Category Archives: Management Issues

Billionaire Richard Branson Called a Trademark Bully by the Trademark Law Professors of University of Washington, School of Law

Westborough, MA, 2020-Jul-30 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Virgin has targeted to attack over 300 small companies & non-profit charities. Common sense says that the word ‘virgin’ cannot be owned by one individual or organization but Virgin has deep pockets to destroy those who dare to fight for their rights.

“Opposing trademark registrations in unrelated fields is the classic behavior of a trademark bully,” says Mike Atkins, an attorney at Atkins Intellectual Property who teaches trademark law at the University of Washington, School of Law.

That’s why it came as a surprise that Branson decided to send a threatening cease-and-desist letter (where he tells the small start up to either commit a business suicide right away or else Virgin lawyers will destroy it within 30 days) to I Am Not A Virgin, a small eco-friendly denim label, claiming that the company’s name infringes on his copyright, as the Telegraph’s Laura Hubbert reported on the case.

Richard Branson’s lawyers demanded environmentally friendly start up jeans label ‘I Am Not A Virgin’ to cancel their trademark (a trademark they have been lawfully granted and owned for almost 4 years before they received the threat letter from Branson – reports Ms. HUBBERT in her article.

“I guess I could rename my jeans Not Made By Richard Branson” – comments sarcastically the founder of the brand. Branson also demanded the small business owner cease to sell current stock of the jeans and removes them from the stores which for a small business is a financial suicide and a loss of all start up investment costs essentially leading to the end of a business.

“Common sense says that the word ‘virgin’ cannot be owned by one individual or organization. In other words, it’s stupid to claim a colour of your own, let say a word. Branson, who’s also well known for his support of environmental causes, apparently has failed to see that” – says Anderson Antunes in his Forbes article about Virgin’s abuse on small entrepreneurs.

Attorney at law, Widerman Malek, summaries in his comments: “If Richard Branson has his way, it might be. ” He adds: “Although sometimes considered a bully in the trademark office, they remain unapologetic for their stance.”

According to multiple news reports, in the past several years, the Virgin group has targeted over 300 companies who used the word Virgin in their name, URL or marketing slogan. Unfortunately, many of these 300 companies are small businesses who do not have the resources to fight back against a multi-billion dollar company with hundreds or even thousands of lawyers on their retainer. These small businesses almost always settle simply because they cannot afford to fight.

Widerman Malek brings up some of the companies Virgin attacked:

  • Virgin Vapors – a small vapor company located in California whose owner currently refuses to change its name despite being threatened by Virgin.
  • The owners of domain names virginthreads.com, virginpublishing.com, virginstar.net, and virgincigar.com. The Virgin group alleges cyberpiracy for any company using the name virgin in their domain, even if it is not their business name.
  • Author Cristina Crayn, who named one of her published books, “Tales from the Virgin Vault.”
  • Virgin Valley Cab – a cab company in the Virgin Valley geographic location of Northwest Arizona, who recently came to an agreement with conglomerate to stop using the name.
  • Las Virgenes United Educational Foundation – a nonprofit organization in the Las Virgenes School District. The Virgin Group attempted to block the trademark application. Evidently, any virgin will meet their criteria – no matter which language it’s in and if destroying charities for children is to take place.
  • I Am Not A Virgin – a New York clothing company which specializes in creating and selling denim products.
  • Virgin Air, a small airline in the American Virgin Islands, which no longer exists under this name due to Virgin’s lawsuits.
  • CBS Studios, who may be opposed by the Virgin Group in an attempt to trademark the name Jane the Virgin, which they will use as a sitcom name.
  • Last year, the Virgin group attempted to stop Valle Grande from trademarking a phrase that contained the words “virgin olive oil”, using the argument that Valle Grande currently only sells vinegar.
  • In 2004, the conglomerate sued a tiny apparel retailer called Virgin Threads in federal court in New York; the retailer dropped the name a year later as they could not afford to battle with Virgin any longer.
  • VIRGINIC – Purity Perfected – small cosmetics brand, selling “beyond organic”, handcrafted, allergy-free face creams in small batches. Virgin has been suing them with malicious, aggressive litigations, on the ongoing basis from 2018-2020 in multiple countries to starve them financially to business death, as Virgin did with other start ups. Interestingly, Virgin abandoned selling cosmetics years ago making public statements on their own website that they have no intention to sell beauty products. As of July 2020, VIRGINIC still refuses to be bullied and to give up their name.

Via EPR Network
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Virgin’s unethical business practices against small start ups and non-profit foundations

Louisville, Kentucky, 2020-Jul-16 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — When it comes to big business versus small business, the deck is, and always has been, heavily stacked in favor of the giants, making sure it stays that way. Yes, there will always be David and Goliath stories held up as the reason for hope in these battles, but reality dictates that they are almost insurmountable obstacles in the path of a small entrepreneur.

There is, however, a more insidious and corruptive side to the competition that few, if any, really see or understand at all. The legal teams.

Companies like The Virgin Group and Sir Richard Branson retain the type of law firms that see no ethical issue in destroying anything and anyone on their way, no matter the cost, the merits and the human lives and dreams destroyed along the way.

Take billing, for example. Virgin Enterprises uses Norvell IP and A. A. Thornton, type of companies that sees fit to charge by the half hour for anything that they do, including a single phone call, running up bills of around $300 per call. Yes, you read that correctly…$300 PER CALL! Equally absurdly, they charge the same to write a letter, to attend a meeting or to send an email!

Ok, so Virgin and Sir Richard is worth billions, they can afford these costs and who cares? It’s their choice and their wallet, right?

Well, no. They make their pray pay for it.

The thing is, as the relentless (and oftentimes frivolous) stream of trademark infringement lawsuits are filed across the globe, those costs are, almost exclusively borne not by Virgin, but by the small business that they are making their claim against.

Take the case of Wyoming start-up, VIRGINIC LLC. Virgin decided, as they have done on so many occasions in the past, that they were unhappy with the UK Intellectual Property Office awarding VIRGINIC LLC their own brand trademark “VIRGINIC”. For a little context, let’s not forget that this is the same company that sued a Virgin Olive Oil producer, the TV show “Jane The Virgin” and even a Non-profit Educational Foundation, “Las Virgenes” for children, staffed entirely by volunteer parents! If you’re like most people, this alone can leave anyone speechless. Clearly, Virgin is not afraid to throw their litigation budget around even against non-profit children care foundations.

