Digital Press CD

Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) April 18, 2012

Practically Green, the company that provides fun and effective sustainability engagement programs to organizations, announced today that Practically Green was selected as one of the Great Green Ideas of 2012 by the organizers of the Fortune Brainstorm GREEN Conference. Founder Susan Hunt Stevens will be presenting this morning along with four other start-ups in the sustainability sector including Lit Motors, Halotechnics, Healthy Planet Partners and Mountain Hazelnut Group. The Fortune Brainstorm GREEN conference is the leading national conference on business and the environment and draws a diverse cross-section of Fortune 500 CEOs, leaders from the environmental movement, senior government officials, and provocative thinkers.

Practically Green was founded in 2010 by Susan Hunt Stevens, a consumer internet veteran who aimed to solve the complexity of sustainable living with a simple, but trustworthy digital tool that inspired people to take action. Practically Green combines expert content with social and game mechanics to make embracing healthy green behavior easier, faster, and more fun. GreenBiz recently named Green Gamification one of the top trends to watch in their annual State of Green Business report.

As companies increasingly embrace sustainability as a key corporate strategy, employee engagement becomes critical to success. Yet many sustainability leaders find existing education and engagement programs expensive, ineffective, time-consuming to implement, and difficult to scale. Practically Green is modeled after a digital corporate-wellness program, providing a turnkey, effective, and engaging program aligned specifically to each companys sustainability goals. Customers range from sustainability leaders like Seventh Generation and Organic Valley to large Fortune 500 companies.

Stevens is a frequent speaker on social media, gamification, and sustainability, including recent events for Social Media Week, SXSW Eco, and the Behavior, Energy & Climate Change conference. An online video of the panel will be available through the Fortune Brainstorm GREEN virtual conference.

London, UK (PRWEB UK) 16 April 2012

For the last three years BearingPoint has conducted a survey to test how effectively major car brands respond to online test drive requests. The results make depressing reading for the Automotive industry.

This years survey shows that brands have not improved their lead management processes, leaving 59 percent of test drive requests unanswered within four days and 50 percent not contacted at all (no response within the 14 day period of the survey). These results are disappointingly similar to the findings from previous years. The survey gave brands up to 14 days to respond (to enable comparison between previous years findings.) The expectation of consumers is far higher with internet shoppers experiencing same or next day response from other industries.

When you consider the increasing importance of digital channels in the sales cycle and that, on average, one in three to four test drives result in a sale, it is very concerning that the automotive industry isnt addressing this inherent weakness in their lead management process, says James Rodger, Automotive Partner at BearingPoint.

During December 2011 BearingPoint repeated their comprehensive survey of car brands response to online sales enquiries. It revealed that, despite the fragile economic recovery, there is still universal failure to act upon online test drive requests. It raises questions over the ability of manufacturers to maintain or grow their market share against a market background of weak demand across Europe and increasing customer expectations in respect to brand responsiveness.

The pan-European survey covered 19 brands in six countries and involved researchers attempting to make more than 2200 test drive requests via car brand web sites. The survey included traditional and emerging high volume markets and brands right across the price spectrum.

James Rodger concludes: The consistent message of this survey over the past three years is that all car manufacturers, whether volume or premium brands, are missing the opportunity to convert leads generated from their websites. As digital channels become, for many, an integral part of the buying process the automotive industry must address this issue and, based on our research, there is definitely a first mover advantage in doing so. Manufacturers need to take a more holistic approach to lead management embracing their systems, processes and channels to ensure a seamless and efficient experience for prospective car buyers.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint delivers business consulting with management and technology capabilities. As an independent firm with European roots and global reach BearingPoint serves leading companies and public sector organisations world-wide to align and optimise processes, IT and operating models with business strategy. Driven by a strong entrepreneurial mindset and desire to create long-term partnerships, BearingPoints consultants are committed to delivering excellence and value to their clients. The firms approach to working with clients is highly collaborative and designed to improve business performance, from strategy through to execution. BearingPoint currently employs 3,200 people in 15 countries.

