Well Water Contamination And Safe Drinking Conditions

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After living in an older house with a well, I can say with a certainty that well water contamination happens more often than one might think. While water bills and payments are non-existent, maintenance and upkeep is much more of a chore to keep my available fresh water contaminant free. While I have the luxury of living in a modern country with utilities and available options for cleanliness, the vast majority of the world's water is still unsanitary and unsafe for drinking. Millions across the globe lack water access let alone a clean supply for consumption. Even in the United States and on government provided utilities there are still cleanliness issues. The NY Times reported that within the US, over 20% of the water treatment systems had key violations. Understanding warning signs and then how to effectively fix water contamination issues are incredibly important to maintaining one's health. 

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 15 million U.S. households regularly depend on private ground water wells. Although this water can be safe for the most part, minor maintenance neglect can result in major problems. If even just a small amount of polluted ground water is consumed, it could lead to illness and other health complications.

Seepage is the number one cause of groundwater pollution and can come from a number of different sources. These sources include landfills, failed septic tanks, fertilizers and pesticides, underground fuel tanks and runoff from urban regions. Because of the high risks involved, experts recommend regularly checking your ground water wells to ensure the safety of the supply."

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Using Social Media For Good Healthcare

Read the full article on Business 2 Community

Yes social media is an excellent way for clothing, entertainment and food brands to stay connected to their fans, but that only scratches the surface of social media's capabilities. With the power to connect with millions of users online in an instant, there are infinitely better  uses for the medium than tweeting out humorous photos. Revolutionaries use twitter to organize movements in unison. New breaks faster now and comes directly to each individual in their pocket. Why not translate that system to people's health? Without breaching HIPPA regulations and revealing too much personal information, social media can help individuals with medication and reminders, lowering costs and creating a more personal touch between physicians and their patients. 

"Hospitals can take advantage of social media, just like any other company can. It’s an excellent way to market to their geographical audience and keep the hospital name in front of a wide range of people on a regular basis.  It can also benefit those in the community who are connected to the hospital. For many reasons, social media is the perfect way for a person to feel connected to their caregiver in between visits. How can such a big, regulated organization get in on all the sharing and liking? Here are just a few ideas."

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Stop Trying To Game Social Media

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If you hired a business to do anything for you, let's say to come in and clean your office; if they told you that they were just going to make your office appear as though it were clean to everyone else outside of your company, while not actually doing the job, you would laugh in their face. Who can honestly justify trying to take shortcuts for mere appearances? Well unfortunately a large portion of social campaigns and, "social media experts," are selling just that, a product which doesn't actually connect with users online and simply maintains the appearance of engagement. Social media marketing has been getting a bad rap lately because of the way it is being utilized, not the medium itself. If done correctly, people can engage with companies and traffic can again become relevant without spamming or buying fake followers.

"For those who sell things online, social media seems like any other game of Monopoly; a vast community of users with property for sale that you want to occupy with your product. Unfortunately though, the easiest way with social media marketing is the wrong approach and effectively gaming the system is equivalent to rolling doubles three times in a row. It’s no secret that the old cowboy days of optimization meant a lot of lawless tactics. Subverting the system was the best way to maximize search results, and who was keeping score anyway? Those hoping to translate their mastery of algorithms to a new type of site quickly learn though that things don't work the same way. Instead of a blind algorithm that can easily be fooled, you’re now dealing with real people who have more intelligent reactions to your efforts. Don’t buy utilities, understand railroads are risky, and know that shortcuts in the game of Social Media will get you sent to jail. The only way to succeed is to play the master of the house’s rules, and these days, the master is the average user. "

Read the full article on Social Media Today

How To Analyze Campaign Success Rates Through Landing Pages

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When looking at a digital campaign for any website, unique visits, time spent on page and the bounce rate can be incredibly revealing statistics. With a low bounce rate and the others being high, that means you're doing incredibly well, but in my professional experience this rarely happens right off the bat. Due to poorly written meta descriptions, keywords and content on page a visitor might think they're coming to your site for the wrong kind of information, hence the bounce. So how do you remedy the situation? 

