Mediaboss Marketing

By Paul Owers March 15, 2012 07:00 AM

That open house you want to schedule actually will help your real estate agent more than you, according to a feature in Reader's Digest.

The iconic magazine is out with a list of 13 things your agent wont tell you.

With just about everybody house-hunting on the Internet, most open houses no longer are magnets for serious buyers. The events typically attract neighbors looking to see how your house compares to theirs.

While an open house makes the seller feel good my Realtor is marketing the property! -- its primarily a chance for your agent to drum up new business by passing out business cards.

Other things Reader's Digest wants you to know: Check the contract for administrative fees on top of the commission and if your agent is new to the business, he or she might list family and friends as references. So be sure to ask the reference about his or her relationship to the agent.

In fairness, though, some of the 13 things aren't exactly state secrets. Such as: Don't skip the final walk-through, and rooms without furniture don't look bigger. Most real estate agents would be happy to share those tips with you.

OK, agents: It's your turn. What do you think of the list? Tell us about it.

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Reader's Digest: 13 secrets your real estate agent is keeping

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BOKU, the global leader in online mobile payments, announced today that it has secured $35 Million in funding. Investors include New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Telefnica Digital, the growth arm of the global telecoms leader, as well as previous investors. Additional participants in the round include Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Index Ventures and Khosla Ventures. The funding will be used to expand the team, broaden infrastructure and continue BOKUs global expansion that started in 2009.

Payments is an industry that requires scale, and in the three years since BOKU launched weve grown rapidly to partner with more than 250 mobile network operators, processing transactions in 67 countries around the world, said Mark Britto, CEO of BOKU, Inc. We see this investment as a clear vote of confidence from our new partners at NEA and Telefnica. They recognize that weve established a mobile billing system that offers bank grade technology on a global scale; this strategic investment will help us expand our business as well as facilitate the growth of our new BOKU Accounts platform.

Payments are going mobile and we want to be at the forefront of this trend, said Matthew Key, Chairman & CEO, Telefnica Digital. BOKU has quickly established itself as a true innovator in the mobile commerce space and this investment gives us access to their tools, infrastructure and know how, ideally complementing our own mobile payments expertise. In addition to the investment we are also embarking on a global partnership with BOKU to enhance our operator billing capabilities and the overall payment experience through our future mobile wallet services.

Financial Services is a key focus area for Telefnicas Digital unit that has been formed to drive growth and innovation across a range of digital services. Telefnica is committed to bringing mobile wallet and other innovative payments services to its customers across its operating businesses and through Wanda, its joint venture in Latin America with MasterCard. Tracy Isacke who runs the Venture Capital arm of Telefnica Digital and is based in Silicon Valley led the investment in BOKU.

BOKU has built a phenomenal business around online mobile payments, said Ravi Viswanathan, PhD, General Partner at NEA. The next step is bringing mobile payments offline, and thats what BOKU Accounts accomplishes. It works on all mobile operating systems across all hardware types, and applies for all subscribers. We look forward to partnering with BOKU as they take their offering to a whole new level.

BOKU has raised a total of $75 Million in a series of funding rounds starting in 2008 when the company was formed. The company operates in 67 countries around the globe and partners with 250 mobile network operators.

About BOKU:

BOKU, the leading online mobile payments company, brings bank-grade payments technology and mobile users together, creating a trusted, accessible platform for consumers, merchantsand carriers alike. Based in San Francisco with offices in Europe and Asia, BOKU reaches nearly 4 billion consumers worldwide, across 66 different countries. Leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists fund BOKU including Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Index Ventures and Khosla Ventures.For more information visit: http://www.boku.com

About Telefnica Digital

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BOKU Secures $35 Million Strategic Investment From NEA, Telefónica and Other Investors

If US Airways ever does orchestrate a merger with American Airlines, the company will already have several merger-related domain names ready to go.

The Associated Press writes "US Airways confirmed Tuesday that the company registered several domain addresses that include the names of both airlines, including usairways-american.com and american-usairways.com." Others, according to The Wall Street Journal, include USandAA.com and OneworldOneairline.com.

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC: US Airways in good spot, CEO says

US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie tells AP the airline bought the domain names to prevent anyone else from buying them and using them "in a way that might negatively impact our brand."

Still, the Journal notes US Airways already acknowledged in January that it hired an investment firm and a law firm to help gauge a possible bid for American parent AMR.

