Here at GRNVoIP we have a new customer portal!

Here at GRNVoIP we have a new customer portal! It's more user friendly, flexible, and provides more features. GRNVoIP is always striving to go beyond the regualr user experience, and to provide the best customer service in the wholesale VoIP market.

I'm going to point you to this article about proxy servers today. I don't really use them, but If you need to protect your ID and equipment, looks like they can come in handy. After all, you don't want Angelina Jolie snoopping around in your computer (Sorry, I watched the movie Hackers again recently lol, great movie)

What Do You Get From a Proxy Server?

What do you think of when you hear the words proxy server? If you're like me, the first thing it makes you think of is something like "Night at the Roxbury". It is just the "x" that gets me I guess. Kind of silly isn't it? However, the truth is that it is nothing like that. How much do you know about proxy servers? Here we will briefly go over what exactly a proxy server is and some of the benefits you will enjoy while using one.

A proxy server actually does a few things you may not be aware of. It lets you surf the web without anyone knowing it was you! Does that sound absurd? It isn't. There are many reasons and occasions when people do not want to be detected while viewing certain websites.

Some of these instances to use a proxy server would be if you are at school. It's likely that the computers at your school prohibit you from accessing certain websites, or certain types of websites. Your internet surfing behavior is often monitored. Maybe you have tried to visit something during a break only to find you were unable to. This is probably because it was blocked.

The same is true of many workplaces today. You will be unable to visit websites that they have already blocked on their computers.

However, by using proxy servers you will normally be able to unblock and access these pages. Many people use proxy servers to be able to surf the internet, and websites of their choice anonymously.

Anonymous surfing is not the only use for proxy servers though. They can also increase the speed and effectiveness of your internet connection in some cases. Whenever it is used on a network of computers, it will automatically save information, files, and web pages that are commonly accessed. This saves time from retrieving the information individually each time someone new tries to access it.

This is called a "cache." When someone requests a web page for example, by trying to view it, the proxy server will check the cache first to see if it is there. If it is, the information will be provided quicker than if it isn't.

Lastly, proxy servers are an effective tool in hiding your IP address. When you go on the internet and visit a website, you can be leaving behind traces of your identity like you IP address. Hackers can get this information and even gain access to your personal computer and hard drive. Therefore, it can be very important to hide information like this from others.

Overall, by using a proxy server you can help ensure that you are safe. There are many places that enable you to use a proxy server via their websites. By doing this you will be keeping your information private, safe, and out of dangerous hands. You are also able to surf to websites of your choice anonymously, even if they are normally "blocked" on the computer that you are using.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Veronica_A_Davis

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Thinnovation Apple's Macbook Air bliss for the VoIP lover’s soul

Apple's Macbook air is strategically designed and innovative to say the least. It’s oober thin and doesn’t forgo all of the other features that Mac lover’s love, like that enormous mouse pad that dosen’t make you strain to get from point A to point B on your laptop, a built in webcam, and long battery life. Weighing in with 2GB of ram, a 1.6 ghz or 1.8ghz processor with the famed quad core duo processor, what more could you ask for?

Of course it will come at a hefty price tag at $1,800 or $3,000 for the 1.6 and the 1.8 ghz preorders respectively, they will still fly off the shelves. I personally won’t be able to join in on the action, but hmmm maybe I can... nahh you can’t sell organs on Ebay anymore. Maybe I’ll be able to get one once they have some refurbs up on their site. Apple is known for having refurbs that work really well, and all of their refurbs come with the Leopord upgrade. Cootos to Steve Jobs and Apple for continuing to innovate while most other computer manufacturer is sleeping. It’ll be coming with the Mac OSX Leopord upgrade of course, and users will see that purple space desktop wallpaper as they power up their Macbook Air’s. Why not make a VoIP call while your at it after your all set up. That’s all I need, a Macbook with VoIP and Adobe Photoshop, caramel macchiato, and a newspaper and I’m all set.

Where can apple go next? Maybe they will imbed Macbooks into our skin. Who knows. What I do know is that Apple is staying on the cutting edge of technology and they deserve what they are getting. Apple’s computer market share,(thanks in part to the Apple IPod) has risen from two percent to over eight percent and climbing reminiscing the days of IBM’s big blue vs. Apple and that super bowl ad with the big brother 1984 theme. Apple purports the American ideal of freedom, individuality, and creativity.

The Future Of VoIP What Lies Ahead In 2008?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has changed the way people communicate, and most people who have heard about it or used it would agree. VoIP has allowed for sending voice packets over the internet rather than communicating through Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN). With all of its success and move to broadband, shift to switches, better sound quality, and connections, where does VoIP have left to go?