For more information, please visit: http://www.bearingpoint.com.

Press contact

Alexander Bock

Manager Communications

Tel. +49 89 540338029

Mailto: alexander(dot)bock(at)bearingpoint(dot)com

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detroit (PRWEB) April 12, 2012

With driver distraction high on the automotive agenda, many leading commentators question whether social media has a place in the vehicle. Traditionally, Facebook hasnt been involved in the telematics industry but in an exclusive interview with Telematics Update, David Pio, Partner Engineer at Facebook, revealed that with the rise of connected vehicles, now is the time to make sure that Facebook is used in a responsible way that respects driver issues.

The right way to use social technology

Pio continued, Most people think of applying current usage into a new medium, i.e. taking the Facebook newsfeed and narrating it into the vehicle. However, Facebooks vision for social technology in the automobile is not so linear, instead taking a more vehicle-centric role. Through integrating with location based services, Facebook will harness the car to make it easier to connect with friends and family.

Looking long-term, Pio, who will be speaking at Telematics Detroit 2012, believes that the role of social technologies into the vehicle will extend even further. By utilizing Facebook as an identity service it will take, what you know about the driver to help customize and personalize the vehicle experience…things shouldnt be generic anymore.

The heart of the telematics industry

Telematics Detroit 2012, Conference & Exhibition, June 6-7, Novi, MI, USA will unite 1,800+ leaders from across the automotive, mobile, wireless, digital and web industries for the worlds largest B2B forum for the global telematics industry. The $ 200 Early Bird saving on all conference passes expires this Friday (April 13) (http://www.telematicsupdate.com/detroit/).

Speaking on their involvement at Telematics Detroit, Facebook stated that they wanted to, go to the heart, directly to people who build products and understand what their needs are…we hope not only to learn but to educate; say what social technology is all about and how it can be used to make the owner experience even better.

Ford stated that Telematics Detroit, is a great place to get an accurate pulse on the telematics industry and meet or keep in touch with industry leaders

For the complete Telematics Detroit 2012 conference program and speaker line-up, access the e-brochure at

http://www.telematicsupdate.com/detroit/conference-event-brochure.php or contact the Telematics Update team at detroit@telematicsupdate.com

Register before Friday (April 13) via the secure link below to take advantage for $ 200 saving on all conference passes: https://secure.telematicsupdate.com/detroit/register.php

About Telematics Update:

Telematics Update Conferences are the most prestigious in the industry. We produce the largest telematics events in North America, Europe & Asia, and attract the most influential speakers providing a rich environment for establishing strategic relationships and networking.

Contact:

Gareth Ragg

Conference Director | Telematics Update

T: (UStf) 1 800 814 3459 ext 7589 | (Global) +44 (0)20 7375 7589

E: gragg(at)telematicsupdate(dot)com

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Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 10, 2012

Blackman Kallick, the Chicago-based audit, tax, and consulting firm, has become a Strategic Partner with Built In Chicago, an organization dedicated to supporting technology entrepreneurs in the greater Chicago area. In addition to this role as the exclusive accounting sponsor, Blackman Kallick will also provide accounting, tax, and human resources consulting services to Built In Chicagos Startup of the Month.

Formed in 2010, Built In Chicago is a rapidly growing online community of entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers, investors, and academics working together to promote innovation and the international visibility of Chicagos digital technology companies.

Blackman Kallicks alliance with Built In Chicago is a natural fit for the firms Emerging Enterprises and Technology practice, which provides expertise to growing companies within the technology, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and green energy industries, according to practice leader Brian Langham.

Blackman Kallick is fully committed to being part of the success of the Chicago technology community, Langham said. Technology is driving tremendous growth in the economy today, and Chicago is at the forefront. Organizations like Built In Chicago create an important platform to help promote the early-stage technology companies here in Chicago. We see tremendous synergies between our firm and Built In Chicago, and were thrilled to be able to participate and provide meaningful support to entrepreneurs, startups, and other high-growth companies.

