yelp and has a few reviews, good or bad, your Yelp listing will most likely appear high within Google search results when people search your name. This can be good or bad, depending on how your rating is with Yelp. If you have 5 stars and all positive reviews it may help your business. If you have a few negative reviews and a lower rating it may deter people from doing business with you.

Yelp is a ticking time bomb! Today your rating may be great and you are happy that the Yelp page about you ranks so high on Google, you might even link to it from your website. How are you going to react when a competitor or ex-employee or someone posts a couple of negative reviews about your business and causes your Yelp listing to be a pool of negativity?

Reputation management experts believe that if you push Yelp.com back 3-4 pages on Google when people search for your name then you won’t have to worry as much if you get negative complaints. The fact is only a small fraction/percent of searchers go past the first page of Google and even less go past the second page of results. The 3rd page or deeper is considered a tolerable zone for complaints to be on search results about your company.

To push a Yelp complaint further down search results you must get positive or neutral items about your company above the Yelp.com results. To get items above a link the items must out rank the link. You will need to use various search engine optimization techniques in order to push back the negative links.

A reputation management company can help you remove Yelp reviews and complaints. If you find your Yelp listing has come back to haunt you or you find that Yelp is hurting your business, contact ReputationArmor.com at 1-888-358-ARMOR or visit them online: Remove Yelp Reviews

Sean Seshadri (Dr. Sean Seshadri)
Lux Investments International

Lux Investments Intl was founded by Sean Seshadri. Sean went to medical school in Brooklyn, NY where he pursued a career as a radiologist and achieved great success in his field of interest.

Lux Investments International. or LII holds quarterly seminars to groom fellow traders to trade our capital both domestically and internationally. The technical analysis we use at Lux investments is based on candlesticks and other indicators which are commonly found. However, the way we use these indicators at Lux Investments are unique and are used by the top hedge fund managers worldwide. At Lux Investments we are concerned about our student’s well being and we teach small groups of students because we are a trading firm first and a seminar company second. What separates us from the rest of the companies out there is that the founder of Lux Investments (Sean Seshadri) has trained every trader personally to profitability, and when a trader has demonstrated consistency then he or she is allowed to trade on the funds behalf. Dr. Seshadri is a master of option strategies and has coined different ways to prevent a losing trade even when a stock moves against a fellow trader.

Lux Investments
1936 Bruce B. Downs Blvd
Wesley Chapel, FL
On The Web: http://luxinvestmentsintl.com

InterChanges.com is an SEO, Web Designing and Web Marketing firm based out of Jacksonville FL.

Company Information:

Interchanges.com
8833 Perimeter Park Boulevard
Suite 804
Jacksonville, Florida 32216

www.InterChanges.com
Phone: 1-866-313-5969
Fax: 904-807-9216

Customer Testimonials:

“Everyone I dealt with at Interchanges.com was professional, courteous, and easy to work with. They offered advice and guidance that help turn our web site into an attractive and functional utility for our business. The web site is a great compliment to the company image that we maintain. In addition to the overall appearance, it has definitely served to increase our efficiencies. Our clients and sales team use the web site daily. It has definitely streamlined many processes.”

Blair Carter
Sales Manager
Crown Products Company, Inc.

“Interchanges makes results happen. They are constantly learning and applying the strategies they promote within their own company and to an ever-growing cadre of satisfied clients. I’m happy to have had the opportunity to work with Interchanges - to learn from them for several years now and to benefit from their extreme talent!!”

Kevin Nations
Owner
SilverBack Marketing Corp

” The team at Interchanges.com are responsive, intelligent and possess great integrity. I recommend

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them highly.” порно трансы смотреть стриптиз он лайн

Adam Bengal
KTAV.com

“Interchanges.com custom designed and implemented an Internet strategy that has proven fruitful for Zabatt.com. Interchanges.com did everything from designing a new web site that gave us a professional appearance on the web, to developing and implementing our entire Internet marketing campaign In addition to the results we have achieved, we have also found the Interchanges.com team to be hands on and proactive in recommending improvements and new solutions. We trust that we will stay ahead of our Internet competitors through Interchanges.com’s ongoing efforts.”