1.To begin with, look for VoIP to rapidly evolve in the mobile industry as it has already done so with land-line phones. Third Generation (3G) users are expected to reach over 230 million by the end of the year 2012. Look for interesting new headsets to also cause buzz such as Apple’s 3G headset coming out.

2. Watch for VoIP to keep up its integration into web 2.0 interfaces such as Ebay (actually may be selling Skype), Facebook, and Myspace. VoIP will be continuing to look for new ways to improve similar websites whether they are auction sites, social networking sites, or blogs. The ability to block unwanted calls and privacy is another factor that can lead to success for the integration of VoIP. People need to feel that they are in control and don’t want disruptive calls.

       3. The integration of VoIP into places that are more
convenient for people to     

access it, such as in web browsers is another innovation to look for. Plugins, or

a ad-on to browsers that allow for enhanced content,

can enable people to connect to their VoIP phone where they most often use

their computers for online activities. Macromedia has announced that a flash

plugin will include a session initiation protocol client (SIP client), so that it will

be even easier for websites to create SIP applications.

www.tringme.com

is the 

first such implementation.  Here's a video about it
http://www.vcasmo.com/video/flash/1046. 

Most of the newer Nokia phones

(the E and N series such as E51) have 

built in SIP clients and Wifi built-in. 

This means that anyone who
buys 

one of these phones can use VoIP alongside

their cellular service

when 

they are in a hotspot. 

People like web interface interaction to be convenient and useful and VoIP

plugins are the way to go.

4. Mobile applications will make VoIP stand out in 2008 such as with Google’s Android, which will have an open source mobile platform and the application Bonanza that Google

is going to market. Google has encouraged developers to create applications for its operating system, and some betas have been created already.

5. Look for VoIP in gaming as gamers continue to move online and interact with each other. Skype announced that it partnered with Sony on its PSP systems to enable VoIP calling with SkypeIn and SkypeOut.

With all of these new trends, applications, and developments to look out for, VoIP hasn’t slowed down as some would say. It’s still continuing to evolve and save businesses, call centers, and consumer’s money while continuing to improve quality and features.

Wikipedia a VoIP info lover's friend

I’m addicted to Wikipedia. If Wikipedia could talk and move, I think I would reserve it a seat at every dinner outing. I’m not the only one addicted to Wikipedia. Hundreds upon thousands of people use it as a reference for there info needs, especially tech/VoIP folks. There are countless spin-offs of Wikipedia to go along. Developers are often putting the Wiki's into their sites or forums. Why do I and others love Wikipedia so much? I think it’s because of the excessive hyper-search results on the internet. If you search for something like VoIP in Google for instance, you get a bunch of companies, weblogs, news, sponsored links, government links, directories, and of course a link to wikipedia. Wheww that’s a lot of different kinds of content. Wikipedia tends to cut the confusion and get right to the info. It’s highly monitored, and has no spam tolerance. Try editing a page and you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you don’t author an article that’s exactly the way Wikipedia wants it, then it’ll be marked in the code, and subsequently deleted soon after if you don’t argue your case (often they delete your article even if you do plead your case).

The best thing you can do in Wikipedia is follow there guidelines carefully. Entries can’t be written like an advertisement (i.e pushing/promoting a company, not mentioning competitors). However, Companies do show up on Wikipedia. Getting a company into Wikipedia is an art form in itself. Use a lot of reference and citations if you have any. This will increase your chances of success because Wikipedia entries are supposed to be written in an encyclopedic manner. Pay attention to your Wiki talk tab/section. If a moderator doesn’t like what you’ve written, they will talk to you in this section. Often you have to put a{{hang on}} tag in the code in order to talk to the moderator before an entry is deleted. Putting too many external links up on Wikipedia is considered spamming. Figuring out how to write good articles on Wikipedia is worth it, and will show up in top search engine results.

VoIP-CRM Systems The customer is always right.

VoIP-News has an article written by Cindy Waxer today about how CRM can be improved by VoIP’s low cost of implementation, increased productivity, and efficiency.

Cisco Systems INC. decided to join forces with Microsoft, using their Cisco Unified CRM Connector with Microsoft's Dynamics CRM 3.0 software. A Cisco IP phone now can be used with Microsoft’s CRM system, creating a three dimensional customer relationship management atmosphere. Other companies are also getting in on the action such as Contactual INC.

Leading to the CRM VoIP integration is VoIP’s ability to easily be remotely hosted and managed. The cost for a business to put together a CRM–VoIP solution is around $ 50,000- making it highly plausible for small businesses with small IT staffs.

Businesses are creating scalability using automated preview dialing with list management, call distribution, status reporting & calling scripts. Inbound screen pop-ups id incoming calls and customer info. Users can dial straight from records with Click-to-dial, and record activity. " They posses a cool quotient," according to Paul Greenberg, author of CRM at the Speed of Light.