"It's no secret that for companies with an online presence, bigger is better when it comes to digital campaigns. Sometimes, however, the results are not necessarily what the company expects or wants. What do you do at this point? Cry a little? Pull your hair out? No, you do some homegrown research to find what the problems may be and you learn how to fix them.

The best options for determining a campaign's success is by tracking your analytics and conversion rates through your final landing page. By interacting with users online, through social media, blogs, or any other community, you are establishing a relationship that needs to benefit their needs and concerns. Managing a successful campaign is all about understanding your targeted audience and finding the best ways to appeal to them. Get active in finding the best approaches to maintaining customer retention by understanding what pages and information yield the most positive results." --> continued 

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Utilizing Localized Internet Targeting For Your Small Business

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The big business push has come and gone, and now small businesses are returning to glory. Major corporations may have cheaper prices, but with that comes lower quality products that apply to a general populace of consumers. Small businesses have the advantage of remaining local and highly specialized, but a major set back is having to operate with higher costs compared to larger competitors. In the digital age knowledge is power, and connecting with your customers online can be simple for big businesses on a national scale, or a small local shop looking for customers in a focused area. It's all about knowing how to reach the right people. 

"Over the past few decades, American consumers have become very comfortable with big box stores. These are the Wal-Marts of the world, the one-stop shops that promise low prices, consistently stocked shelves and a sense of familiarity from one store to the next. This mentality has somehow managed to find its way into every aspect of American life -- we have chain restaurants, big breweries and even massive websites that dominate retail. Recently, however, there has been a big push for supporting local businesses. Somewhere along the way, consumers began to value the offerings of smaller, more focused retailers and the local economy has begun to recover from the invasion of the retail giant. What happened? Why the sudden shift? It would seem there's a major problem when it comes to the big box model and local businesses are finally finding solutions to help them compete again."

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The Forgotten Aftermath Of Natural Disaster: Cleaning Up

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It's arguably one of the saddest realities associated with Natural Disasters. First something horrifying tears through everyday life and leaves people stranded, to which we all respond in good nature and empathy, offering to help clean up and donate money to various causes. Then, a measly few months after the fact, disaster has been erased from our memory and we've moved on to the next fixation. The Gulf of Mexico is still recovering from the BP Oil spill. Tornadoes that have ransacked the south and Midwest still leave scars throughout communities. And, even closer to home, the wreckage from Hurricane Sandy still looms in some of the most populated areas in the US. What is involved in the process to clean up and return to normal from natural disasters like Sandy, past simply donating a dollar to the Red Cross?

"Hurricane Sandy came ashore late in the day on Monday, October 28, 2012. It is a date New York and New Jersey residents won't soon forget. The storm wiped out houses and pushed sand and water four blocks inland in some places. While many had evacuated, many others were left stranded. About 10,000 Air National Guard and Army forces came on duty round the clock in the 13 states that were affected by the massive hurricane. The nation tends to rally during the aftermath of a natural disaster. Something about the unequivocal power of nature and its indiscriminate path of destruction makes it easy to ask, “What if it happened to me?” Millions found their answer in the post-Sandy relief effort.

Getting any place back to normal after a crippling disaster takes time, effort and millions of dollars. Though the response to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake shocked the world with its magnitude, the restoration is still happening nearly three years later. The Sandy cleanup effort has been called “military” by New York Times writer Eric Lipton, but one wonders just how long crews will be in restoring The Rockaways."

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The Growth And Prominence Of The Social Media Generation

Read the full article on We Are Social People

When I was growing up, if you tried to explain to me what an 8 track player was, or a laser disk even, I would have probably laughed. The mere thought of it to me was hilarious; "A ridiculously large CD? Why would anyone buy that?" as I shoved my floppy disk into a desktop computer running Windows 95 (top of the line). These days the same mentality holds true. Dial up? AIM? Do you mean IM? Children born from today forward will no nothing of the pre-smartphone era, where social updates didn't occur every second and getting online meant kicking your sister off the home phone. It's astonishing how time flies, and yet what does that mean about this group of youngsters? Their mentality will be entirely different from the older generation, so how can we influence and connect with Millenials who see social media as common and even passe?

