The bMighty Blog -- Naomi Grossman

Naomi Grossman brings nearly 20 years of writing and editing experience to her role as bMighty.com Associate Editor. From covering cultural events in the Middle East to business news in upstate New York to real estate in the Greater Boston region, Grossman has worked in a variety of milieus and positions within the media industry. Most recently, Grossman covered the South Asian business community in the United States for The Indus Business Journal, affording her the opportunity to cover all sectors of this very diverse and complex group. As associate editor of bMighty.com, Grossman splits her time between writing feature stories, daily blogs and columns, and editing the work of freelancers and the daily and weekly newsletters.

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Natural Search vs. Paid Search: SEO Wins

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:50 AM ET | Jul 3, 2008

Most smaller businesses know by now that search engine optimization is an effective way to get their sites noticed by the almighty search engines. But a recent survey indicates that SEO is the best way to generate online leads. Is your site optimized for search?

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Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

How to Loosen E-Mail's Grip: One Man's Odyssey

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:11 AM ET | Jul 1, 2008

E-mail has become one of the greatest time-sucking tools of nearly everyone's workday. Do you dare calculate how much time you spend every morning reading and responding to the myriad of messages that have flooded your inbox? Not to mention the incessant messages that pop up throughout the day. One man decided to fight back.

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Hardware & Software | Messaging | Networking & Communications

Lessons Learned From Bill Gates

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:55 PM ET | Jun 27, 2008

Today is Bill Gates' last day as a full time employee of Microsoft, the company he built into a software giant. It's hard to even imagine that Microsoft was ever a small business but it had the same humble beginnings as nearly all companies. It also had an extraordinary leader in Gates and it is there that smaller businesses could learn a lot.

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Hardware & Software | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Home is Where Your Employees Should Be

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:30 AM ET | Jun 24, 2008

It's 11 AM on a weekday morning, gas prices are soaring, and there are lots of affordable collaboration tools on the market. Do you know where your employees are? Better yet, do you know where your employees should be? Working from home.

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HR | Hardware & Software | IT

Social Media Hits Critical Mass: How Will Your Latest Hires Communicate?

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:27 PM ET | Jun 20, 2008

A recent study indicates that more than half of all adults rely on some form of social media to communicate not just with friends and family, but also with their colleagues. And in the 18 to 34 year old adult category (the adult term is used very loosely here) those numbers climb way higher. All this means one thing: Those new employees you are planning in hiring will be communicating in all sorts of different ways.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Networking & Communications

Hackers? Ha! It's the IT Staff That Has the Keys -- and Uses Them

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:20 PM ET | Jun 19, 2008

You thought your biggest security worry was hackers stealing your company's private information? Think again. A recent survey indicates that IT guys are routinely accessing their companies' private information. Why? Because they can.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Security

Firefox 3: Initial Impressions

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:22 PM ET | Jun 17, 2008

Unless you're living under a rock you know that the much-anticipated release of Firefox 3.0 is happening today. But some reviewers didn't let a little thing like an official release time stop them from getting their hands on the RC version and sharing their thoughts.

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Hardware & Software | Internet/Web

Facebook as a Business Tool? It's Happening

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:18 PM ET | Jun 13, 2008

As social networking tools go, Facebook is probably at the top of many people's lists. As a business tool, I would venture to guess that, for most managers, the social networking site is at or close to the bottom of most of their lists. But it looks like it won't stay there for long. Facebook is, at last, worming its way into the enterprise in ways that actually make sense.

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Hardware & Software | Internet/Web | Networking & Communications

Cellphones and Cancer: A Way to Check Out What Hangs on Your Ear (Just in Case)

Posted by Naomi Grossman 02:39 PM ET | Jun 12, 2008

The evidence linking cellphone usage and brain tumors is sketchy but there's just enough to make worrywarts a little bit uncomfortable. Just to make things even more interesting, along comes a guide that lists which cellphones give off the most and least radiation.

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Mobile | Networking & Communications

A Good Wiki is Hard to Find -- But Worth it

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:14 AM ET | Jun 12, 2008

The business value of wikis are becoming more and more obvious: They foster collaboration, encourage creativity, and they are relatively easy and inexpensive to create. But if you want widespread adoption of your company's wiki there are a few simple tips you should consider.