In a statement to the Journal, US Airways says while it "is not imperative that US Airways participate in further consolidation we are interested in studying potential value-enhancing opportunities, including a possible US Airways-AMR transaction."

However, if US Airways does attempt to merge with AA or any other airline, President Scott Kirby says the company won't repeat the mistakes it made in its failed hostile bid for Delta in 2006.

While not specifically addressing American as a potential partner, Kirby says that any future consolidation attempt would have to have at least some support on both sides.

"We can't do it alone," Kirby is quoted as saying by Bloomberg News. "It's important, in an ideal world, to have the constituents of the bankruptcy, principally labor, on your side. An outright hostile transaction won't work."

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US Airways grabs merger-related Internet names

Upon hearing that the Nasdaq had at long last crossed 3,000, my reaction was subdued rather than celebratory. "Well, I guess I have to start paying attention to the Nasdaq again," was all the enthusiasm I could muster.

Yes, 3,000 is a significant milestone. The last time it closed above 3,000 was back in December 2000, in the aftermath of the dot-com bubble.

But it sure took a long time for the Nasdaq to come back. And even as far as it has come, it still is not doing as well over the past 12 years as its older and larger sibling the New York Stock Exchange, whose index is up about 20 percent since December 2000.

"Had you told me after the Internet crash that it would take 12 years for the Nasdaq to get back to 3,000 ..." said Ryan Jacob, portfolio manager for the Jacob Internet Fund, pausing to reflect. "Well, it's pretty amazing."

It's been a long time since I had the desire, or frankly, the stomach to follow our No. 2 stock exchange. And that's because of how its performance reflects on technology.

There is no getting around the fact that the Nasdaq's shocking plunge in 2000 was an indictment of tech stocks. And its long slog back to respectability mirrors the continued ambivalence investors have about investing in tech stocks.

The Nasdaq and Silicon Valley are tied at the hip. After all, of the 2,770 companies listed on Nasdaq, 674 are in the technology category, the largest such sector.

And back during

After March 2000, the Nasdaq became a daily barometer of not just the collapse of so many ludicrous business plans but of Silicon Valley's psychology. From being the center of the universe, Silicon Valley became an economic leper.

Even while the valley bounced back, as hiring surged and corporate profits grew, the Nasdaq did not.

Read more from the original source:
O'Brien: Nasdaq breaking 3,000 is cause for shrugging

Dr. Trang NguyenAn eight-year old girl in Vietnam had a toothache that was causing her an intense amount of pain. Her mother gave her money to go find a doctor to fix her tooth. The little girl found a dentist, and after the visit, the pain was gone. A seed had been planted.

Dr. Trang Nguyen who has recently been named Director of Dental Services at Dorchester House Multi-Service Center (DHMSC) was that little girl. She has wanted to be a dentist ever since that first fortuitous visit.

Nguyen has had a lengthy journey from when she was eight years old and where she is today, though. She emigrated to Dorchester from Vietnam in 1991 with her mother, father, and two siblings.

Even though she was 18, because of her difficulties with English, Nguyen had to repeat two years at Cathedral High School. It was during this time that she met Dr. Mark Doherty, who would prove to be a career-long mentor to her.

First his patient, then his apprentice, she would go to Dorchester House twice a week after school to observe Doherty at work. This gave Nguyen an opportunity to learn dentistry and English. Dr. Mark Doherty has mentored me from day one when I met him. We didnt understand each other at all and somehow he helped me to communicate and to learn dentistry, said Nguyen.

Even while attending Regis College and pursuing a degree in biochemistry, Nguyen would return to Dorchester House whenever she had time off to work.

She graduated from Tufts University School of Dentistry and received a fellowship from Lutheran Medical Center for an Advanced Education General Dentistry (AEGD) residency at Dorchester House. After she finished her fellowship, she became a full-time provider at the center in 2002.

Nguyen left briefly to work in a private practice, but said it wasnt a good fit for he. She couldnt stay away from Dorchester House for long.

In her current role, Nguyen is able to pursue her passion, which is passing on the knowledge she was fortunate enough to acquire as both a patient and employee of Dorchester House: the importance of preventative dental care.

Where I came from, dental health wasnt part of medical health. Treating this population has had a great impact on me and I try to get my message across one person at a time, said Nguyen.

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Dot House finds dental chief close to home