J. Michael Sebastian
Zabatt

“Interchanges.com was an excellent resource for information that was useful in helping our company increase market awareness. They spent hours analyzing and planning ways that would lead to a greater internet presence. They were thorough, concise, and personable the entire time. They were constantly available for questions. Interchanges also took the time to help me in the pursuit of personal career goals. They assisted me in reviewing existing practices and offering more effective alternatives that would help increase my personal efficiency. They did not try to take personal praise for there influence in my career objectives, but rather were seeking to see me prosper.”

Todd Thomsen
ERP Manager
The Stellar Group

“I would like to let you know how much we appreciate Interchanges.com’s help, their expertise and professionalism in designing our web page. They listen, offer good and constructive advice and then they act promptly. They are patient with us when we are impatient; they are prompt in making changes when we need our information updated. Interchagnes.com care’s about the small company and how they can help them achieve their goals. “

Karen Bassham

“ Interchanges operates on the cutting edge of service and productivity. They maintain an effective business model which prioritizes a consistent client experience. That experience speaks for itself over time as clients reap the benefits of there company’s work. Overall, Interchanges should be considered a worthy ‘investment’ for anyone looking to increase their market exposure and productivity.”

Reid Fitzpatrick
Financial Advisor, CRPC
Ameriprise Financial Services

“The team at interchanges built my web site and I continue in their partner program. The web site is very well constructed and has received many compliments. More importantly, Interchanges partner program is driving attention and business to my web site - results exceed my expectations! Interchanges is delightful to work with - high integrity, and high value. A true business partner.”

Hal Resnick

Write A Review about Interchanges.com on Strong Reputation!

Looking For Credit Repair Leads?

If you are in the credit repair industry then you already know the value of good, fresh, and responsive credit repair leads. You may not know where to buy the best credit repair leads online.

There are dozens of websites that offer credit repair leads and sales leads. There are only a couple that only deal in credit repair leads. A lead company that deals in only one type of lead like credit repair leads will most likely deliver your company the best bang for your buck.

If a lead company sells 15 different lead types then the quality may be diluted. Fresh quality leads will make you money over and over. Watch out for under priced leads and over priced leads! You should expect to pay $3-$5 per lead for credit repair leads if they are the real deal and even more if you want 100% truly exclusive leads (Which I doubt exist).

If you are new to the credit repair industry or sell credit repair letter kits or anything to people with poor credit then credit repair lead may be what you are looking for. You can search Google for “Credit Repair Leads” and compare companies there.

Avoid Travel Scams By Vacation Travel Club

Avoiding Vacation and Travel Scams has become a very popular topic this travel season. The team at Vacation Travel Club has compiled a list of common and avoidable travel and vacation related scams that you may encounter while traveling this Vacation season.

Vacation Travel Club is a leader in the online discount vacation industry. Vacation Travel Club offers their members some of the greatest savings and benefits in the industry. The tips to avoid vacation related scams below are provided for information purposes only.

1. Fake car park attendants. Previously prevalent in Italy, this travel scam now pops up in many big European cities, where parking can be notoriously difficult.

The trick can take many forms. You may just drive onto a piece of wasteland where other cars are parked or you may enter a big, official parking lot.

Either way, a “parking attendant” approaches you and hands you an official looking ticket, usually demanding a fairly exorbitant fee. You’re tired, frustrated and there’s a language problem, so you just hand over the cash.

Later, you discover you’re either parked illegally or there’s another fee to pay — this time, the real one.

Action: You put yourself at risk if you don’t know who owns the place where you’re parking or what the real arrangements are for payment. Check them out the best you can. You can ask the attendant to show credentials — but avoid confrontation.

2. Phony travel guides. You may have seen this trick in the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

At a famous venue, a local offers to show you around for a fee. This may be a fairly obvious and transparent ruse, where he’s just trying to make a quick buck.

But some scammers pose as agents for official guides, taking your money and telling you to wait at a particular spot. Of course, they never return and there’s no official guide.

Action: Guidebooks and online sites will tell you the arrangements for official, paid tours.

3. Bad cola, bad karma. In the Indian subcontinent, be wary of drinking unknown beverages when you opt for a familiar Pepsi or Coca-Cola labeled bottle at a roadside cafe, known as a “dhaba.”
What you might get is a carbonated drink that looks (and even tastes) quite like the genuine item. But the only genuine things are the bottle and the cap.

The drinks are made by gangs of street-wise youngsters, who collect thousands of used bottles and caps.

The drinks are usually mixed and bottled in unsanitary conditions in derelict buildings. Drinking them is definitely unsafe.