So, Virgin took umbrage to the idea of a company VIRGINIC LLC, regardless of the fact that the UKIPO had already awarded their trademark for their name to them. Virgin attacked and yet again the UK courts decided that there was no case to be heard and VIRGINIC should keep their own trademark.

Virgin lost the case, and the subsequent appeal, with VIRGINIC being awarded the princely sum of £300 in costs, and that, in any sensible judicial process, should have been that. However, Virgin’s lawyers managed to get the UK High Court of Appeals to agree to review the appeal of the case which, upon doing so, intrestingly awarded in favor of Virgin this third time around.

And here is the fun part; When VIRGINIC, a small “David” went up against the behemoth “Goliath” of Virgin and managed to not only show that common sense is still alive and well in some legal systems, but managed to do it on a shoestring budget, whilst a mammoth task and stupendous result given the odds, it appears that the ultimately necessary penny-pinching that all start-ups are likely to be forced to adopt, is the largest chink in their armor.

The reason for this is simple: Virgin lose and the judge awards costs in the order of £300 to the start-up. £300 which Virgin never actually saw fit to pay, regardless of the fact that they spend so much time in courtrooms arguing that their rights are being infringed upon and crowing for justice. This in itself is a pointer towards where this all goes wrong. You see, they cry foul and plead for justice as if the courtroom is a sacred place where all shall find their truth. In reality, when that truth is contrary to their opinion, they simply disregard the orders of the court and find somebody else to cry to.

Now, what happens when, at the third time of asking, they manage to find themselves a “friendly” judge? Well, their costs are awarded against VIRGINIC in the sum of…

Ready for this…?

£33,000 + £10,000!
With no right to appeal any further, conveniently.

So, Virgin “loses” and the bill is £300. I would guess that the lawyers charging $300 to make a phone call would probably be happy to pay that off themselves with the cash that they dropped down the sofa last night. However, when VIRGINIC loses, all those cups of coffee that the world’s most expensive secretaries were making suddenly add up to a sum of £43,000, so exorbitant, so utterly defiant of anything even approaching a reality that is in any way sustainable, that all suddenly becomes so very clear.

Virgin and, more importantly, Virgin’s lawyers LOVE finding random reasons to drag volnurable, small businesses (and apparently non-profit foundations too) into a courtroom because it is a no-loss situation for them. They literally don’t even bother paying the measly costs generated if they lose (Virgin pays) whilst running up such absurd bills themselves that, if they win, the small business is basically financially crippled to the point where it either ceases to exist or exists only for the purposes of paying off the legal bills. Small educational foundations like “Las Virgenes” for children, staffed entirely by volunteer parents are a no match with this malice legal practice backed by deep pockets of Virgin.

Is there a happy ending here? VIRGINIC is well off its knees trying to write one as we speak. Keep your fingers crossed and maybe the Wyoming case will prove more uncorrupted justice system in the US than the UK one.

Via EPR Network
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VIRGINIC defends its case and stands up to Virgin after attack on Linkedin profiles of shocked VIRGINIC employees

SEATTLE, Washington, 2020-Jun-02 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Last week Virgin launched a new attack on shocked VIRGINIC employees and threatened in court to serve them lawsuits directly to their Linkedin profiles. Virgin then followed its threats and served its lawsuits to unrelated email addresses of those individuals it found on the internet. Virgin revealed it has been spying on VIRGINIC employees social media and private Linkedin profiles and provided the Court daily screenshots of such profiles as evidence.

“Put it simply, it is bullying and VIRGINIC will stand up to it” – says a former employee of VIRGINIC, Mark Russell.

Thomas M Monagan from Norvell IP is the lawyer hired by Virgin in USA, together with Geoff Hussey from A.A. Thornton in UK to tear apart the business fabric of VIRGINIC and to destroy the start up company and force it to stop selling allergy-free organic creams.

According to Mark Russell, “the harassment Virgin lawyers have been maliciously applying for the past 2 years have adversely and financially affected many workers employed who lost their jobs because of the hardship caused by Virgin. Virgin has been trying to starve a small start up company financially to death for past 2 years and it’s a miracle VIRGINIC is still standing up straight by pure force of resilience, integrity and business pride”.

The former worker adds: “Virgin opened multiple lawsuits in multiple countries and demanded we close and commit a business suicide. VIRGINIC heroically stood up to it. All employees gave their 200% knowing it costs a fortune to hire lawyers in all those countries and a lot of us declared to work for reduced wage to support our mission-based company and stand up to bullying. Everyone with common sense knew Virgin’s claims were not only lacking factual merits but were in bulk part a legal manipulation aiming to attack for no reason, just like Virgin successfully destroyed through litigation many other start ups in the past including small Virgin Olive Oil producers”.

Question remains, should Virgin and its lawyers be held liable for damages they have caused including loss of jobs of VIRGINIC employees and financial hardships caused to many families? VIRGINIC is defending its case vigorously with the limited means it has but the irony is, what wrong did they do at the first place.

VIRGINIC is an honest, cruelty-free and natural-ingredients-only beauty company. The name is different from Virgin. They sell entirely different products. Their logo and branding is different. Customers buying VIRGINIC oraganic face cream jars online are certainly not confused thinking they are buying from Virgin Airlines/Mobile or Virgin Galactic.

Nevertheless VIRGINIC workers who lost their jobs due to high costs of multiple international lawsuits and whose private social media profiles are daily watched and taken screenshots of, are the ones to shoulder the burden. At the event of US Court eventually ruling for VIRGINIC, will the multi-billion dollar giant Virgin be ordered to compensate those employees for loss of income and privacy invasion?

Mark Russell comments: “US judges have a good reputation regarding protecting the rights of their citizens and US companies so despite Virgin’s army of lawyers and their tactics of spying and harassment on privacy, I hope the judge will make things right to VIRGINIC. I hope the saying that the party with more money for lawyers always wins, despite the merits and common sense, will not turn out to be a sad truth here. Maybe Richard Branson will be notified about what’s happening and will make things right”.