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Internet/Web | Networking & Communications | Strategy/Analysis/Biz Dev

Get on That Social Media Bandwagon. But Take Your Employees With You

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:51 AM ET | Jun 11, 2008

Social media is about a lot of things: It's wikis, blogs, forums, and lots more that can transform your smaller business, help you connect with your customers, and foster internal collaboration. But whether you decide to leap on the social media bandwagon or take some small steps in its direction, don't forget who you need to take with you on this journey: Your employees.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Technology/Telecom

Our Readers Speak: Get Even Smarter About Storage

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:04 AM ET | Jun 5, 2008

We posted an article on "Storage Smarts" last week which examined various data storage options -- one of which is outsourcing your data storage. One of our readers, though, pointed out that there are liability issues that smaller businesses need to be aware of if they choose that option. We are listening.

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Government | IT | Storage

Cellphones, Cancer, and a Simple Solution

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:25 PM ET | Jun 4, 2008

Survival in the business world without a cellphone is unthinkable in this day and age. Even the idea that having that microwave antenna right next to your brain could increase the risk of developing brain tumors does not get factored into how most businesspeople use their cellphones. Granted, the risk is unclear, but are you sure you want to take that kind of chance?

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Mobile | Technology/Telecom

Texting For Dollars

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:51 AM ET | Jun 2, 2008

Marketing is often where smaller businesses fall way short of their larger sized competitors. But there are ways for resourceful and creative smaller businesses to compensate: For instance, have you tried texting your customers? It's cheap and easy and it can get you the targeted attention your business craves.

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Mobile | Sales/Marketing

A Search Engine Just For IT

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:24 AM ET | May 27, 2008

Paglo is launching the beta version of its search engine for IT and its ability to let IT departments search and get information about their networks and the devices on it just might mean a few less headaches.

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IT | Networking & Communications

Is Microsoft About to Change How Search Gets Done?

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:43 AM ET | May 22, 2008

Microsoft has offered to pay consumers who use its Livesearch engine to find and buy stuff. For smaller businesses, the important question is this: Is this going to change how search gets done?

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Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Retail | Sales/Marketing

Facebook Just Might Be the Smaller Business' Best Marketing Tool

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:13 AM ET | May 20, 2008

If you are among those who firmly believe that Facebook offers nothing to business but a way for their employees to waste time, you are not alone. But as the social networking tool grows in popularity, it seems increasingly likely that it could be redefining the whole concept of marketing.

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Hardware & Software | Networking & Communications | Sales/Marketing

The World of Web 2.0 Can Bite Back

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:37 AM ET | May 19, 2008

Introducing Web 2.0 elements to your website -- blogs, wikis, live chats, chat rooms – is a great way to connect with your customers and create a community of users. But once you establish that connection and create that community, you'll need to tread carefully. Because now your customers can let you --and often your other customers -- know exactly what they think.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | Internet/Web

Still Laughing at Twitter? You Might Be Laughing All the Way Past the Bank

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:59 AM ET | May 16, 2008

Of all the social networking services, who would have thought Twitter, with its mini messages being sent with an immediacy that often belies that content, would be touted as a useful business tool? Smaller businesses, you might not want to pass this one by.

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Business & E-Business | Mobile | Sales/Marketing

It's All About the Keywords

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:26 AM ET | May 15, 2008

Search engine marketing is one of the most effective ways to get customers and clients to your Web site. But if your site isn't popping up high on those searches, there is almost always one thing you're doing wrong: It all comes down to choosing the right keywords.

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Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing

Should Smaller Businesses Twitter? Some Say Yes

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:13 AM ET | May 13, 2008

Social networking has met its match in Twitter, whose dedicated users are fixated on SMS-ing or IM-ing their "tweets" in the small space allotted by the messaging service. But what can a smaller business do with the 140 character limit to generate business? Apparently, a lot.

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Mobile | Networking & Communications | Sales/Marketing

Stamp Costs Are Up. E-Mail Costs Are Not

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:33 AM ET | May 12, 2008

The US Postal Service is increasing the costs of stamps again. It'll now cost you 42 cents to mail a letter -- and you'll have to dig deeper to mail other items also. But the price of sending an e-mail hasn't changed.