However, VoIP Quality is a concern for businesses. Dropped calls, poor quality, and downtime can occur. Overall though, VoIP can add to the CRM experience.

I think that VoIP can greatly augment a CRM system. CRM is extremely important these days in a sea of services. Consumers have a hyper-choice of vendors to pick from, and a well organized and run CRM system can be all the difference. First impressions are especially critical with new customers. Companies only get to make one, and it’s usually always the most important. Fast response time and an aura of care will differentiate a company from competitors.

Average Call Duration (ACD) & Average Service Ratio (ASR) are always a concern. It's important to maintain the right relationships with VoIP providers to get the best VoIP quality as we do here.

Michigan VoIP the Mystery of VoIP Suppliers Keyword Searches

I’ve often been perplexed as to the reason why Michigan VoIP is so highly ranked (13 on my Wordtracker {KEI analysis= most searched/least competitive Search Engine Optimization} (SEO) keywords. Recently, I stumbled upon Tom Keating’s Michigan VoIP blog entry from his VoIP & Gadgets Blog. Tom used Overture for his research and came up with similar results, finding Michigan VoIP as number 20 on his VoIP related keywords lists. It even beat out VoIP traffic and Asterisk VoIP # 21 and 22 respectively, according to Tom. Maybe people want a local VoIP provider? But why isn’t any other local VoIP term found on our VoIP Service Keyword lists? Keating says that there are countless foreign immigrants who live in Michigan who may want to call home utilizing the cost benefits of VoIP suppliers. There are more than 160,000 Hispanics in Michigan according to Tom’s research of a 1990 census. Also more than 150,000 of Greek decent and more than 100,000 of Arab decent. The question is, why aren’t mosaic melting pot cites like New York City or Los Angeles showing up under VoIP suppliers then?

I couldn’t dig up anything but an interesting reply to Tom’s blog by username Alex brought in some new insights

1. Someone asked in a blog why anyone would Google for "Michigan voip", so every blog visitor started Googling for "michigan voip" to see what comes up.

This could definitely lead to Michigan VoIP being indexed more. That is people are finding out about people writing about the Michigan VoIP phenomenon and then Googling more. I don’t think that this would entirely solve the problem however, and this defiantly doesn’t reach the initial source, but may be combined with other theories.

2. Because of the nice "Michigan Telephone, VoIP and Broadband" website, It works like this: "You know... there is this nice site about VoIP... don't remember the address... but it had to do with VoIP and there was something about Michigan..."

This could be a cause for the Michigan VoIP occurrence with VoIP Solution Keywords, but it would take a lottttt of resources like this to make Michigan VoIP such a popular search term.

3. Because of the E911 lawsuit in Michigan against Vonage and/or the E911 surcharge VoIP users have to pay in Michigan.

This could be helping Michigan VoIP, but a lot of the searches that I did for Michigan VoIP E911 lawsuit found the case, but didn’t have Michigan VoIP in that precise syntax sequence. Michigan and VoIP were often spread out throughout the text.

So the mystery still remains about Michigan VoIP. Any ideas?

VoIP Globalization

Intele-Card News (subscription required) has an interesting article written by J. Scott Hamilton about the Globalization of VoIP. It says that the large amount of emigrant communities are allowing prepaid VoIP to grow. VoIP is attractive in countries outside of the U.S. A call from the U.S to Mexico only saves the caller 5 cents compared with a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). On the other hand, a call from Mexico to the U.S would save the caller 48 cents. However, tapping into this market has its downside. There are technical issues that can occur and regulations that must be followed. The local VoIP market is saturated, but In-Call advertising, which is next generation advertising that is placed within calls without being garish (and is highly effective) looks to be a promising way to break through the clutter. VoodooVox is a company that offers such features. For more information visit Intele-Card News.

Here at GRNVoIP we’re often dealing with technical issues that need to be resolved. Our staff is always working hard to keep the termination running smoothly. VoIP regulation can be a disaster for business. Look at the hard times Bangladesh has gone through in establishing VoIP call centers/ Businesses.

It’s great to see companies like VoodooVox thinking up new ways to earn revenue through In-Call Advertising. Especially advertising that isn’t annoying and grabs people’s attention. Advertising revenues are growing every year and people are getting more and more creative about where to place advertising such as putting ads in computer network’s SSID’s. It’s definitely an exciting market to keep track of. For example, look at Google Adwords, earning Google billions of dollars and helping companies get the word out with Adsense. Advertising whether we like them or not is evolving at a swift pace and finding new ways to reach its target audience. In inundated markets and with tough international regulations, it can be a companies’ best bet for profit margins.

~ Dilbert~