"The Internet continues to revolutionize modern life in a host of ways. Those who adapted to it as it grew and developed remember different times and ways of communication than many of today’s youth ever will. The most recent generation will grow up never knowing a time without smartphones, Netflix and Wi-Fi. While these digital natives are intimidating and hard to pin down, they will become the key to marketing for years to come. After all, without the Millennials, we wouldn’t have the all-encompassing term “social media” or the need to conduct social media marketing campaigns."

Read the full article on We Are Social People

Holiday Season Shows the Importance of Mobile Interaction

Read the full article on Bill Mullin's Tech Thoughts

I can't say we didn't see this one coming. Mobile interaction and sales have been steadily increasing since 2009, some would even say since the advent of the smartphone. It's just common sense; people don't need to go home anymore to get on their computers and interact online, they have their own computer in their pockets. This applies to social media interaction, search, and most definitely shopping. Everyone and their mother has an application these days to help boost online sales, and this past holiday season was proof that it is a strategy worth investing in, especially considering the rising number of tablet users. 

"In 2012, shoppers spent $1.46 billion online on the Monday following Thanksgiving (also known as “Cyber Monday”). And more than 18 percent of shoppers used a mobile device to access retail sites that day. As mobile devices become more available – and as retailers designer their websites to be more mobile-friendly – the trend in online shopping is expected to continue.

Of particular interest to retailers is the fact that people who use mobile devices to shop online exhibit a slightly higher rate of conversion when compared to their desktop computer-using counterparts. That’s why it pays to develop a strategy for capturing this audience."

Read the full article on Bill Mullin's Tech Thoughts

What Do You Want Your Website Visitors To Do?

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If you are doing digital marketing right, then you are reaching the right audience online and effectively drawing them into your website. Great. Now that they are here though, how do you effectively portray your message and generate a lead? Is there a clear path for a visitor to take in order to go through the full process of realization of need, research, consideration and purchase? The conversion process is much more in depth than simply throwing the price of a product online and needs to be thought out carefully to maximize your outlets on the web. 

"Websites cannot remain static and effective at achieving high conversions. It's an either-or decision. Every company should answer the question: What do you want your site visitors to do? Your answer determines your conversion goals. Are you missing out on potential micro conversions by focusing too much on the macro level? Are you only tracking one macro conversion funnel?

You should concentrate on one overriding objective: Relevancy. Ask yourself if you're sending the right message to the right person at the right time? Converting your audience may require a combination of new calls to action, upgraded content and a new user interface. Your choice depends on how relevant it is to your audience."

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New EU Law Promotes More Efficient Aircraft Emissions, Stirs Controversy

Read the full article on Inspired Economist 

Airplane traffic has been predicted to increase by 50 percent over the next 20 years, however there have been little regulations enforced over the environmental damage being caused by airline emissions. For the most part, global warming and CO2 emissions has been centered around industrial production and automobiles, while very little focus has been placed on airlines. However, the European Union has taken a stance against airplane emissions and put into place a law requiring more in depth documentation of airplane emissions from every company landing within the EU. One problem; not every company is comfortable releasing this information. I wonder why...

"Despite good intentions about contributing to a healthier environment, the European Union recently enforced a law that heavily restricts airline emissions, and has subsequently been met with tremendous opposition. The law essentially requires all aircraft operators touching down or taking off in Europe to offer a permit that illustrates the craft's emissions levels throughout the entire flight.

Still, the step toward environmental friendliness and sustainability is one the United Nations is willing to work toward, but perhaps through a different approach. The U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is currently working on a compromise to the law in an attempt to find a more practical and applicable solution to global temperature change."