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Hardware & Software | Sales/Marketing

Data Center Conservation: Some Practical Tips

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:37 PM ET | May 9, 2008

Jack Pouchet, the director of energy initiatives at Emerson Network Power, believes companies can reduce 50 percent of the power consumption in their data center, if they tried just a little. Is your small or midsize business interested?

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Green Business | IT | Operations

Web Text: They're Not Reading Much So Keep it Short

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:29 AM ET | May 8, 2008

Recent research into the reading habits of the average Internet user reveals what we've all long suspected: those visitors to your site are not reading much. The lesson for smaller businesses is obvious: Tighten up that copy and remember to make those words that you put up there count.

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Business & E-Business | Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing

Big Blue Thinks Smaller

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:26 PM ET | May 6, 2008

IBM is launching a web-based application initiative for smaller businesses. The company is finally starting to realize there's real money to be made off small to midsize businesses. The question is what took them so long?

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Cloud Computing | Hardware & Software

Web 2.0: Videos Can Give Smaller Businesses an Edge

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:41 AM ET | May 5, 2008

On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog, goes the famous New Yorker cartoon. Nobody has to know you’re a smaller business either – and videos are one of the most effective ways to look bigger and impress the search engines, if you do it right.

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Business & E-Business | Sales/Marketing

Interop: Smaller Businesses Get Some Attention

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:26 AM ET | May 2, 2008

There was lots and lots of focus on larger enterprises at Interop, but, if you looked for it, you could find that many tech companies are thinking more and more about the smaller business.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | Networking & Communications

Interop: The Scary Business of Data Privacy

Posted by Naomi Grossman 03:45 PM ET | May 1, 2008

With Interop taking place in the very unreal city of Las Vegas, it's easy to forget that a smaller business has anything to worry about. But the issue of privacy and database breaches is not only very real, apparently it's getting more and more real every day.

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Business & E-Business | Security

Those Social Networking Apps? Not as Safe as Your Employees Think

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:54 AM ET | Apr 28, 2008

There's lots of talk about the time-wasting element inherent in social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Along comes yet another reason for a smaller business to block these sites: Security, or lack thereof.

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Hardware & Software | Networking & Communications | Security

Web 2.0, Web 3.0: Just Don't Forget Web 1.0

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:32 AM ET | Apr 24, 2008

There's a lot of talk about how Web 2.0 can help smaller businesses work. And a lot of talk about what Web 3.0 will be able to do for smaller businesses. It's all good -- just don't forget about Web 1.0.

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Internet/Web | Sales/Marketing

It's Earth Day. Time for Smaller Businesses to Go Green

Posted by Naomi Grossman 02:26 PM ET | Apr 22, 2008

It's Earth Day everybody. You know what that means: Time to think about ways to green your smaller business. It's the right thing, to do, it'll save your smaller business money, and bMighty has lots of easy ways for you to do it.

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Green Business | IT

Web 2.0 + Business = Enterprise 2.0 (Coming Soon, if the IT Guys Let it in)

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:52 AM ET | Apr 22, 2008

A new report by Forrester Research predicts that enterprise spending on Web 2.0 technologies is going to increase dramatically over the next five years. But before you IT guys get all a-"twitter," we're not talking about consumer Web 2.0 here: We're talking Enterprise 2.0, and it's not your teenager's Facebook.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Technology/Telecom

Deal With That IT Bully…Or Else

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:59 AM ET | Apr 16, 2008

Nearly everyone in IT has, at one time or another, come across the IT bully -- that IT guy who not only thinks he knows more than everyone else and needs to let everyone know it but is also rude, crude, and nasty. Resolving to let your IT department handle the IT bully on their own is a big mistake, unless you want to end up with an IT department of one.

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HR | IT

For Those Looking to Get Free of Vista, There's Help

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:39 AM ET | Apr 15, 2008

Apparently, smaller businesses are quite passionate about Windows XP. But the reality is if you are in the market for a new machine, chances are you're going to get Vista -- whether you like it or not. Help, though, is just a few clicks away.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Linux

XP Users get Passionate and Try to Save Their OS. Do Smaller Businesses Feel the Love?

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:52 AM ET | Apr 14, 2008

Microsoft plans to end full support of Windows XP in just a year and will stop selling XP at the end of June. But a Web petition to save XP is gaining momentum -- and getting attention. Who knew XP-users had such passion for their operating system? Or such hatred for Vista?

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Hardware & Software | IT