For more information, please visit http://www.builtinchicago.org or http://www.BlackmanKallick.com.

About Blackman Kallick

Blackman Kallick provides audit, tax, and consulting services for privately held and public companies as well as not-for-profit organizations. Founded in 1962, Blackman Kallick is the ninth largest accounting and consulting firm in Chicago (Crains Chicago Business, October 17, 2011), employs more than 220 professionals, and is a leading member of HLB International, a worldwide network of independent professional accounting firms and business advisors in 450 offices spanning 100 countries. With specialized industry practices that include Emerging Enterprises and Technology, Manufacturing and Distribution, Construction, Family Office, Food, Hospitality, Insurance, Not-for-Profit, Private Equity and Venture Capital, Real Estate, and Healthcare Services, Blackman Kallick combines sophisticated, market-leading services with an accessible and personal approach.

Madison, Wis. (PRWEB) April 05, 2012

Wisconsin-based Sand County Foundation, a private conservation group, recently launched a Web site, called the Back 40 (http://www.the-back-40.com), to increase awareness and discussion of the importance of private lands conservation.

Sand County Foundation knows it is important to provide perspectives on private lands conservation from landowners and partners across agricultural and environmental sectors, said Dr. Brent M. Haglund, President, Sand County Foundation. Ideas exchanged on the Back 40 will help broaden the understanding of how crucial private landowners are to the health of our nations natural resources.

The Back 40 and its social channels bring together leading voices through original content and existing material from the landowner community, agricultural and environmental organizations, industry and academia. It serves as a digital forum for information about ecological issues that are important to landowners.

Whether it is water quality and quantity or habitat for imperiled species, leading private landowners already demonstrate how their responsible actions benefit the publics interests, Haglund said. The Back 40 will provide information to help more landowners become active practitioners of effective environmental improvement on their own lands.

The Back 40 welcomes original contributions, as well as partnerships with existing bloggers who share an interest in agriculture, private lands conservation and the environment.

For more information: http://www.the-back-40.com

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Needham, MA (PRWEB) April 05, 2012

Centerity Systems Inc (http://www.centerity.com) a leading provider of enterprise class all-in-one IT performance and availability monitoring solution has announced today that Viumbe LLC, the operator of eBaumsWorld (http://www.ebaumsworld.com) has acquired and successfully implemented Centerity Monitor in their NY main data center. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Viumbe LLC (http://www.viumbe.com) is a digital media company and a producer of rich content that allows millions of people to discover and share video clips across multiple sites. Ranked in top 500 websites network traffic in the US and leading providers of digital media, Viumbe is delivering over 35 million video streams to 10 million users each month. Viumbe LLC along with its content partners creates the platforms for users to interact in the US region and around the world.

Erik Maciejewski, Viumbes Vice President Technology, cited Centerity Monitor allowed us to simplify our monitoring capabilities and easily replace several tools previously used with a single robust solution. Consolidating them all into one single-glass-pane was a must from all business aspects and the end users experience.

Viumbes main data center located in NY includes a wide array of technologies applications, servers, storage devices network equipment, security and more. The need to maintain all this equipment up and running 24×7, in addition to receiving a clear visibility into the business processes required a robust Network Monitoring solution.

Centerity Monitor was chosen following a long and intensive Proof of Concept (POC) period. Centerity Monitor convinced us with its ability to perform and execute in very stringent and nonstandard IT environments. Rapid implementation, simplicity and smooth integration with our existing layout proved to be a huge costs saving, added Erik Maciejewski.

Roi Keren, Centerity CEO: The long list of proud customers is a proof of confidence to our powerful central monitoring solution. As in the Viumbe case, Centerity was able to deliver price performance monitoring capabilities that can not be matched in the market today. The all-in-one approach including the User Experience and Business Service Management is a perfect fit for IT organizations of all sizes our customers suggest that.