Read the full article on Inspired Economist 

Why Fragmentation Is Great For Android Developers And Users

Read the full article on Tech Republic

There have been plenty of complaints about how fragmented Android's platform and operating system is, which heavily depends on the hardware providers unveiling updates and software versions. However, looking at a problem and simply letting it get the best of you is how individuals fail in enterprise. I prefer to view challenges as major opportunities, turning shortcomings into major successes. The segmented Android system can stop you in your tracks, but only if you let it. 

"It would be bad form to delve into the world of Android fragmentation wearing a pair of rose-colored glasses, but also don’t overlook the upsides to the OS’s segmentation.

On some levels, the segmented nature of the Android OS is a pain for developers and smartphone users. But there are truly great aspects of segmentation that affect users in a positive way, and there are some upsides for Android developers too."

Read the full article on Tech Republic

Office Debate: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

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This seems to be a point of contention these days, mostly by people who are tired of being so politically correct. True, everyone should respect the other religious freedoms and choices of fellow peers, but is simply having a, "Christmas Party," taking things too far? Some people are beginning to argue that since it is Christmas time that you should feel comfortable telling people Merry Christmas, while others still believe that to be discriminatory, opting for Happy Holidays. Religion in the workplace always needs to be handled with care, but what is right for you and your business?

"Merry Christmas! Or is it Happy Holidays? Which holidays are you allowed to call by name when offering someone your best wishes? More importantly, what is appropriate to talk about in the workplace? Just about every employer gives their employees time off for Christmas, but is it fair to only celebrate a Christian holiday? Sure, people of all faiths receive time off to celebrate their religious holidays, but are you being sensitive to them when the office is primarily decorated with Christmas trees and Santa Claus figures? It's unsafe to assume your employees practice Christianity or observe Christmas in some form, even if you work in a church environment. The holidays are a time of spirited music and togetherness. What can you do to help promote acceptance of diversity in your workplace?"

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Environmental Variables Leading to Children's Health Concerns

We all understand that air pollution has a negative effect on our daily health and lives, but research conducted by USC has shown that environmental variables surrounding children might have more profound repercussions on infants and their development.

A study group of 279 children with autism, as well as 245 children without was conducted, taking into account the mother's home address at birth to estimate pollutant levels. Using the EPA's air quality system, they cross referenced exposure levels to NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 to determine the subsequent outcome. 

In a nutshell, the study shows that significant exposure to airborne pollution during pregnancy and the first year of a child's life can increase the chances of developing autism...by nearly 2 times.

"We've known for a long time that air pollution is bad for our lungs, and especially for children," states Heather Volk, Ph.D., assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "We're now beginning to understand how air pollution may affect the brain."

Autism was previously thought to be the result of genetics, but other prenatal variables such as advanced age in either parent, the use of drugs during pregnancy or diabetes have been theorized as the culprit. Whatever the cause may be, an unhealthy or over polluted environment while the child is in utero and at a young age can result in varying cases of Autism. This new USC study reaffirms the hypothesis. 

Though the study focused entirely on air pollution it is not the only environmental variable to worry about when bearing or raising a child. Mercury contaminated foods, such as fish, have been shown to have significant neurological effects on a child's development, and currently one million children have more iron in their blood than the currently accepted level for growth.

Regulations by the government have been put in place to protect individuals and their overall health, but pollution on a massive scale has become too prevalent to escape entirely. While we all cannot live in the mountains with the freshest air and cleanest water supply available, simply understanding the effects of pollution on childhood development can help parents better protect their children.

Rising Sea Levels A Major Result Of Climate Change

I had a fun argument with my mother over the holiday weekend about environmental policy and the path that we are currently on. I couldn't help but to laugh when she told me that there was no proof that the rising climate, extreme weather and other environmental effects weren't just the earth going through it's natural cycle. As an environmentalist myself, and a copywriter covering green issues, policy and business, I couldn't hold my emotions back. The most prolific example of how climate change can seriously affect life for humans as we know it comes in the form of the rising sea levels.

This past summer, the US shattered record highs forcing the majority of the country into a depressive drought. However, the rise in temperature occurred over the globe, specifically around the poles of our planet. Satellite images of Greenland show that about 40% of Greenland's ice caps had melted. This is a microcosm for what was happening around the globe, melting previously solid water forms which then dump off into the ocean.