Action: Even though many dhabas sell genuine colas, you may want to play safe by not purchasing from them and buy drinks at your hotel.
4. Rental car repair rip-off. In this world travel scam, most common in Eastern Europe, you return your rental car, but when the attendant tries to move it, it won’t restart.

They make up a story about what’s wrong with it (usually, they’ve just flooded the carburetor) and blame you. The “cost” of putting things right is often the same as any security deposit you might have paid in advance.

If you didn’t pay a deposit, they demand money now and may even try to confiscate your luggage until you hand over the money. They’re banking on you being in a hurry, and become aggressive if you refuse to pay.

Action: Return your car with plenty of time to spare and ask to see the manager or owner if there’s a problem. Ideally, though, rent your car from a reputable-name agency with whom you can dispute the issue when you get back home.

5. Downgrading your hotel. This is an old travel scam that’s suddenly reappeared in the past year.

You check in at your hotel and are dismayed to learn that your room is in another nearby establishment that’s usually nowhere near as nice. The practice is called “walking.”

Most likely, the hotel has overbooked but it’s also possible someone at the hotel is on the take.
Action: Try refusing the sw

itch — hotels nearly always have empty rooms in reserve. Ask to see the manager or contact whoever made your travel arrangements. If you are prepared to accept the alternative, ask for compensation.

6. Free holiday awards. Although a well known travel scam, we can’t miss out mentioning the “you’ve-won-a-free-vacation” scratch card trick because it’s probably the number one scam on many European and Caribbean beaches this year.

There are numerous angles but the scam boils down to two things — you’ll either have to pay a “processing fee” to get your otherwise free vacation, which is really non-existent, or you’ll be asked to attend a tedious presentation where they try to sell you timeshares or expensive vacation add-ons with high pressure sales tactics.

Action: Every one of these cards is a winner — that ought to be enough to tell you what to do, but we’ll say it anyway: Treat these the same way you would an email that says you’ve won a lottery — trash them.

7. Credit card problems. This is our catch-all for numerous tricks you need to be on the lookout for this year. These are the key ones:
- Try not to let your credit card out of your sight when you’re using it in an unfamiliar place. Out of sight, the number and the crucial security code printed on the reverse could be written down.

- Don’t be taken in by a trader in a foreign country who offers to bill your card in dollars, thereby saving you a foreign exchange fee from your card issuer. The trader will almost certainly use an extortionate exchange rate and you’ll end up out of pocket.

- Check how much your credit card issuer charges for foreign transactions. Some charge nothing, others as much as 3% of the value of the transaction.

8. Don’t hit that Cash Send button. This is a new one that’s cropped up in South Africa and may appear in other parts of the African continent.
ATMs are equipped with a button labeled “CashSend” which enables users to transfer money to other people, even those who don’t have a bank account. They can withdraw it from another ATM.
This is a legitimate banking convenience but tricksters apparently can set up a transfer on an ATM before you use it. They then stand behind you and urge you to hit the CashSend button to speed up your withdrawal.

Action: Just don’t hit that button!

9. Paying for paper tickets. When you book a flight online, you usually have the option of just using an “e-ticket” (basically a printout of your booking confirmation that you take to the check-in desk) or having an old-fashioned paper ticket mailed to you for an additional fee.
Usually, this is $10, which is what the International Air Transport Association says it costs.

But some unscrupulous travel agents and organizers are charging up to $40 or $50 for this questionable privilege.

Vacation Travel Club offers a discount vacation and travel membership that saves travelers up to 65% on select Vacation and Travel products and services. You can learn more about Vacation Travel Club online by Visiting: http://www.VacationTravelClub.org

Ariana Studios is pleased to announce it has been selected as a 2008­­ Pick for The Knot Best of Weddings magazine, a coast-to-coast, by-brides-for-brides guide to the top wedding sites, photographers, florists, and more in over 40 key cities across the United States published by The Knot Inc. (www.theknot.com), the #1 wedding website and most trusted wedding resource.

The Knot conducted its second annual survey of over 20,000 recent brides to capture detailed feedback on every business that couples hired for their wedding celebration.

NY newlyweds contributed their raves and reviews on the area’s wedding professionals. The newlyweds were asked to rate their vendors on multiple criteria, from creativity to professionalism, and to comment on their experiences. The resulting ratings—and detailed feedback—were aggregated by the editors of The Knot to create this one-of-a-kind publication highlighting the best wedding resources in each region according to local brides. The survey was administered by Harris Interactive.

