Google+ is now released to ALL. Please goto google.com/+ and sign up so that we can connect on one of the most innovative and dynamic social media platforms that will change your mind about how you view social networking websites. If you are still not sure how to join the party please take a look at the video I created below.  Here is the link to my Google+ profile Jeff Brathwaiate. I look forward to sharing with you and please add me to one of your Circles. All the best JB

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Google Cloud Computing For Small Business

Here’s your reminder  to join us for tomorrow’s webinar. Tuesday, August 16th at 8pm est.

 Register now:

Click HERE TO REGISTER

Feeling atmospheric pressure around just what Google Cloud Computing is, why it’s the word on everyone who’s anyone’s lips, and how exactly is it important to the way

you do business? Join John “ColderICE” Lawson and me, JB Brathwaite, as we provide clear visibility for you to see just what’s up in the Cloud, and how you can use Google Apps to work lighter, leaner and smarter than ever before. No smoke and mirrors here–just clear and concise, cut-to-the chase insights on Google Cloud Computing.

Here are some of the features you’ll learn about:

- Google Apps

- Google Voice

- Google Video/Audio Chat

- MS Office Cloud Collaboration

- Google Chrome

- Chrome App Store

- and Google+ (Google’s white-hot new social network!)

Everyone who attends will get an invite to the new (and currently exclusive) Google+ social network. After this webinar, you’ll know just how to use it to your advantage!

Please click on the link below to register.

Click

HERE TO REGISTER

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It took 40 days and 40 nights for Noah to see dry land back when his Ark was the only thing on earth above water. Google+ literally weathered the storm of past failures by becoming the fastest social network to reach 25 million users in history. It took Facebook nearly three years to reach 25 million visitors and Twitter taking roughly 30 months to reach the same visitor amount of visitors.

I first highlighted G+ when they hit the 10 million users in 10 days. Since then, I have all but abandoned Facebook and my Twitter use has dropped to next to nothing. For those of us who have been  using Google+ from almost day one, we have already seen the light and its getting better one circle at a time.

So If you still think Google is just a ship passing in the night. Check out the video below by Epipheo Studios. Enjoy.

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I have to say I am very impressed with Google+ so far. It has a lot to offer technogeeks like myself. But can it go mainstream like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Before being invited to try Google+ I spent most of my time on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, in that order.  Now the order is more like Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Here is a great visual aide on how to explain Google+

Facebook+ Twitter+ Tumblr = Google+

What I like most about Google+

Something so simple yet so amazingly complex is ones circle of connections to people and to the world. We all have many circles relationships we come across  in our daily lives. Google has made this shape the backbone of its social network. These circles serve as a visible way to organize, share and secure information with only the people you identify. You can create and name as many circles as you like, yet none of those whom you put in these circles knows what circle you have placed them in. They also don’t know that they have been placed in the same  or different circles.  With this concept you don’t have to worry about mistakenly sharing the wrong information with someone who may not like it or may take offense by it. If you really look at it, it’s kinda like Social Segregation at its finest.

What I like least about Google+

There may be 10 million plus using it now but they are still limiting it to invitation only. Google has done this with almost all of it’s services, and I kinda understand it but that does not mean I have to like it. The invites are also currently limited to those who have a gmail account. So if you have anything else you will be forced to create a Google profile that requires you to have a Google gmail account.

What I think still needs some work

Google has taken video conferencing 2 the next level with their new “Hangout” service inside Google+. Creating a Hangout was very easy and made you take notice of how cool it is to get together with some of your friends face to face via the Internet.  The audio was impressive but the video was a little choppy and delayed.  You also only get to speak to 10 people at once. I say this only because 10 is currently the maximum number they have right now and I can’t really fathom video chatting with more than 5 people at one time let alone 10. Can you imaging a video conference session with say more than 20 people?

What I think will make Google+ even more appealing.