Currently about 40% of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast. Water levels are expected to rise nearly three feet by 2100. Three feet may not sound like much, but to apply that over the entire ocean over the entire planet is a massive increase. Not only would this affect oceanic ecosystems but weather as well, since the majority of weather patterns are created from the sun evaporating water off of the ocean. The polar ice caps are also a major source of fresh water on the planet and comprise about 70 percent of our fresh water source, of which will simply melt and run off into the ocean.

New York is a major point of concern since the the island is only 8 feet above sea level at its lowest points. Hurricane Sandy was able to force water over the breakers at the current height...now imagine the ocean several feet higher. New Orleans would not be able to withstand another tropical storm...period.

Human involvement in climate change and global warming is definite. The consistent burning of fossil fuels and the fact that the average life expectancy of humans has doubled since 1900 points to ourselves as being the major cause of a shifting environment for the worse. The only course of action is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous and simply admit that we are the problem; not doing so could be catastrophic to our well being.

On our current course with environmental policy and leniency with burning fossil fuels, we might not be able to prevent the damage that has been done. In a few years, going to visit New York will be like visiting Venice; scenic and beautiful but all the more depressing. Rising sea levels are a profound concern and one that cannot be pawned off on the next generation.

New York To Benefit From Delhi Clean Water Project

Read the full article on Inspired Economist

New York is going to have a handful of serious problems in the near future. Due to the rising sea level, New York will be facing a major flood issue, not to mention serious overpopulation and pollution in the metropolitan area. However, being one of the world's premiere and largest cities, there are projects and individuals vying to make it more environmentally friendly and sustainable. One such project is being undertaken by the University of New York at Delhi, which intends to rework the current water system in order to conserve fresh water and manage waste water more efficiently, all while boosting the local economy.   

"As the world’s population grows, so does demand for resources – especially clean water, which is becoming increasingly scarce. But efforts are under way to find solutions to this growing problem.

One potentially revolutionary water recycling solution has been developed at the State University of New York at Delhi. The massive project will divert a daily total of 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater into an underground irrigation and storage system, greatly increasing local water-treatment capacities, benefiting New York City."

How To Write An Email: I Am Jack's Email Voice

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I am, without a doubt, a huge Fight Club fan. For those of you who haven't seen it, shame on you. (seriously [I'm not even going to bother with a brief summary]) The central message rings true even today as the Occupy Movement and 99% issues are being worked out within the United States; you cannot treat everyone like a schmuck who is just another dollar sign for an organization. Especially with the advent of the internet, transparency and genuine behavior is the only answer for companies to still operate. This must be applied in every aspect of business, online or off, and especially when trying to communicate with the individuals who care about your business and keep it moving forward. That is why you should consider reworking how you speak with them, through social or in this case email. 

Talking at a potential customer instead of with them is the wrong way to operate, one that might be responded with piss in the clam chowder and a rubber band in new places. And while Tyler Durden would hate the idea of his message being applied to business, it still resonates; humanize your business and understand who you are communicating with. How you write an email is more important than you might think. 

"Author Chuck Palahniuk's searing look at the corporate world in "Fight Club" was spot on: You want your brand to stand out and avoid being just another star in the Microsoft Galaxy, an IBM Stellar Sphere or replica Planet Starbucks. You may represent your company, but the best thing you can do is represent yourself professionally. Fashion designer Tory Burch leverages her online voice by utilizing her Twitter for sharing experiences, off-the-cuff commentary and in-the-moment thoughts. This candid nature has driven more business for her that traditional marketing posts. How do you identify your own personal brand and its voice? How does that translate into your e-mail and social media communications?"

Beijing Makes Changes To Fight Air Pollution

Read the full article on Green Building Elements

Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world. I visited China several years ago and it truly is a daunting spectacle; high rise building everywhere, an astonishing seven ring roads encircling the city and outlying parts, and people literally everywhere. It's not wonder that the air quality here is so poor since there is just a baffling amount of activity. China hasn't been the most environmentally conscious country in the past, but now is looking to clean up it's air quality, specifically in their capital city.

