Video chat and a VoIP service has been showing up on space shuttles, airplanes, offices, public schools, and even Oprah. Recent improvements in standard internet speed (currently over three quarters of all American households have broadband, according to a study by the Consumer Electronics Association), now allow more and more options for internet telephony to enter the market.

Currently, the highest rated VoIP service option is Skype, which practically single-handedly created a VoIP market when it was first released in 2003. It quickly became the “Nike” of internet communications, with its name becoming almost synonymous with VoIP.

As of lately, however, many new options have started popping up. Many of these new choices offer improvements on Skype’s original model, while many others seem to be destined to be labeled clones. Here are a few of the more popular VoIP clients.

MegaMeeting is perhaps the most business-ready of all VoIP options at the moment. Unlike Skype’s focus on one-on-one connections, MegaMeeting supports video conferencing for up to 16 participants. What makes this option important is that on top of the 16 involved in the conversation, an unlimited amount of users can be allowed to “sit in” on the virtual conference. In addition, it also supports live application and screen sharing, as well as PowerPoint presentation capabilities.

MegaMeeting can be accessed directly through a browser for free, or purchased as a standalone program for less than $30 to ensure protected and encrypted privacy.

iChat is Apple’s answer to VoIP – it comes prepackaged with Macbooks and practically any other piece of their hardware. iChat offers many of MegaMeeting and Skype’s functions, all tied together neatly like Apple’s other products. Perhaps the main difference between iChat and any other VoIP programs is in its ease of use for the uninitiated technophiles.

Like Skype, iChat is essentially a free program – though Skype requires much more advanced hardware requirements like dual-core processors and special Logitech webcams to work. On the same note, though, iChat’s user-friendliness is directly related to being programmed into a machine that was made for it.

Aside from downloadable programs, there are also web browser based VoIP clients, like Zoho Meeting and Palbee, where no programs need to be downloaded. Zoho Meeting is more established, and allows for crisp video conferencing in 1-on-1 scenarios. Zoho does charge for additional users, however, while the newer Palbee allows for up to 5 participants.

Zoho Meeting can be used together with Skype to incorporate contacts and long distance connections, as well. Palbee has perhaps some of the most interesting options, as it has an online whiteboard for participants to share, as well as the ability to record video chats for playback or broadcast later on.

Many business plan writers and entrepreneurs have engaged in heated debates as to whether a business plan should include both a SWOT and risk analysis. The SWOT tool assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your new or existing businesses, whereas the risk analysis looks at the risks faced by your venture and how you intend to overcome those obstacles. When looking at the entire business plan, the competitive overview, competitive advantages (of your business), risk analysis, and SWOT analysis seem too much of the same thing. This begs the question, how redundant should business plans be?

As a business plan writer and editor, I argue that is critical to demonstrate your knowledge of competition and what your businesses will or does face in the marketplace with regard to threats and how your advantages will supersede any barriers that may exist. When writing a business plan, I make it a priority to recognize the risks in the marketplace concerning such topics as the political, operational, technical, procedural, and technical areas surrounding your business. A great online tool to guide your risk analysis is Mind Tools.

Considerable time, research, and thought are needed to create the both management tools. SWOT and risk analysis can be thrown in to spruce up the appearance of your plan, but it is pertinent that these are formulated with an ardent knowledge of what your business is truly up against. Whether that means incorporating both management tools in the business plan document, they should only be implemented and put in the plan if redundancy is not a factor. Let’s face it: no one wants to read pages and pages of the same thing.

Search engine Yahoo will end its paid inclusion program (similar to pay per click) at the end of the year after complaints that having paid advertisements included in organic search results could create biased results. The move is not a PR one though – Yahoo originally stated that its paid inclusion program was still up in the air at their July press conference that announced their merger with Microsoft.

Yahoo’s paid inclusion program, formally called Search Submit Pro, allowed users to pay for page inclusion but not page rank. Having guaranteed page inclusion for searches, however, did allow web designers to optimize their pages for specific search results. Complaints against paid inclusion focused on how Yahoo was spilling over into traditional search engine optimization practices, which include pay-per-click ads and keyword manipulation.

Perhaps the happiest to see the demise of paid inclusion are the smaller search engine developers. Many smaller search engines were onboard in early 2003 when Yahoo first started developing Search Submit Pro, with everyone eager to slow down Google.

However, paid inclusion quickly turned into a monopoly for Yahoo, with key searches for words like “home mortgage” turning up 80% of paid results. In one extreme case, a search for “refinance” came up with only Yahoo supported results on the first page, making it impossible for any other websites to break into the top 10 results.