About Viumbe LLC:

Viumbe, LLC, founded in 2009, is an integrated digital media company comprised of several online properties. Viumbe allows millions of people to discover and share videos, images, games, and ideas across multiple platforms. Working with our content partners and producing original content in house, we’ve created a distribution platform that provides a forum for people to connect and interact with others in the USA and around the world. Delivering over 35 million video streams to 10 million users each month, Viumbe is one of the leading providers of digital media to young adults ages 18-34.

About Centerity:

Centerity (http://www.centerity.com HQ Needham MA) is a leading provider of all-in-one enterprise class Network monitoring solution. While changing the rules of monitoring, Centerity enables IT organizations in various market segments to simplify all aspects of network management and information flow, and enhance business performance. Centerity Monitor provides accurate measurements, drill down root cause analysis, real time statistics, live network maps graphs and other advanced features. Centerity Monitor End-User Experience and Business Service Management allow for high level presentation of business processes and the delivery of high quality services to end users.

For further information please contact Aviram Cohen: aviramc(at)centerity(dot)com, Phone: 339 222 0121

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Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) April 02, 2012

During its live webcast of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto on March 23, 2012 on http://www.dso.org/live, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra partnered with Noteflight, LLC (noteflight.com), developer of innovative online music notation software, to invite its live broadcast audience to submit a 2-bar theme via the web as a subject for live improvisation by pianist Robert Levin. This partnership introduced an unprecedented level of interactivity to a virtual audience, allowing each web viewer the opportunity to not only observe the performance but play a part in it.

Under the guidance of Levin, renowned as an expert in baroque and classical improvisation, a global audience watching the webcast was directed to Noteflight.com to create and submit a musical theme using Noteflights unique online composition tool. The live audience in Detroit also submitted musical themes on paper. Several selections from both audiences were then chosen by Levin and transformed into a live, spontaneous improvisation in the style of Beethoven, with a section devoted to each of the themes. The submitted scores can be viewed on the DSOs website: Audience Scores

This innovative experience for our web audience is part of the DSOs vision to expand public access to the orchestra’s music through webcasts, digital downloads, and events like this one, explained Scott Harrison, Executive Producer of Digital Media. We sought out Noteflight to help us with this exciting experiment because of the ease of their notation software and Noteflights global community of music enthusiasts.

Noteflight set up a dedicated web location for the DSO, allowing the Orchestra to promote the event to its web audience via a simple link. Joe Berkovitz, Founder and CEO of Noteflight explained, The benefit of being flexible, web-based, software is that we can easily innovate with partners like the DSO. We were thrilled to be identified as an innovative company that could support this exciting project.

Noteflight offers cloud-based music notation software to individuals, K-12 music teachers, university level music educators and has licensed its viewer technology to leading global music companies, including sheet music publishers and digital content distributors.

About the DSO:

The internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the fourth-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States, is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the worlds foremost musical artists, and an unwavering commitment to Detroit. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin, called Americas Music Director by the Los Angeles Times, became the 12th Music Director of the DSO during the 2008-09 season. The DSO offers a performance schedule that includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young Peoples, Neighborhood concerts and festivals. The DSO makes its home in historic Orchestra Hall, one of Americas most acoustically perfect concert halls, and actively pursues a mission to impact and serve the community through music. In April 2011, the DSO launched Live from Orchestra Hall, an unprecedented webcast series that makes DSO concerts available for free on the web and mobile devices. On May 10, 2013, the DSO will return to Carnegie Hall with Maestro Slatkin to perform all four Ives symphonies in one evening. For more information visit http://www.dso.org

DSO Press contact: Gabrielle Poshadlo, GPoshadlo@dso.org, (313) 576-5194.