He adds: “There comes a point when you have to stand up to behavior of ruthless lawyers, because they destroy people and they destroy lives, just because there is a company with deep pockets willing to pay for it. Bullying like this scares and silences people but we all know this is not an acceptable practice. There needs to be accountability for false and malicious storytelling in courts and daily spying on private profiles and hiring private investigators to find out where those employees live, which is also what Virgin said in Court they did and presented those private investigators findings to Court as evidence. Virgin’s infamous and low litigation and personal harassment tactics are now a part of a public record so everything is out there to be seen and accounted for.”

A former employee who fell victim to this case, finishes by saying: “There is a human cost to this malicious bullying. VIRGINIC has continued to put on a brave face and has been boldly fighting back for the past two years, but I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been to many VIRGINIC employees. They lost their jobs, their privacy was violated. The multi-billion dollar giant attacked a small mission-based start up with no merits, because they could and because lawyers had to justify their fees. All this at the direct expense of many honest and hard working young people, their family income and the better mission-based future they have been building”.

The case progresses and it is unclear how quickly the Court might rule.

Via EPR Network
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Benevolent Capitalism 4 Day Class by Gary Douglas, Steven & Chutisa Bowman, Dr Dain Heer in Venice, Italy

Houston, USA, May-26-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Business innovator, Gary Douglas warns, “You cannot afford to ignore the demand for benevolent business.”

International speaker and vocal advocate of Benevolent Capitalism, Mr. Douglas is concerned that many individuals and businesses are stuck in an outdated idea of capitalism, and are failing to adapt their practices to better meet the new consumer mindset:

• 96% of consumers believe it is important for companies to have good social and environmental policies. (Digital Reason)
• 33% of all consumers actively seek out and purchase goods because of responsible corporate practices. (Unilever)
• According to the Unilever CCO, “This research confirms that sustainability isn’t a nice-to-have for businesses. In fact, it has become an imperative.”

Mr. Douglas is teaming up with some of the world’s leading Benevolent Capitalism experts to bring the concept to business leaders and other individuals around the world, through a series of public and live-streamed seminars.

“Capitalism has been relegated to ‘where’s my share of the pie?’ and ‘how I can get what I need when I need it’. This is a very destructive way of manipulating capitalism”, Douglas explains. “Consumers have noticed, and are becoming more particular in their spending choices, as a result.”

“I hear a lot of people say ‘Can capitalism really be benevolent?’ but this is because of the limited points of view business has been operating from recently”, Douglas says. “When capitalism was first created back in the 1700’s, it was supposed to serve the masses; to create more for all of us. In fact, capitalism is really about how to create more money and more possibility in our life.”

“When we return to that viewpoint of more possibility and choice, it becomes a different narrative”, he adds. “Now is the time for all of us to recognize the power of capitalism and how it can be a catalyst for positive change and different possibilities.”

Benevolent Capitalism 4 Day Class

Hosted by Gary Douglas, Steven and Chutisa Bowman, Dr Dain Heer

30 June – 3 July, 2017
Hotel Ca’ Sagredo
Venice, Italy
or via global livestream

More information www.benevolentfuture.com

SOURCE: EuropaWire

BUSINESS OWNERS: KEEP THIS CRISIS CONTROL DIRECTIVES IN YOUR FILES: LESSONS FROM UNITED AIRLINES

San Diego, CA, 2017-Apr-18 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Every company has a crisis from time to time. If the company is small or medium in size, one crisis can take it off the map. Here are some directives that will get you through your next one; share it with your senior staff and don’t read it ‘after’ the event occurred, this should be in memory lest you compete with United for news space.

1. TRY TO RESOLVE IT WITH SOMETHING THAT COMES EASILY TO YOU, THAT YOUR CUSTOMER VALUES. Whatever business you are in, you get your goods or services wholesale (free flights, even on a standby basis). Try to resolve the problem by offering something that has a high perceived value but is not so dear to you that it creates a large loss. The customer is ‘not’ always right, but the customer can write something about you on Yelp and, as it hurts you more to respond, they will ‘seem’ right to the public, who will only read one side of it all.

2. AVOID CALLING THE POLICE (of any kind) FOR A NON-CRIMINAL INCIDENT. Once you try to make the police force your own, and they step in with people who are trained to control others, you will have alienated your client past the point of no return. Worse yet, if the person flails and touches a police officer, he or she now gets a criminal record thanks to you and believe me, you will pay dearly for that. As stupid goes, this is the most stupid move a company can use against a client when the company is not at threat. A disagreement is never resolved when one party is fully armed and the other is afraid of arrest.

3. SHOW THEM WHO THE MANAGEMENT REALLY IS, AND DEMONSTRATE COMPASSION FOR THE SITUATION. If your story makes it to social media, the first response from the CEO should be an instant public apology. The public needs to think of him or her as a nice, warm, empathetic individual who just had the bad luck of hiring someone who had no common sense. Mistakes happen. The public forgives you. If, on the other hand the CEO makes a bad impression or supports his or her staff, regardless of their poor choices, then people will fear the company and avoid it all costs. Do you understand?

4. DO NOT ANGER A CUSTOMER AND THEN ACCUSE HIM OR HER WITH BEING BELIGIRENT. This is a common tactic used by the police to arrest persons. Lawyers use it at trial all the time. You say something inflammatory, the person reacts, and you try to show the jury how unreasonable they are. This is dangerous behavior. Unless you have the powers of arrest, you shouldn’t do something to further anger your customer. If you have an angry customer, you should do everything you can to get them to a reasonable and calm state. The easiest way to do so: Offer something up front, then dine or have drinks with him or her in a casual manner and work out the rest. Using this system you may create the most loyal customer (who refers you business) when you are finished. People understand errors occur: it’s how you handle them.

5. IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING EMPATHETIC KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. A client/customer may upset you. They are in a heated state due to what happened. Don’t get offended. Many of them don’t even mean what they say in the heat of the moment. If you can avoid internalizing the person’s comments, try to mentally experience the situation from their point of view. The easiest way to do it is not to think of them, but to think of one of your parents, your spouse, or your best friend having gone through this and how you would respond. Now do this with your client.

6. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS AND POSITIONING OF YOUR FIRM.
It’s easy to say and do what you want when you have a golden parachute. However, a corporation’s reputation is largely based on the philosophies of the CEO when it comes to customer service. Remember the corporation took care of you and your family when you were looking for a career or opportunity. Now, it needs ‘you’. Do everything with all the integrity the company deserves, even if you have to bite your lip in doing so.

7. MAKE CONTACT WITH THE AGGRIEVED PARTY ASAP. Call the person, arrange a personal contact and work things out. Do not let it get to the media or to a lawyer’s office. Let the person hear from you and know that you care. The difference it will make is phenomenal. It does not matter that you are on vacation when it takes place or even sleeping. You are better off losing a night’s sleep than months of sleep in the future while your and you company’s reputation are in the balance. Don’t just contact the party, make this up to them. For example, in the United Airlines’ case, I would have put Dr Dao on a private jet asap, with a limousine waiting at the other end. The scenario would have turned out very differently.

8. WORK IT OUT BEFORE IT BECOMES A LAWSUIT.
If a situation is so out of control that a lawyer has been hired or litigation is threatened, resolve it immediately through opposing counsel. Negotiate and work out a settlement or understanding of some sort. Keep the settlement confidential if you have to, or be generous and go public with it; especially if you are in the wrong. The worst thing that can happen in this case is what happened with United Airlines: the lawyer was enjoying free national airtime to say what he wanted.

If a lawyer has been hired, you did not follow the rules above very well. Once the legal game is in play, in will only serve to infuriate the customer more and the legal game is all about sides. At this point, hope the party has a reasonable lawyer as you can no longer directly communicate with the person. Litigation is one of the worst diseases a company can catch, avoid it at all costs.

We hope your next crisis is averted rapidly and wish you the best!

________________________________

Steven Riznyk is the CEO and senior litigator of San Diego Biz Law, a crisis-negotiator, and business strategist who is hired to analyze and resolve complex and crisis issues worldwide. He can be reached at 619-793-4827.

SanDiegoBizLaw.com
Contact: Amanda Berkshire
San Diego: (619) 793-4827
Email: ab@Worldwide-Press.com

Via EPR Network
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About Me International takes aim at rising employee stress

It costs employers billions of dollars annually.

It’s been called a “global epidemic” by the United Nations’ International Labor Organization.

And it’s a source of miscommunication, employee conflicts, absenteeism, complacency, turnover, low morale, declining productivity and other workplace problems every day at organizations worldwide.

Employee stress is a growing threat to employers, and it’s a threat that is squarely in the sights of About Me International, a provider of workforce evaluation, employee engagement and leadership services.

Joe Kiedinger, president and CEO of About Me International, is leading the Green Bay-based company in its drive to guide organizations in overcoming the negative effects of employee stress.

To assist clients with managing this challenge, About Me International has created the About Me Card. This practical tool is designed to reveal each employee’s inner drive and preferred communication practices—two elements that according to Kiedinger are essential to their fulfillment and effectiveness at work.

Kiedinger says employers can use this tool to minimize if not eliminate misunderstandings and mistreatment, which often are a source of employee stress and can quickly lead to negative emotion and negative energy.

“The danger for employers is that negative energy, if left unchecked and allowed to spread, can have a debilitating impact on an organization’s creativity, innovation and productivity and ultimately impact its bottom line,” Kiedinger says. “Employees can use information from the About Me Card to effectively manage workplace interactions and relationships by literally changing negative emotion to positive energy,”

Kiedinger says that two of the main challenges for employers are to determine whether they wish to invest in solving employee stress and, if they do, how to go about it.

“In recent years, wellness programs have emerged as a way to help employees better manage their health,” Kiedinger says. “However, when it comes to the effectiveness of wellness programs in identifying, managing and overcoming employee stress as well as negative emotion and energy, there is no conclusive data that shows that these programs have a significant, positive and lasting impact on this workplace challenge.”

Richard DuBois, director of business development at About Me International, says the company is experiencing a strong response to the About Me Card.

“We are consistently hearing from employers of all kinds that they have seen enough of the destructiveness of negative emotion and want to address it,” DuBois says. “This tool gives them a practical solution that is generating proven results with organizations including small businesses and mid-size to large corporations, as well as non-profits including schools and health care facilities.”

About Me International has created a white paper, “Wellness and the workforce—are we missing the boat when it comes to managing employee stress?” which provides insights to employers on overcoming negative emotion and energy resulting from unresolved employee stress. The white paper can be downloaded at www.aboutmecard.com/whitepaper

About Me International provides assistance and training to employers with determining their employees’ inner drive and preferred communication practices to support employee engagement and leadership effectiveness. More information is available atwww.aboutmecard.com

Via EPR Network
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EXDYSIVITY – New Management Concept Helps Businesses Self-Reform

The new economy needs a new philosophy. Readers can find that in EXDYSIVITY: AN INTRODUCTION TO A NEW MANAGEMENT CONCEPT. “Old” business practices are becoming obsolete, yet companies and employees are still shackled to them, sticking to a black and white numbers mentality and ignoring the implications of the non-financial. This non-flexibility is a real threat to the survival of businesses everywhere.

But Yanyong Thammatucharee, in EXDYSIVITY, explains how to transform a business into a highly adaptive member of the world. This management plan not only helps a business today, but outlines how to ensure long-term survival. This revolutionary guide explains how adherence to key performance indicators can adversely affect team performance, how archaic back-office functions keep a business from thriving in the twenty-first century and what role corporate responsibility plays in the success of a business. It even explains how to look at standard accounting practices differently. If productivity is required for better cost position, EXDYSIVITY is necessary for systemic reform of businesses in the 21st century.

Author Thammatucharee has 20-plus years experience in finance and accounting for a number of major firms, and currently is senior vice president of accounting and finance for a Thai group of retail and marketing firms. His experience brings the unique perspective that created EXDYSIVITY. His philosophy is not only a business management plan, but a life management plan. It starts in the mind and is an organic process. He explains it best in this excerpt from the book: “Understanding the exdysivity process can give an organization a chance to exist. It’s not a long process, but it is a continuous one that requires being alert and facing up to any new challenges we have to face every day.”