Many web developers feel that the loss of paid inclusion will jumpstart pay-per-click ads and other smaller online marketing practices. Yahoo itself has kept the end date for paid inclusion at the end of this year, to allow their advertisers time to adjust.

The Yahoo/ Microsoft merger also caught a lot of media attention on its own. Some have called the partnership an effort to finally rein in Google’s stranglehold on the search engine market. Though, many industry talking heads maintain that the largest search engine on the market won’t see any competition for the next two years.

We all know the value of hard work, especially in one’s own ventures. There’s a slippery slope to avoid with it too, and that’s where hard work becomes more than just something to keep you up at night, it becomes an Art form. I spend a significant amount of time consulting and restructuring business plans to whittle down and refocus clients so they don’t spin their wheels.

One of the first things you can do to prevent yourself from falling into the cycle of never ending roadblocks is to separate what you need to do right now verses what you think you’ll need in the future. It sounds easy enough, but most people zoom from step 1 to step 7 without really considering what step 1 entails.

Say you want to open up your own pub; you’ve got your own recipes that you know people love. You know where you want to open up shop, you know what equipment you need, and you know how many people you need to manage it. You know how long it will take to break even, and how long it will take to become profitable. Now all you need is financing to pay for it all. Stop there. Now can you answer this question with a definitive “yes”: Do you have any beer right now?

If the answer is “no” because your product is contingent on getting the financing to get equipment to brew, then you’ve got to reassess your step 1: Make beer now, immediately. Not thousands of bottles, but enough to put it to a small market. To make your beer, you’ll need to borrow some equipment, preferably with some of your existing contacts in your industry who can lend you some time and space to do so. Yes, you’ll be paying out of your pocket to buy bottles, labels etc. Prove that you can sell your beer, calculate your results and make your business plan from there. At that point, you have proven that your own efforts, capital, and team have produced something that brings revenue. Step 2 then becomes making a plan to borrow your own equipment. Now you’re in a much better position to go through the trenches of capital raising instead of grasping for investors who are angelic enough to believe that the recipe scrawled on a piece of paper in your pocket will return millions of dollars after some theoretical time as passed.

For some people it’s hard to get past the idea that your business plan which you probably spent an inordinate amount of time crafting can’t be funded the way it is. Funding doesn’t happen because you think you can, it happens when you can prove you can. Proving it is your step 1. The feedback you get from your product at this stage becomes the groundwork for the rest of your business plan.

I once knew a person who spent 4 years making a business plan; it was magnificent, detailed and excruciating to review. He had spun his wheels for all those years without addressing the first step: make your product. The craft of planning goes beyond the ideas floating in one’s head, the craft involves execution at every stage. Remove yourself from the bigger picture just for a moment, and look carefully at your first required step. It’s not a chore; the ability to take a step back is an art.

VoIP systems revolutionized office phone systems and phone system capabilities allowing more businesses on-the-go capabilities at a low cost. Just recently, cell phone providers realized this could revolutionize the mobile industry as well.

Last week the media networks went crazy covering the two major VoIP service and cell phone developments. First, Verizon announced that it will be working with Google’s Android software and will begin incorporating it into their new cell phones. Therein, new Verizon phones will be Google Voice compatible. Shortly after this announcement, AT&T made public that they would be amending their current policy which restricted usage of VoIP applications such as Skype on their Apple products to a plan which almost fully enables VoIP. Pressured from customers, VoIP providers and the Federal Communications Commission, AT & T lifted the ban because it was interpreted as obstructing competitors’ applications and features thus preventing net neutrality.

These two announcements are just the beginning.  A VoIP service can now save a company money both in the office and on the go. Here’s a quick explanation on major VoIP options for cell phones:

• Skype is one of the more basic VoIP applications allowing calls, instant messaging and less expensive international calls. Most smart phones allow Skype including AT & T products now after the announcement last week (before AT&T restricted Skype calls on Apple products to be available only in Wi-Fi zones). The application is free to download at the ITunes store or from the Skype website. International calls are relatively inexpensive but the fee per minute is dependent upon the country being called. Theoretically, AT&T customers could significantly lower their monthly allotted minutes if they were to use Skype for both local and international calls.