About Noteflight

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Cambridge, MA, Noteflight, LLC. is dedicated to reinventing the way people create, share, and use written music. Noteflight allows users to take advantage of the full power of the Web to edit, display, and play back music notation in a standard web browser and is integrated with an online library of musical scores from which anyone can publish, link to, or embed their compositions. Noteflight Publishing Server allows music businesses to manage large, scalable cloud-based repositories of sheet music that can be customized for any device on the fly. For more information, visit noteflight.com.

Noteflight Press Contact: Joe Berkovitz, joe@noteflight.com, (978) 314-6271

San Ramon, CA (PRWEB) March 30, 2012

OutSystems, provider of the industry leading Agile Platform application development environment, today announced that the Agile Platform is a finalist in the Best Software Development Tool category of the Software & Information Industry Association’s (SIIA) 27th Annual CODiE Awards.

The CODiE Awards recognize excellence in the business software, digital content, and education technology industries. Executives with deep industry expertise act as judges through extensively reviewing the nominated products to select the finalists – as such the CODiE Awards hold the distinction of being the industry’s only peer-reviewed awards program. SIIA members will now select the winners from among the finalists during the SIIA member voting phase of the program that takes place from March 26-April 13.

We are extremely honored to have the Agile Platform recognized by the CODiE Awards, said Mike Jones, VP Global Marketing, OutSystems.The achievement reflects OutSystems commitment to helping enterprise IT deliver better business applications, faster, by providing a scalable, flexible and easy-to-use solution for almost every development scenario.

The CODiE Awards, originally called the Excellence in Software Awards, were established in 1986 by the Software Publishers Association (SPA), now SIIA, so pioneers of the then-nascent software industry could evaluate and honor each other’s work. Since then, the CODiE Awards has carried out the same purpose – to showcase the software and information industry’s finest products and services and to honor excellence in corporate achievement.

“All of this year’s CODiE Awards finalists should feel proud of making it to this stage, said Rhianna Collier, Vice President of the SIIA Software Division. We’re pleased with all of this year’s nominees, and the finalists reflect excellence and innovation in the business software industry.

The award winners will be announced on Thursday, May 10, at the CODiE Awards Presentations held in conjunction with the SIIA’s annual All About the Cloud Conference.

About OutSystems

OutSystems provides the Agile Platform, a complete solution for the development and management of custom enterprise web and mobile applications that are built to change at the speed of business.

IT teams around the world use the Agile Platform to develop, deploy, manage and change web applications that are robust, ready to scale and based on standard technology, ensuring no vendor lock-in. Benchmarks show that customers using the Agile Platform deliver their custom web applications 10.9x faster than with other technologies and toolsets available in the market.

Introduced in 2001, the OutSystems Agile Platform has over 20,925 installations across 22 different industries, has received multiple CODiE, CRN and JOLT awards and is supported by an active community of more than 6,033 members, 1,549 certified practitioners and 59 implementation partners.

Try the Agile Platform and get the free Community Edition at http://www.outsystems.com/download. For additional information, please visit http://www.outsystems.com.

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Norwich, Norfolk, UK (PRWEB UK) 28 March 2012

Banjos Direct, the UK-based specialist banjo retailer launched in December 2011 continues to report double digit sales growth and predicts continued growth in what founder Simon Middleton calls “the new age of the banjo”.

The success is due to a rapidly expanding banjo market, a focus on affordable, high quality instruments, and an “obsession” with customer service, says founder and CEO Simon Middleton.

“We launched Banjos Direct in December 2011, having run a more general folk and acoustic instrument store called Folk At Heart for several months before that,” explains Middleton.

“But it was the launch of the Banjos Direct that was really significant. We had a triple digit percentage leap from the previous brand, and we are continuing to experience double digit growth month on month.”

Banjos Direct has rapidly become a serious contender in the banjo market, and is already the leading UK stockist of American banjo brands GoldTone and Nechville.

“The GoldTone range is very affordable and accessible, but of excellent quality, whilst the hand-made Nechville banjos are not only radical in design and engineering terms but are true collectors’ instruments which will increase in value if well looked after,” Middleton explained.