EXDYSIVITY is available only at Amazon.com. To contact Mr. Thammatucharee, please e-mail him at yanyong.thammatucharee@gmail.com

Via EPR Network
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Web Content Management Solutions Are Critical for Modern Day Business

Many organizations have hundreds to tens of thousands of pages of web content, which are becoming increasingly more critical to market competitiveness. Web content management solutions provide an efficient and effective means to make the problem of managing all of an organizations web material far more tractable.

Drupal content management systems (CMS) are open source solutions for addressing the problem of managing web content. Among the many reasons for Drupal’s success, its ability to alleviate technical staff members through the powerful and easy to use platform and its ability to integrate with pre-existing content management systems has made it a popular choice.

May, 2010 – databasepublish.com – When it comes to web content management solutions there is no silver bullet. Just as each organization has its own strategic goals and objectives, the various web content management systems on the market provide a broad spectrum of functionality and usability. As a result, it can be challenging to ensure that you are making the right selection for your organization.

For some organizations, a proprietary, out-of-the-box solution, or an out-of-the-box open source solution can work just fine. Other organizations may require varying degrees of tailoring. In either case, a web content management solutions consultant is highly recommended. Since an experienced consultant has worked with a variety of platforms and performed many implementations, that resource can help you reduce costly mistakes, f r o m product selection all the way through implementation.

The Drupal content management systems are exceptionally flexible and provide a solid long term investment opportunity. The drupal cms can be integrated with current systems in order to reduce error and streamline business processes. By reducing manual steps for web publishing, the Drupal CMS improves overall efficiency while reducing burden on technical personnel.

Non-technical personnel can easily manage web content while leveraging the powerful functionality of the Drupal CMS platform. This essentially places the domain of web content into the hands of the content experts. With technical IT personnel liberated to focus on more technical organizational needs the content experts can directly manage blog posts, photo galleries, press releases, video, tagging, e-commerce and searching functionality. With all of these benefits, Drupal content management systems are a compelling choice.

The selection, migration, and implementation of the various web content management solutions is far less risky with the help of a qualified content management consultant. They can help to ensure that the goals of a stronger web-presence, improved website effectiveness, increased workflow efficiency, and organizational consistency are met and/ or exceeded.

Via EPR Network
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Web Content Management System Implementations by the Experts

The increasing diversity of types of content that can be published to the Web, along with the impact that rich content can make to help organizations present their brands to potential customers, has driven thousands of organizations to improve the way staff can create, manage, and publish content through the implementation of a web content management system. The benefits of Web content management systems include increased overall organizational efficiency, more rapid dissemination of information than previously possible, freeing up technical personnel, and placing content experts into direct control of the organization’s Web presence.

Web Content Management System Implementations by the Experts

Oftentimes, organizations look for consulting expertise to aid in the selection and implement a Web content management system. Professional consultants can assist organizations in selecting the best-fit Web content management system, determining what customizations will need to be done, aid in the proper architecture and implementation of the system, integrate it with other business systems in the organization’s environment, and connect it to 3rd party systems that the organization already uses. Additionally, with expert support, organizations can more easily migrate content to the newer, more appropriate web content management tool f r o m an organization’s pre-existing Web content management system that perhaps didn’t meet the company’s needs. In summary, using Web content management system experts is the best way for an organization to reduce risk and ensure an accurate and timely project conclusion.

May, 2010 – databasepublish.com – The effective use of technical personnel is highly desirable for many organizations. Consequently, many organizations choose to employ a competent web content management consultant in order to maximize the impact of a chosen web content management tool.

While the justification for this is different for every organization, there are a number of reasons for arriving at such a decision. A web content management system expert can most effectively reduce the learning curve for technical personnel. Through their experience in the domain, they can also improve the overall vision of the final deployment of the web content management tool.

Among the many different web content management systems available on the market, Drupal has gained popularity among other choices in the market. Drupal implementations provide value f r o m the powerful functionality that is also easy to use by non-technical staff members. This allows the content experts to gain more effectiveness f r o m the website domain while providing technical staff members more time to focus on more technical projects.

Due to the open-source nature of Drupal implementations, organizations are able to migrate their web content management systems f r o m pre-existing content management systems. The result is increased efficiency and a much smoother transition f r o m the prior Web content management tool. An experienced web content management system consultant can also tailor Drupal to meet specific needs. Out of the box, Drupal implementations provide organizations more control over press releases, blog posts, photo galleries, video, tagging, search functions and e-commerce applications.

Via EPR Network
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Web Content Management System Boosts Productivity

Numerous businesses and organizations have chosen to implement a web content management system rather than use a more manual approach to managing their web content. Much of the value in these types of systems is the ability to transfer responsibility from technical to non-technical personnel. As a result, Web content management systems have improved productivity and helped organizations gain better control over the web domain.

Web Content Management System Boosts Productivity

While there are several different web content management systems available on the market, Drupal is one of the more popular and flexible solutions. The open source platform of Drupal makes it easily tailored to integrate with other business systems and third party applications that an organization uses.

May, 2010 – databasepublish.com – There is increased demand for decision makers and executives to make organizational decisions that provide a strong return on investment (ROI). With the right web content management system, an organization can repurpose technical IT personnel from web content responsibility and improve the overall effectiveness of the web content life cycle.

The Drupal content management solution is one of many products on the market. Due to Drupal’s ease of use and powerful functionality, it is among the most popular open-source web content management systems in the World today. Although Drupal is an excellent choice for many organizations, a qualified professional content management consultant is recommended in order to help an organization ensure that Drupal is the right match for that company’s needs.

Much of the value of a content management consultant is in their ability to treat the various content management systems on a level playing field. Additionally, an experienced consultant can act as a catalyst for ensuring that the final implementation provides the greatest ROI. An experienced consultant can provide assistance in request for proposals, request for quotes, translation of technical and proprietary language, implementation, customization, system upgrades, maintenance and any combination thereof.

A given Web content management system may require the creation of a new module, or some tailoring of existing modules, in order to be integrated more seamlessly with pre-existing business systems or third party applications used by an organization. While some hurdles are more difficult than others, a professional consultant can provide time and cost estimates for the desired implementation of the web content management system.