"For decades, air pollution has threatened the health of people in Beijing. Brown smog hangs over the city. The sun, when you can see it, is tinged a rusty brown, like looking at a flashlight through a piece of paper. City-dwellers wear surgical masks to protect their lungs from the pollutants and other chemicals that float in the air they breathe every day.

But the people of Beijing have had enough. Under pressure from the public and the United States embassy, the city has been forced to acknowledge the problem and provide accurate information about air quality."

Scientists Discover Efficient Way To Absorb Oil Spills

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The BP oil spill was one of the worst environmental disasters in the past decade, not to mention one of the worst all time in the Gulf Coast. Just today BP agreed publicly to plead guilty in causing damage to the region and paying heavy fines to groups in the area. Luckily though, scientists have just generated a new material that is capable of not only absorbing  oil from the water in mass quantities, but then can be sent to refineries to have the oil itself salvaged. This helps businesses maintain their profit, but vastly more importantly it expedites the cleanup process for oil spills.

"Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, restoration efforts are still under way. At the time of the accident, scientists struggled with how to contain oil in the gulf, which killed animal and plant life and took a terrible toll on many industries. Now, we may be better prepared to respond to such a disaster, thanks to a groundbreaking new material.

Scientist have invented a new super-absorbent material that can soak-up 40 times its weight in oil and contain it. This allows for the clean-up of water, but also preserves the oil for harvesting. The absorbent material can be sent to an oil refinery, where the oil is extracted."

Taking The Complications Out Of Automating Social Media

Read the full article on Business Computing World

Social media is powerful, no surprise there. Only problem is that it is all encompassing and requires attention at all points in time in order to be effective. If you have a person dedicated specifically to social media marketing, then great that makes things easier, but the vast majority of businesses and individuals are trying to tackle it on top of other duties. Needless to say, things can get complicated, busy and frustrating. Automation is the answer, and there are helpful and effective tools out there that can link social profiles together and remove some stress. 

"This might be news to no one, but if a business isn’t using social media to reach customers and clients, it's missing out on a prime opportunity to create sales. "Great," you might be thinking. “Something else I have to do to keep my business running?” The last thing you want to do is pile on yet another task that has to be consistently monitored throughout the day.

There’s one thing that most business owners can all rally around: they're always looking for a new way to get small tasks done automatically, rather than taking precious time out of a day to do it. On a large scale, we’re talking about robots building cars. On a small scale, this might mean an online form that automatically sends an email to someone after it’s filled out. It’s quick, it’s easy and it requires little to no effort on the part of anyone after it’s set up. Believe it or not, there are ways to automate your social media, as well. Automating social media can free up your time to focus on the other important aspects of running a business. Of course, as with most things, there are wrong and right ways to put social media on cruise control."

The Mobile Business: Pay Through Your Phone

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The development turning cell phones into portable banks and cash registers has altered the small business landscape forever. The perfect example is the recent food truck boom in the United States. Having a mobile business (literally) complicates things on multiple levels, but simply being able to shoot your payments into the cloud via a handheld device allows the focus to remain on customer service. As a result, food trucks have exploded everywhere, even in third tier markets like Indianapolis. Think of all the possibilities this can mean for your business, whether it's in the back of a truck, someone's front yard, or a market? 

"Smartphones have already eased many burdens and helped make life easier for connected users on the go. However, smartphones aren’t done transforming our lives just yet. Mobile application development is constantly pushing the limits of what smartphones are capable of and what they are used for. Smartphones are replacing all sorts of other devices, such as cameras, calculators and compasses, and are now set to fill new roles as cash registers, making it easier than ever before for businesses to collect payment for products and services.

For many small businesses, the cost of using card swipe machines and traditional cash registers can be expensive and isn’t always the greenest way to run a business. With advances in smartphone technologies, however, businesses can use phones as if they were cash registers with card swipe devices that attach to phones and simple applications that are easy to use."

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