Google launched a native Google+ mobile app for all of its Android users right around the same time they launched the service. The app makes Google+ even easier to use and even adds a group chat service called “Huddle” to the mix.  Most smart phones still don’t have a front facing camera so I understand why the “Hangout” service is currently not on the Android app.  Although I do think they will add this feature when they release the mobile app for the iPhone and iPad. Google+ is probably working on integrating their Hangout service with the iOS “FaceTime” feature.  When this happens I think Google’s mobile subscribers to Google+ will skyrocket, taking that 10 million plus number in 10 days to record heights.

Why I think you should try it once you get invited.

Google has put a lot of thought behind this new social network. They have definitely learned from their many mistakes and failures of the past. (see: Why Is Google Not Afraid To Fail?) Google has also seen what has worked successfully for other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. All of this work by Google has allowed us all to benefit from what Google+ has brought to the table.  Is Google+ a “Facebook Killer”? only time will tell.  I suggest you check it out for yourself and make your own comparisons. Google+ is by no means the perfect social networking site, especially with the current invite limitations. Yet I can’t help but think that some of the ex employees of MySpace who currently work for Twitter or Facebook are secretly thinking, “OH SH**, Not AGAIN!!!;-)

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Apple iPad users beware, there is a new kid about to be on the block from Google and Motorola. The Tablet wars are about to take place for the Christmas holiday season. The first threat to the dominance of the iPad took place just about a month ago when T-mobile became the first to carry the Samsung Galaxy Tablet. Verizon and Sprint followed with their own launch of the Galaxy Tab days later.

The Galaxy Tab did not sell as big as the iPad when it debuted but it has impressed many of those who made the purchase. I debated on snatching one up myself when I looked at the Galaxy Tab for the first time at my T-mobile carrier. I too was impressed with both the size and the features. It was the price that kept me from purchasing it. The 399.00 price was still a little too steep for me. Let one of these babies get to under the $300.00 mark and I am SOOOOO There..;-)

Google has now launched the Chrome OS and the newest version of Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” is due to come out by the end of this month, if not sooner. Take a look at the video below and be one of the first to see the new Motorola Android device due out very soon.

So what say you, when it comes to these new Tablet devices. Have they made you get off the fence when it comes to choosing one of them over the Apple iPad? Or are you waiting patiently for iPad 2 to make its debut in the near future?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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I will be speaking at the Atlanta Tribune’s 8th Annual Moving Your Business Forward Conference: Part III on Monday, October 18, 2010 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (ET) in Atlanta, GA Please see the below flyer for more details. If you would like to attend as one of my guests you may register (http://2010mybf3.eventbrite.com) under the “Sponsor/Panelist/Exhibitor” ticket and enter the promo code: AS10MYBF3-PFFD

Hope to see you there.

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Does everyone remember this commercial from Motorola that aired almost a year ago?

The Motoroal CLIQ was dubbed the fist smart phone with Social Skills.  I was so excited in getting this phone I wrote an extensive blog post about it. ( Santa Brought Me A Smart Phone) Little did I know that purchasing this phone would come with some not so good strings attached.

The main string being that the phone would not be able to have a software upgrade until the first quarter of 2010.
Well that quarter has come and gone an still no upgrade. Here is the official Motorola Android Software Upgrade News

Why is this upgrade important you may ask? Well just like software upgrades for your computer, upgrades for your phone will allow you to have all the new features that come with that upgrade. My Motorola CLIQ is currently on Android version 1.5. The newest version of Android is version 2.2. Google has long released this version and many other Android phones have taken advantage of its use.

One of the main reasons I am frustrated about not having the upgrade is that there are many Android applications that are not available to me. These application are written for Android version 2.1 or higher. These applications are not even listed in the Android application Marketplace on my 1.5 phone.

So what is the hold up you may also be asking? Well thats just it. Motorola is the hold up.

My cell phone carrier cannot force Motorola to release the upgrade. Google cannot force Motorola to release the upgrade.  The upgrade has to come from the manufacture in this case and that responsibility lies solely on Motorola.