• Google Voice: AT&T has blocked Google Voice in the past but is now reconsidering it; this is probably in light of the FCC’s investigation and Verizon’s new contract with Google. Google Voice is different than other VoIP applications because of how it routes calls - through a new phone number that is assigned to the user to an existing number the user assigns - and the features it offers. Users create one number to accept all of their phone calls and then the user decides which calls should go where. For example, mother in-law calls always go to the house while office calls always go to the cell phone. This streamlines all of communications while still offering voice mail. Much like how Google launched Gmail, Google Voice is currently accessible by invitation.

• Vonage Mobile: Vonage offers free and inexpensive international calling (60 countries are free). Vonage Mobile is now available via a free application to IPhone, IPod Touch and BlackBerry users and operates much like Skype but the billing structure is different. With Apple products, calls made over a Wi-Fi connection are free while those outside of Wi-Fi will count toward monthly minutes used. AT&T customers will also pay a $25/monthly World Rate Plan to have access to the international calling benefits. BlackBerry’s will be charged for minutes used and the calls will not be made through Wi-Fi.

VoIP applications on cell phones with inexpensive long distance and international calling available on cell phones seems too good to be true but it is true… at least for now. The introduction of VoIP to cell phones could dramatically reduce any profits related to international calling and depending on service and application, VoIP could cut down on the monthly minutes used by callers. The huge profit losses associated with this will require a restructuring of the current US cell phone billing practices. It is probable that to compensate for these losses, the cell phone companies will increase data transfer charges or have a fee like Vonage for participating in the service. Until then, call all of your international contacts and celebrate, it could be free!

Some questions to consider that has not been widely discussed are: How will the cell phone providers deal with this increase in data transfers on their networks? Have they planned for this? How will this impact how VoIP services are provided in general? Comments?

Every business plan should entail a comprehensive overview of your business’ marketplace competition. Any business that provides a similar service or product in the same region may be viewed as a primary or secondary competitor. Identified competitors underscore the impetus of expanding your company’s product or service into the selected market. As such, your business needs to highlight and build upon the weaknesses of its competitors to increase its profitability and market share. The following provides a step-by-step process in creating your competitive analysis.

Identifying competitors: To locate competitors, simply use a Google or Yahoo! map. Enter in your business’ proposed or existing address and search nearby businesses of a similar category. For example, if you’re opening a pizzeria, you can search “pizza shops” or “pizzerias” in the same zip code or city. Through this easy task, you’ve identified potential competitors. If your business operates in a niche industry, the best way to identify competitors is to leverage established contacts and web research.

Understanding your competition: Now that you have identified your top competitors (aim to analyze two to three direct competitors), it is necessary to learn everything about these companies. What do I mean? Visit their website; call the business directly to learn more about the way they operate or what they sell; physically go to the competitor’s place of business; and research customer reviews. The latter step can be implemented by simply typing in “customer reviews of XXX” in your online search bar. Also, these reviews usually are posted on websites such as Yelp.com and CitySearch.com.

Pointing out their weaknesses and strengths (eloquently): Lesson to be learned – no bashing on competitors; it is unprofessional and makes your business look worse. When I say bashing, I mean using expressions such as “they are bad” or “they have no customer assistance.” Every company has some element of customer service, so a statement like that is literally untrue. Now, the competitor may lack quality customer service, and such an observation would be a much more acceptable approach in pointing out a weakness in a business. When I am writing a competitive analysis, I always include one to two strengths and two to three weaknesses of each competitor.

Your competitive advantages: Ah, finally, we’ve reached the point of emphasizing your strengths. Truly use this section to emphasize why you’re a better business in a bulleted format (preferred) and include a few statements in a paragraph form on how you intend to supersede your competition. Examples include greater industry knowledge, lower prices, friendlier and attentive staff, larger inventory of products, and so forth. Your best bet is to underscore your own unique competitive edge that cannot be argued with, and voila, you’ve completed your competitive analysis.

The US Chamber of Commerce, which proclaims itself to be “the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size,” has a big problem on its hand.

High-profile companies have been quitting the Chamber, a virtual Who’s Who of top businesses, including Apple, PG&E, Nike, and Exelon.

The reason: the US Chamber’s opposition to the Waxman-Markey climate change bill.

The US Chamber points out that “ore than 96% of U.S. Chamber members are small businesses with 100 employees or fewer” and that “As the voice of business, the Chamber’s core purpose is to fight for free enterprise before Congress, the White House, regulatory agencies, the courts, the court of public opinion, and governments around the world.”

But its members seem to feel that the U.S. Chamber is not listening.

