Starting in 2008, you can no longer deduct your cell phone bill as a business expense unless you already have a landline and the cell phone is used exclusively for business. This is new rule will be a rude awakening to many people. More and more people have been avoiding landlines in favor of cell phones to limit expenses. And as more people are using the iPhone which costs $1,000 or more per year, the loss of this deduction is certainly significant.  What is solution?   Get a subscription to a  VoIP (Voice over IP) provider like Skype.  For $3 per month, you can have a Skype subscription make and receive calls from your computer with great audio clarity and that will satisfy the requirement to have a dedicated landline. Skype also has international plans to make or receive calls when out of the country. You can get a “Skype to go” number if you are going abroad.

Web 2.0 Expo was surprisingly low-key and there was a mixed bag of exhibitors but a few new tools had some cool-factor. That said, a few categories had multiple representation. Cloud computing, customer communities, out-sourcing, and new site analytics tools.  Odesk.com helps you find freelancers and contractors - of any kind - to do specific project tasks. Clients pay the service providers directly and odesk takes 10%. Oneeko.com had a slick, concise demo of their product which allows screen sharing - no downloads require - runs in Flash and you can have up to 8 users at a time. You set the ‘window’ to limit what part of your screen is shareable and it can automatically conform to fit a specific application window. They’re Skype certified so, you can be on Skype and immediately add people to your screen share session.

Every organization wants to be on the first page of Google Search results. However, there are a few things to remember about how search engines work.

1. Search Engines (SE’s) serve users not websites. Their sole objective is to produce the most relevant results based on what the USER is seeking.

2. Search Engines do not create demand. If no one is searching for your desired keyword phrase, Google and Yahoo! and the many others (yes there are dozens of lesser known search engines) will have little to no reason to find and display your website. Remember site traffic comes from interested users, not from search engines - even though the search engine may be the means of getting there.

3. Search Engine nirvanna occurs when your site contains unique content that is in high demand.  If your site is the only one offering information that everyone is seeking, search engines will be your best friend.  If you are selling iPods, or are discussing American Idol on your website, SE’s will have little value.

4. Content is and will remain King. Take the focus and priority off the textual content on your site, and you diminish the value of your site to users and therefore, to search engines as well. Flash, Javascript, Images, Graphics, and other non-textual elements are not SE-Friendly. They should be used if they uniquely convey a message or have some functional value to the users on your site.

5. Search Engine’s are Not Static. The web changes every second. SE’s stay on top of these changes to ensure they are always serving the most relevant results. Therefore, your website’s ranking will rise and fall like the tide because the web is a fluid medium and you cannot control the content on other websites.