Via EPR Network
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Web Content Management Solutions Drive Website Success

Efficient and effective websites are in no uncertain terms critical components to businesses and organizations these days. In response to the demand for improved Web presence, a variety of Web content management solutions have helped organizations cross the chasm from ad hoc and time consuming Web content management, to tightly integrated Web content management systems.

Web Content Management Solutions Drive Website Success

While there are many different Web content management systems on the market, Drupal content management systems (CMS) provide a useful open source solution to the needs of many organizations. The ability to tailor and integrate Drupal with pre-existing content management solutions and its accessibility to non-technical users make it an exceptional choice.

April, 2010 – databasepublish.com – Choosing among the many Web content management solutions can be a non-trivial task. This is in part due to varying organizational goals, pre-existing systems, system requirements, out-of-the-box functionality, and varying levels of product customizability. When choosing to implement a Web content management system it is highly recommended to obtain help from a knowledgeable Web content management consultant.

A Web content management consultant familiar with Drupal content management systems as well as different proprietary products can provide indispensable value for organizations during part of, or over the course of the entire implementation process. Oftentimes, in-house implementations result in sub-optimal results, primarily due to a lack of expertise with current Web content management solutions. Many pitfalls may be avoided by choosing a content management consultant that is a veteran in the industry.

Drupal web content management solutions may be tailored to integrate with an organization’s current content management system. Additionally, Drupal content management systems are known for their high level of performance and ease of use for the non-technical user. What this means for organizations is that a properly implemented Drupal CMS can eliminate the need for technical personnel to be involved with Web publishing activities.

The advantage of having non-technical personnel managing Web content is that then the content experts can directly manage press releases, blog posts, video, photo galleries, e-commerce, tagging, and searching functionality. In other words with Drupal CMS there is no need to have an IT mediator in-between the content experts and the Web.

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Web Content Management System Implemented by Professionals

The increasing breadth and depth of Web content has driven many organizations to implement a Web content management system that is capable of liberating technical staff, empowering content experts, and achieving greater organizational efficiency. While there are several drivers that urge decision makers to improve the manageability of Web content, many organizations are pleasantly surprised when the final implementation exceeds expectations.

Web Content Management System Implemented by Professionals

A well-implemented Web content management tool can make transitions from pre-existing content management systems seamless. Oftentimes, the mission critical status of the project requires professional consultants to ensure the right product selection, custom tailoring, efficient data population, a robust implementation, and third party support.

April, 2010 – databasepublish.com – Most organizations are filled with highly competent technical staff members. However, because there is a great range of systems and technical areas, many organizations choose to employ a competent Web content management system consultant in order to more efficiently implement a Web content management tool.

There are several reasons justifying such a decision. A Web content management system expert can easily bring experienced staff members up to speed with the current technologies available. Additionally, they can streamline and refine the organization’s vision for the Web content management tool, therefore, maximizing the value of the final system.

An open source solution known as Drupal has become increasingly popular among organizations seeking an easy to use and powerful Web content management tool. Drupal implementations offer great flexibility, allowing non-technical staff members, who are the content experts, to take charge of the website domain, and leaving technical staff members to focus on more technical objectives.

The versatility of Drupal implementations allows organizations to interface with pre-existing content management systems and greatly improve overall efficiency. As a result, Drupal has a good reputation as a valuable web content management system. With Drupal, it becomes incredibly easy to update blog posts, press releases, photo galleries, video, and include search functions and e-commerce requirements on your website.

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Web Content Management Systems Improve Overall Efficiency

An increasing trend for organizations is to ensure an effective and efficient means to manage web content. While there are variations from one Web content management system to another, the overall gains in efficiency can ripple through an organization, alleviating technical staff members and placing control over Web content into the hands of the individuals most familiar with organizational Web objectives.

Web Content Management Systems Improve Overall Efficiency

Among the many types of Web content management systems is an open source project known as Drupal. Because of its flexibility and easy-to-use platform a well-deployed implementation of Drupal can be very valuable to an organization.

April, 2010 – databasepublish.com – Many executives and decision makers know what they want when it comes to a Web content management system. Making the right decision for the organization requires investigating Drupal content management solutions and a variety of other products on the market.

For reduced risk and additional assurance for a successful implementation, it is advantageous to employ a content management consultant to help easily differentiate among the potential Web content management systems. An experienced content management consultant may provide a better value assessment than a traditional in-house selection team could.

After deciding to implement a Web content management system, the ability to assess the various systems on a level playing field is highly beneficial. This includes examining core functionality, customizability, and the potential integration capability with existing systems. Naturally, timelines for different phases of the project and cost of the entire project are important to consider as well.

An experienced content management consultant is excellent at not only placing the various attributes and benefits of different systems into perspective, but they are also exceptional at providing insight into viewing a Web content management system in ways that may otherwise go unnoticed. In other words, a professional consultant can help eliminate the sales pitch aspect of procuring a system and provide solid recommendations for value added efficiency.

The consultant’s level of experience with a broad range of content management solutions is important to consider when choosing a Web content management system. A consultant that is familiar with implementing and tailoring not only Drupal content management systems but a wide-range of content management solutions can help reduce any bias that might arise f r o m a consultant who is only familiar with one type of system.

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Web Content Management Solutions for the Modern Era

Sophisticated requirements demanded by organizations and the wide variety of web content management solutions on the market can create a puzzling problem for in-house personnel. This is due in part to the market differentiation of the various web content management systems and the inconsistent use of technical terms. As a result, content management consultants are typically called -in to assist in the selection process and then may be kept on to tailor and implement the resulting system.

Web Content Management Solutions for the Modern Era

Drupal content management systems (CMS) can fulfill many organizational needs. Its open source platform makes it readily customizable for a tight integration with other existing business systems. The Drupal CMS allows non-technical users to manage the web domain. Several organizations find this advantageous as it liberates IT personnel f r o m  acting as an intermediary among the content experts and the web presence.

Additionally, Drupal content management systems centralize organizational web processes while allowing multiple users to update multiple websites concurrently. This adds consistency while at the same time offering exceptional flexibility to fulfill web publishing objectives.

Similar to many other types of business systems, web content management solutions are only important to the organization if they provide value in terms of the organization’s goals. Determining which solution is the right fit for a given organization by only considering the out-of- box functionality may not lead to a satisfactory solution. However, it is often the case that some solutions, like the Drupal CMS, may be easily tailored to enhance the overall organizational workflow.