So hear is my video Rant.

Please forgive the video quality. I made that via Facebooks video with my web cam.

What makes this situation even more frustrating is the fact that I may have to take this matter into my own hands and look to upgrade my phone manually.  I have since contacted some pretty savvy Android developers via Twitter, who have already upgraded their Motorola CLIQ’s themselves. These guys have even created some Youtube videos that give you step by step directions on how to do it yourself.

Do I want to manually upgrade my own phone and risk doing something wrong and hence damaging the phone for good? Of course not. So I have given myself till the end of the month to either have one of these Android developers upgrade the phone for me or go and get another phone that will already have the Android 2.2 software installed like the HTC G2.

So, my Solo’s, the lesson in this is to choose your smart phone wisely. Make sure you find out what the software upgrade capabilities are before you make the purchase. I will look to do a follow up post on this matter as I go through the dilemma of getting this upgrade to my cell phone.

All the best

JB

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Happy Labor Day everyone! Google is at it again! My last post was about why “Google was not afraid to fail“. Well, Here is a great example of why they have so much talked about success.

Google quietly released a new attachment to the Google Talk/Chat feature in Gmail. You can now make free calls to any land line in the United States using Gmail. All you need is a headset with a decent noise canceling microphone and you are ready to make long distance calls by using the new dial pad that comes up once you press “Call Phone” button that is located right under the chat window.

I tested this new feature with another Solopreneur friend of mine who is going to use it as her main way of making phone calls to her clients.  We made several calls to my cell phone and to my own land line. The quality of the reception on the call was pretty good. It was a much better sounding call then the ones made on my Magic Jack, and what is even better its FREE.

I can see this new Gmail feature threating both the Magic Jack and Skpe. The Magic Jack is an actual device that you have to plug into your USB port to work and will cost you about $40.00 per year. Skpe is a free call when you call other Skpe users but will cost you a fee if you call anyones land line or cell phone via their Skpe Out feature.

What is even more amazing is that you can easily integrate this feature into your Google Voice service.  You would then be able to receive calls on your computer via Gmail.

My Solopreneurs will love this new service because it can save you money on making long distance phone calls and keep you from using your minutes on your cell phone.  When traveling on business you can use this service to make calls instead of using your cell phone or the hotel phone.

So if you have a Gmail account, go ahead and test it by making free calls throughout the united states. Let me know how clear or not so clear your calls are by sending me your feedback in the comment  section below.

All the best

JB

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In the past couple weeks Google has shut down two of its latest failures. The first true Google phone the Nexus One and Google Wave.These failures are just a string of bad misses that Google has come up with in the past several years. See “10 Google Flubs, Flops, and Failures” That being said, why do you think Google keeps trying its hand at products and services with the best of intentions only to have them fail?

Heck, the first name the Google founders choose for their search engine failed. Imagine us all going around saying, Did you “Backrub” the name of Micheal Jackson to see how many tribute websites come up? or I bet you can find that street address on “Backrub” maps.

Well I say Google’s failures are our gain. For every Google failure there is at least 2-3 success stories. Case in point. In the last year how many times have you searched for something using Google search, sent and email using Gmail, or Watched a video on Youtube? How many of you are now making calls with your Android powered cell phone, listening to your voicemail using Google Voice while locating your favorite restaurant on Google maps.

We could go on and on about some of the awesome tools Google has created but the more I think about it the more I am convinced that the founders of Google are from the school of Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln. It took thousands of filaments to fail until one finally burned long enough to make the light bulb a success. It took Abraham Lincoln 15 years of many political defeats and failures to finally become our 16th president.

So, I say continue to fail Google. Continue to go out on a limb and try to prove us all wrong with yet another product or service destined for the scrap heap.  Every time you fail you make it easier for tech nerds like me to strive for that one shining moment of success.  You give people like me the will to stay the course and dream about one day turning our own “Backrub” into billions.

So, Solopreneurs. How many times have you failed?

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