Arians Studios

Tiday I was trying to use a pagerank tool and noticed that Google’s data servers or pagerank servers might be down.. Has anyone noticed Google data center server issues today?

If you use a pagerank display script on your website you will see it says you have a PR0 but that is because the script can not communicate with Google because the Google Data Center is down.

Anyone seeing this?

Tony Picciano - Picciano Last Name Explained:

Picciano is first mentioned in 1049 when Bernardo Earl of Penne, with the Charta Offersionis, gave fields and buildings to build a Benedictine abbey in its hills. This is the first indication of the existence of a town called Picciano. and could be considered its terminus ante quem.

Many legends are known about the origin of the name “Picciano”, the most believable talks about shepherds devoted to the Goddess Pithia; other variants of the name, found in the Charta Convenientiae, is “Piczano” so that perhaps the name of the town can be dated back to the Early Middle Age, avoiding conjectures about Roman origin.

Tony Picciano’s last name dates back to 1049 and is one of the oldest last names found in the US today. Tony Picciano’s last name (Picciano) can be researched on Ancestry.com and online even further. The Picciano last name is mostly concentrated in NY.

Tony Picciano - Picciano

Halo Debt Solutions Debt Settlement Process

At Halo Debt Solutions our goal is to negotiate debt settlements with your creditors. Your current level of unsecured debt will be skillfully negotiated for you by Halo Debt Solutions’ team of professional negotiators.

Halo Debt Solutions will provide you with an affordable monthly payment. Based on your monthly budget, one of Halo Debt Solutions’ specialists will set you up with an affordable program that may be less than you’re paying now.*

Halo Debt Solutions will contact your creditors and act as your representative. We immediately contact your creditors to inform them we are now representing you and your interest in settling the current debt with them. Reaching an acceptable settlement may take several phone calls between Halo Debt Solutions, Inc. and the creditor.* Some creditors are not immediately engaged due to known collection techniques - ask a Debt Specialist for more information.

Once paid, your debt is gone forever. As soon as a settlement that you are in agreement with has been reached, we will secure the settlement offer in writing from the creditor. After you review the written offer and we confirm that it is properly worded, you will make the agreed-upon payment to the creditor. Once the creditor receives this payment, you are free and clear of that debt forever. Halo Debt Solutions will diligently continue to negotiate all of your debts until you have eliminated all of your debts in the program.*

Halo Debt Solutions, Inc. works for you (our client), not the creditors. Each settlement team is developed to work specifically on your behalf. Our expert negotiators are paid, in part, based upon settlement percentages. That means the better settlement they arrange for you, the more compensation they receive from us. This ensures the settlement team is working directly for YOU and not the creditors. As a result, the absolute best settlement deals are achieved with your best interest in mind. With years of experience in the financial industry, Halo Debt Solutions will help you navigate through these difficult times.

What is a Settlement Account?

You will be asked to save a set amount of settlement funds on a monthly basis. This amount will be determined in your initial consultation by a Debt Consultant and is based upon the total amount of debt owed and what you can afford on a monthly basis depending on your income and expense budget. Each person’s situation is different and the negotiation process will begin at different times depending on the amount of your debt.

Once the creditors agree to a settlement amount, Halo Debt Solutions, Inc. will present the creditor’s offer to you. If you approve the settlement, we will instruct the creditor to fax over a formal settlement offer in writing. Debts can be settled in two different ways; one lump sum payment or a term settlement. A lump sum is just that, a single payment and the account is satisfied. A term settlement is a settlement which is paid over an extended period of time until the account is satisfied. Halo Debt Solutions, Inc. will repeat this process for each of the remaining creditors until all of your enrolled debts have been paid and you have no remaining obligations enrolled in our program.

The Meaning behind the Name “Wealth Wonks”

“Wonk” (noun) (plural: “Wonks”) — One who studies an issue or topic thoroughly or excessively, becoming the scholar, expert and teacher.

“Wealth” (noun) — The state of being rich and affluent; having an abundance of material goods and money.

“Wealth Wonk” (noun) (plural: “Wealth Wonks”) — A tenacious student of socio-economic trends, legislative impact, changing business opportunities and financial strategies; an adamant non-traditionalist at financial planning; a guru in wealth building practices and processes.

Wonk is also Know spelled backwards - A wealth “Know-it-all!”

Wealth Wonks