While organizations may have highly qualified IT personnel, it is often more beneficial to choose a third-party consultant that has extensive experience in tailoring and implementing a wide range of content management solutions. This choice can be extremely valuable to the organization as it can shorten the learning curve, ensure a robust and suitable solution, and guarantee a realistic and timely project schedule.

Web content management solutions like the Drupal content management systems are helping organizations take their web presence to the next level. Through the careful consideration of various products, organizations are able to tightly integrate pre-existing content management systems with a web content management system, greatly improving their overall market competitiveness.

Contact Details: DPCI is a content management system consulting business. It has a ten-year track record of helping diverse organizations acquire and implement web content management solutions, such as drupal cms, in a wide-range of industries. DPCI has the professional and technical requirements necessary for consulting, tailoring and completely implementing successful drupal content management systems.

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RiskPortal.net – Online Risk Management For Teams

Risk management is often seen as a task of specialized risk consultants or project managers. RiskPortal.net makes risk management a team effort with an easy to use online risk application (SaaS, Software as a Service).

RiskPortal.net - Online Risk Management For Teams

Riskmanager
An entire team can access, add and edit its project risks online using an internet browser and devise measures to optimize them. RiskPortal.net creates transparency: it shows who is responsible for which risks and also shows what progress is being made to implement measures.

Risk analysis
Riskmanager enables team members to analyze risks visually. Using digital sticky notes, a team member creates a picture of the effects and causes of a particular risk and the impact it has in terms of money, lead time and quality. These bowtie shaped pictures are the basis for effective responses which can be attached to the risk sticky notes. See http://riskportal.net/help/analyse-risks/en-us/ for the online introduction video on risk analysis.

Prices
The fee for Riskmanager is based on the number of active projects of a customer. The number of people that can access a project is unlimited. The fees per subscription type are listed below:
-Project Edition: 1 project for 95 Euros per month or 129 US Dollars per month
-Team Edition: 10 projects for 495 Euros per month or 695 US Dollar per month

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Web Content Management System with High Reliability

Content management is playing an increasingly important role for organizations. For some organizations it is strictly due to the rising importance of a reliable and effective web presence. Drupal is a web content management tool that offers an exceptionally easy to use platform that is both incredibly powerful and reliable. As a result, several organizations are choosing Drupal implementations for their web content management system.

With the power of Drupal implementations, organizations are able to place the web content management function in the hands of non-technical personnel. The result is a much more optimal situation. The web publishing responsibilities transition to the content experts while liberating IT personnel so they may focus on more IT related tasks.

Drupal is not the only open source web content management tool on the market; however, it is an excellent choice for many organizations. Determining what web content management system is going to be the most reliable for a given organization can be a monumental task. Understanding the right questions to ask of vendors and assessing their ability to fit one’s current and future needs can be surprisingly challenging, even for some of the best in-house IT personnel.

As a result, several organizations choose a content management consultant not only to ensure that they obtain the right web content management tool, but also to gain additional insight as to how to fully benefit from the implemented web content management system. An experienced content management consultant can assist in all or part of the implementation process.

Some organizations are able to tailor Drupal implementations with the assistance of a qualified consultant. Drupal’s popularity among organizations is partially attributed to its customizability. Incredible efficiency can be gained by reducing web publishing cycle time and through the integration of a web content management system with a pre-existing content management system.

With the assistance of a web content management system consultant, organizations are able to combine the power of their print media content management systems with the flexibility of Drupal web content management tools. The result is far greater efficiency and reliability in the organization’s web content work flow. The importance of a reliable web content management system is more easily realized with the assistance of a content management expert.

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Web Content Management System Applications Increase Website Management

With increasing demand for rich web content, several web content management systems have gained recognition in the market to assist organizations. Drupal content management is one of the more popular systems out there. This is due in part to this open source solution’s ease of use and powerful features. Through the deployment of Drupal, organizations are gaining increased market competitiveness.

As a full-featured web content management system, Drupal increases an organization’s ability to manage blog postings, photo galleries, press releases, video, searching and e-commerce. With a Drupal content management solution, spread out organizations are able to increase efficiency by allowing multiple users in multiple departments to post web content across multiple websites through the Drupal application. Organizations find the uncomplicated functionality for non-technical users to update and customize pre-configured templates to be incredibly valuable.

When it comes to implementing web content management systems, it is recommended that an organization seek the assistance of a content management consultant. This is especially true when one considers the need to migrate hundreds or thousands of web pages over to the new system. Web content management system consultants can greatly reduce the overall transition time to a new system and ensure the integrity of the migration.

Additionally, a web content management system consultant can be of great assistance in determining if a Drupal content management system is the right fit for the organization. This may be accomplished through the proper evaluation of technical requirements and administration of the request for proposals. Organizations often find that a qualified web content management system consultant is able to clarify the capabilities of the potentialweb content management systems by acting as an interpreter so each may be evaluated on a level playing field.

Oftentimes, an experienced professional’s insight can also result in increased organizational workflow. The combination of a Drupal content management solution and an experienced consultant can drastically change how an organization views content management. This is accomplished by the removal of pain-points and the addition of increased flexibility, control and integration of the web content management system.

Organizations find that by increasing the efficiency in which they manage web content that they are able to be more competitive in the marketplace. Drupal content management has helped many organizations accomplish their web content management goals. An experienced web content management system consultant can help determine if Drupal is the right solution for a particular organization.

DPCI understands that a reliable Web content management system helps to create competitive advantages in the marketplace. For the past 10 years, DPCI has acquired the professional and technical requirements necessary for consulting, tailoring and implementing a successful drupal content management system.

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Challenges And Solutions In Selecting A Digital Asset Management System

databasepublish.com - Digital asset management has become a center-stage issue for many organizations. With thousands of digital assets and oftentimes thousands of distribution channels, an effective and tightly integrated content management system has a strong correlation with an organization’s market competitiveness.

Challenges And Solutions In Selecting A Digital Asset Management System

Some organizations’ success relies on the support of a network of agencies and affiliates that are distributed around the world, which are responsible for promoting the products and services of that organization. The challenges that arise are many and may include the cataloging of photography and video as well as the quality assurance of consistent company branding strategies.