Banjos Direct is tapping into a major surge of interest in the banjo amongst players of all ages. British bands like Mumford & Sons, and American groups like The Avett Brothers are leading the banjo renaissance amongst younger players, whilst high profile modern bluegrass players like Steve Martin and Bela Fleck are drawing baby-boomers to the instrument.

“The banjo is a wonderfully accessible instrument. It’s easy to get into and rewards you every time you play it. It doesn’t matter any more what style of music you like or want to play. The banjo gives everyone a unique instrument to bring music alive. We believe we are witnessing a new age of the banjo, and tens of thousands of people all over the world seem to agree,” added Middleton.

Company information:

Banjos Direct is the UK’s fastest-growing specialist banjo retailer, leading the renaissance of interest in the banjo amongst players of every age and background. The Norwich-based company is the UK’s leading stockist of USA banjo brands GoldTone and Nechville, and also stocks instruments by Barnes & Mullins, Pilgrim, Tanglewood and Prucha.

Founder and CEO of Banjos Direct, Simon Middleton, is frontman of English-Americana band The Proposition, whose debut album King Snake Devil Shake was released in March this year.

Find Banjos Direct at http://www.banjosdirect.co.uk.

Email: info(at)banjosdirect(dot)co(dot)uk

Phone: +44 (0) 1603 305800

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Washington, DC (PRWEB) March 22, 2012

Pearson Higher Education today announced a major investment in nursing education with the launch of Readypoint Nursing. Readypoint Nursing is the first program to fully integrate learning with assessment to help ensure students are prepared not only for professional licensure but to launch their careers and practice nursing.

The shortage of qualified nurses in the U.S. directly impacts our future in terms of the health of our citizens and the economy. And there is no end in sightthe shortage is projected to grow to 260,000 by 2025, said Tim Bozik, CEO of Pearson Higher Education. Today, only 75 percent of the students who enroll in nursing programs make it to graduation, and the burnout rate for nurses is alarmingly high due to a gap in preparation for the realities and demands of actual nursing practice. Pearson is helping to tackle this problem head-on, working directly with nurse educators who are on the front lines to develop a strategy that addresses these pain points.

Readypoint Nursing offers the most advanced reporting of student progress and targeted remediation available. Created in collaboration with thousands of nurse educators, Readypoint Nursing is designed to help students think like a nurse from day one in the classroom. It is seamlessly integrated with Pearsons MyNursingLab and provides students, nurse educators and administrators with unprecedented insight into student performance. This insight empowers action: Since Readypoint Nursing works with each student from the first day of class, an individual students readiness can be determined at any point to measure mastery in core topic areas, or to identify and address the students needs for remediation.

The remediation and reporting that Readypoint Nursing offers is easy, intuitive and insightful. Now, instead of spending so much time compiling and analyzing students scores, we can easily identify key areas of strengths and weaknesses and more effectively prepare our students for success on the licensing exam and beyond, said Dr. Audrey Berman, Dean of the Samuel Merritt University School of Nursing.

Readypoint Nursing will be showcased at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing annual meeting on March 24-27 in Washington, DC.

The Readypoint model is a scalable solution that brings together the best of Pearsonour proven technology, content and assessment servicesinto a seamless program aimed at improving achievement, said Tim Bozik.

Readypoint Nursing will be available in Summer 2012. For more information, visit http://www.readypointnursing.com.

Pearson Higher Education is a separate entity from Pearson VUE; as such Pearson Higher Education is not involved in the development or administration of the NCSBN-owned NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® Examinations.

About Pearson

Pearson, the worlds leading learning company, has global reach and market-leading businesses in education, business information and consumer publishing (NYSE: PSO). The company provides innovative print and digital education materials, including personalized learning programs such as MyLab/Mastering; education services including custom publishing; and content-independent platforms including the EQUELLA digital repository and Pearson LearningStudio for online learning programs.

Media contact: Susan Aspey, susan.aspey(at)pearson(dot)com or (800) 745-8489.