Connectzone goes to Vegas! (for the Interop trade show)

Guest Blogger, Cable Geek

When ConnectZone decided to exhibit at the 2009 Interop show this year, we knew it was going to be a big deal. How big, we had no idea. One thing you can say about things in Las Vegas: they will never leave you disappointed.  It may leave you broke, or feeling like your soul needs a shower, but there is no such thing in Vegas as “going halfway”. The 2009 Interop show was no exception.

This is one of the bigger shows of its type.  From their website: “Interop is the leading global technology event, with the most comprehensive IT Conference and Exhibition available. Business and technology leaders attend Interop to get the most up to date information available on key technologies, learn about the latest trends and meet with leading vendors.” Like ConnectZone, for instance. 

This Geek has done plenty of trade shows before and even attended Iterop in Vegas many years ago. It was before the Internet bubble burst and the sky was the limit. The memories have all but faded of the circus-like atmosphere: the Rent-a-babes (to draw foot-traffic), hired performers (acrobats and magicians), and professional impersonators (Austin Powers was big that year).

Now that I typed that out, it sounds a lot like a 12 year old boy’s dream birthday party.  That’s weird…

This year’s Interop show, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center,  was less frenetic and more focused on increasing ROI (a fancy term for “saving money”); a reflection of the current economic conditions worldwide. Because ConnectZone has been helping  customers get more for their money since its inception, it was natural to exhibit at Interop this time around.

Even though we are best known for cables and connectivity, we decided to highlight ConnectZone’s new line of metal products (cabinets, racks, shelves) and power distribution units (PDU’s).  With so much concern about budget these days, and limited brand choices with these products, we anticipated many companies would be looking for a better deal.  Judging by the response we got at the show, we were right on the money, pun intended.

Our metal products are displayed on our website, but we are always getting new stuff, so add it to your favorites and check back often.

The big hit at our booth was a new line of PDU’s. They have digital amp usage readout and are IP addressable, which allows you to monitor usage and even reboot equipment through the Internet. Lots of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” over that, as you can imagine.

Our cables, though, did not get relegated to the shadows somewhere.  The Cable Geek would have none of that!   We displayed our popular CX4 cables, for 10 Gigabit data speeds. We also showed off our fiber Mode Conditioning “Launch” cables and our special Ultra-flexible DS3 cables, which we can customize in custom lengths and configurations.

The other hot item at the show was our swag: ConnectZone bottled water! The temperature outside is above 100 degrees, and guess what everyone craves? H2O, that’s what!

We met some really nice people there, both attendees and exhibitors.  In my experience, the IT world is filled with genuinely likeable and polite people, almost without exception.  Something about working in a field that is cutting edge and constantly evolving that draws a certain, well, geeky personality. That must be why this Cable Geek felt at home, as if in a GI-NORMOUS room full of fellow geeks.

USA Needs a Pride Stimulus not an economic stimulus, Some things money can’t buy

 

By Guest Blogger, Dann the Cable Man

 

In 1980 I was 16 years old, driving a ’67 Camaro (weren’t we all?), Inflation was high and unemployment was even higher. Interest rates were hovering around 20%. The previous year Iranians kidnapped US Embassy staff and were holding them hostage (remember Nightline “day 287 of the Iranian Hostage Crisis”). The 2^nd Oil embargo was in effect, Gas stations had to switch from selling by the gallon to the liter just so they could charge above $1.00 per gallon. The Cold war was still very hot, the soviets had just invaded Afghanistan and we all know what that gave birth too-yeah, a tall guy in a turban who lives in a cave somewhere. In Washington State we had the WHOOPS Fiasco. It was a bad time, a really really bad time. Any student of history knows that when a country is downtrodden and has lost faith with itself it is also very vulnerable, recall Germany post WWI.

 

Then something terrific happened, A Miracle on Ice. February 1980 at the Olympics the United States team won over the Soviet Union. The Soviets had won EVERY Gold medal in hockey since 1964. That means the Soviets had won in ’64, ’68, ’72 and 1976. The soviet team was comprised of “Soviet Soldiers” paid to be soldiers who practiced together every day; the Soviets had Vladislav Tretiak considered to be THE BEST GOALIE in the world, and yes that includes the NHL. The Soviets had played professional NHL teams that year to warm up & had gone 5-3-1 & had beaten the NHL all stars 6-0.

 

The best Hockey players in North America were coming from Canada not the USA; the NHL at that time got most of its players from Canada. The 2 teams met on Feb for an exhibition match in February and the soviets won 10-3.

 

THE GAME

USA won 4-3

USA was down 1-0 & then 2-1 but then Jim Craig had the game of his life, the game of the century (the Soviets had 39 shots on goal that day, the American only 16. With about 8 minutes left in the Game USA scored to tie & then scored the go ahead goal. Al Michaels became famous that day Eleven seconds, you’ve got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

 

Sports Illustrated voted this as THE GREATEST SPORTS MOMENT of the 20^th Century. I, Dann the Cableman remember it like it was yesterday. While the gold medal was not won that night the USA team had done the miraculous, I woke up at 3am in disbelief wondering if I dreamed it. After going to bed at 2am to watch the USA team defeated Finland & win the Gold Medal)

 

THIS win galvanized the country with pride that no Political speech could have, we were proud to wave our flags, we screamed USA USA USA, and we were both proud & thankful to be US citizens.

 

 

 

Search Engine Optimization by Guest Blogger Chris, Rain Networks

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a very popular thing right now. Small businesses are depending on search engine listings to either grow their business or to even get business at all. As a web developer, I get a lot of questions about SEO and how we (Rain Networks) can help people get listed on Google and Yahoo!
Q: Can you get my website listed at the top of Google’s list of search results?
A: Yes and no. We design websites with search engines in mind. We make sure that if Google visits your website, they will be able to get the information they need. We do not, however, guarantee that your website will be listed at the top of the search results. Search engine results are determined by the search engines themselves. We can only give them what they want and hope they put you at the top of the list.
Q: What does Google use to determine your ranking on search results?
A: They use tons of factors (some of which we have no control over). Probably the most influential factor is other websites having a link to your website and if that website is a credible source. For example, a link to your website on joesdiner.com will not help your listing as much as having a link on cnn.com. Additionally, the source must have something to do with the industry you’re in. For example, linking to car parts on a motorcycle website does no good.
Q: Do meta tags help my ranking?
A: The short answer, no. Meta tags really only help after your website shows up on the search results page. For example, the “description tag”, which briefly describes what your website is all about, shows up under the title of the search engine listing. This only helps users determine if they should click the link or not. It doesn’t actually help your link show up higher on the list.
Q: Do you recommend paying Google to put my link on search result pages (i.e. pay-per-click advertising)?
A: Yes! If anything, try it to see if it will help your business. Some businesses benefit enormously from paying Google, but others see no results. The good news is that you can determine exactly how much you want to spend. Whether it be $2 a day, or $2,000 a month. Of course, how much you spend will determine how successful your advertising will be.