A digital asset management system may help in centralizing marketing efforts; however, new capabilities are often required in order to support growth. The growth may sustain a broader range of assets as well as increased flexibility for users.

A recommended course of action is to develop a content management system strategy that takes into consideration organizational needs and then matches the requirements with the appropriate vendor applications available. The concept is simple enough; however, the current state of digital asset management system products includes highly technical descriptions that can be difficult to put into layman’s terms or compare appropriately among vendors.

To compound the problem, it can be difficult to reduce the influence of vendor salesmanship when selecting a digital asset management package. As a result, several organizations choose to use a content management system consultant in order to more appropriately discern the right direction for their business. The consultant essentially bridges the gap between the vendor and the customer.

The greater the depth and breadth of knowledge of the content management consultant; including experience with web content management systems, multi-channel systems, work flow management systems, and digital asset management systems, the greater the opportunity is for the final product to meet or exceed the expectations of the organization.

The ultimate digital asset management strategy appropriately includes a request for proposal (RFP) process that is somewhat iterative. Oftentimes, proposals f r o m vendors use vendor-specific, verbose, and very technical descriptions of their products. It is up to the content management system consultant to assimilate the information, place it into layman’s terms, and normalize it for a more appropriate comparison.

This may entail additional clarification f r o m vendors to be presented in a normalized and summarized compilation for the most appropriate selection. Once the vendor finalists are distilled down, a choice can be made or a meeting can be held in order for the vendors to distinguish their products f r o m their competitors. The process helps to find the right vendor choice and assists in the determination of a more focused strategy.

Advantage in the marketplace. For the past 10 years, it has helped businesses in a wide-range of industries find the right digital asset management for them. DPCI has the professional and technical requirements necessary for consulting, providing, tailoring and completely implementing successful digital asset management system.

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Leadership Failure Is Epidemic Claimed Will Marré, Leadership Development Speaker

Leadership failure is epidemic, claimed Will Marré, leadership expert and the author of a new book, Save the World and Still Be Home For Dinner (Capitol Books, Sept. 2009), at the recent Excellence in Workplace Forum in San Diego. As evidence, he pointed to the successive failures of corporate leaders and the demise or bankruptcies of companies ranging from Enron to GM as well as the bailouts of our global financial system. In his remarks, however, Marré inspired senior executives and human resource leaders to be apart from these leadership failures by embracing a new leadership framework.

Marré proposed that leadership development has been dominated by business schools over the past forty years which has led to a “dumbing down” of leadership to a set of skills and attributes. He proposed that reducing leadership to abilities such as decisiveness, discipline, vision and inspiration fail to distinguish the critical difference between Hitler and Churchill or Stalin and Roosevelt. “The core problem,” stated Marré, “is that we’ve abandoned the first principle of leadership which answers the question, what am I trying to accomplish? If we are going to have a sustainable future leaders must have a noble intent, a purpose beyond self-interest.”

Leaders want to make a change in how they do business. A recent global survey by McKinsey and Company reveals that over 70 percent of global leaders say they need to improve their performance in solving social and environmental problems but are not sure what to do.

Research reported by Ashridge Business School reports that 76 percent of CEOs and senior executives believe that it is important that senior executives have the necessary knowledge and skills to respond to trends like climate change, resource scarcity and doing business in emerging markets marked by poverty, corruption and human rights violations. Alarmingly, however, only 8 percent believe that these knowledge and skills are currently being developed very effectively by either their own organizations or by business schools more broadly.

Marré has the answer for this leadership development dilemma, his new leadership framework he calls REALeadership. He stated, “If we are going to avoid the massive potholes in our future – resource depletion, environmental collapse, trade wars, massive unemployment, market disruptions and corporate extinction – we need leadership of a different kind, now.” Marré’s REALeadership framework creates a new, three-dimensional business model that “REALeaders” must take on in order to thrive in the coming decade. To find out more about REALeadership, visit Marré’s blog, CSR and the 4 Ideals of Socially Responsible Leadership.

Marré truly believes that REALeadership is the only leadership for a thriving future. In “The Future of Work: Engaging Employees to Drive Innovation” Marré discusses how leadership in the 21st century workplace based on creating a sustainable future drives employee engagement and innovation based on shared values where value is added to both the future and the bottom line. Furthermore, in his leadership development workshops, Marré shows organizations how a future of environmental sustainability, increased world health, and educational and economic opportunity create the greatest business opportunity in history.

About Will Marré:
Will is an Emmy Award-winning writer, leadership speaker and coach. He is the co-founder and former president of the Covey Leadership Center (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) and CEO of the REALeadership Alliance where he helps leaders identify, communicate and implement new socially strategic business models. Will has been a personal leadership coach and advisor to multi-billion dollar global companies such as Disney and Johnson & Johnson. For the past 10 years he has focused on making corporate social responsibility strategic. His book, Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner will be released in fall 2009.

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Welcome to EPR Management News

EPR Management News is a new blog, part of EPR Network, that is going to be focused on and will be covering the management news and stories from press releases published on EPR Network.

EPR Network (EPR stands for express press release) is one of the nation’s largest press release distribution networks on Web. The EPR’s nationwide network includes 12 State based PR sites, one major PR forum and a number of industry specific PR blogs and what started as a hobby on Internet years ago turned out to be a rapidly growing business today. EPR Network is also known as one of the most trusted (human optimized, published, edited and monitored, spam/scam/low quality PR content free) PR sites on the web with more than 10,000 company and individual press releases distributed per month. EPR Network is putting your press releases on top of all major search engines’ results and is reaching thousands of individuals, companies, PR specialists, media professionals, bloggers and journalists every day.

EPR Network has thousands of clients around the world including global 500 corporations like Hilton Hotels, Barclays Bank, AXA Insurance, Tesco UK, eBay/Skype, Emirates, just to name a few. The network’s PR web sites are currently reaching from 150,000 to sometimes 500,000 unique visitors per month while our viral reach could possibly go to as much as 1M people per month through our presence across various social media sites. EPR Network was established in 2004 and as of May 2008 it had more than 800,000 press releases (pages) published on its network.

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