And, as a member of my local Chamber of Commerce, I’ve been upset about some of the positions staked out by the US Chamber: they didn’t truly seem to help small businesses.

I had mentioned something to my local chamber, but it turns out that local chambers of commerce are not necessarily members of the US Chamber — which is a branding problem.

For both the US Chamber and local chambers.

I’m a member of a local chamber, but have no input on what the US Chamber’s policy making function. Yet I was upset enough to consider quitting my local chamber, which has nothing to do with the US Chamber.

Meanwhile, the US Chamber seems to be responding to the news that more big-name members are quitting, seemingly each day, by sticking to its guns.

I’m sure that the US Chamber is losing smaller companies, too.

Yet as a call-to-action for prospective members, the Chamber says, “The Chamber understands your needs and protects your livelihood as if they are our own.”

It’s not a matter of them being “as if they are our own.” As a membership-based organization whose mission is “to fight for free enterprise,” its members’ needs and livelihood are their own.

So, the lessons learned:

1. You need to listen to your members. It certainly doesn’t seem like the US Chamber is doing this. I’m sure the US Chamber conducts surveys of its membership to help determine the direction and policies to support. But when even energy companies are quitting because they have deep concerns regarding the US Chamber’s position on climate change, that’s a problem.
2. You need to respond to your members. The lack of response to the companies leaving seems to indicate that the US Chamber doesn’t truly care about what its members think. In fact, according to Fast Company, “Why Did Apple Quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce?” “Apple’s move probably won’t change any minds in the Chamber of Commerce–Eric Wohlschegel, a spokesman for the organization, shrugged off the mass exodus by explaining that some companies have more to gain from the Chamber’s stance than others.” Seems like that’s not acting as if members’ needs and livelihoods are “our own.”
3. You need to realize that, whether you think it’s one or not, there’s a crisis. Shrugging off “a mass exodus” is not a way to manage a crisis. There is a message from the president of the US Chamber about its climate control policy, but it’s dated Sept. 29, and a lot of the high profile membership resignations have occurred in Oct. They haven’t even issued a press release this month, as of this morning, Oct. 7, to present their side of the issue. And there are no current op-eds on the site with data that supports a controversial policy.
4. You need to engage your members. The first step could be to say, we realize that our current stance on climate control may be unpopular but we think it’s the right one, but we’re willing to meet with members to explain our reasons. Town Hall meetings have a bad tone these days, but why not set up events to talk to and hear from members? Why not show the level of membership support for the current policy? Yet we have no idea of how many members surveyed agree with the policy. So far the US Chamber has not done a good job here.
5. You need to reach out to prospective members. Considering that the US Chamber needs to continue to recruit members, they need to use policy positions that will encourage prospective members to join. Doesn’t seem like fighting against climate change would generate new members.

Meanwhile, I’d have to say that the local chambers seem to be ignoring the matter, too. They may operate independently, but a lot of people may not realize that. There’s bound to be a lot of people and local businesses upset, and that could leave them with negative feelings about all chambers of commerce — which is not what you want right before renewal season. I know it’s not the local chambers’ battle, but they need to let their local members know they’re not part of the US Chamber.

A recent report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP found that Internet advertising is down 5.3% as compared to last year. If your company has cut back on internet advertising but wants to boost brand buzz, promote sales, or improve customer service, joining a social media site for your online marketing efforts may be a perfect cost saving alternative.

Twitter and Facebook are the most popular social media platforms. If we were to compare the membership on these social networking sites to a boxing match, Facebook would be the repeat heavy weight champion, while Twitter is the up and coming underdog crowd pleaser. Even with this grand difference in membership, it seems like “everyone” is on one of the two social media giants.

So which social media platform best fits your business marketing needs? Although on the surface these two appear similar, the way they are used is ragingly different. Understanding these differences is vital to successfully promoting your company through social media channels.

First things first, what is your goal? What do you want to accomplish?

If you want to… gauge client reviews, have immediate interactions with your customers, personalize your company: Twitter is for your company.

If you want to…provide information but not necessarily directly communicate with customers, host contests, and reach a larger pool of people: Facebook is the way to go.

Twitter:

Twitter is considered a running conversation. People love Twitter because they can talk directly with companies and people they do not know. By joining Twitter you are expected to add valuable content in 140 characters or less. Adding valuable content is critical to establishing your follower base and brand buzz. Tweets should not be verbatim copies of press releases or announcements of new products already published but rather a post directed to your Twitter followers.

Twitter provides a lot of freedom. A large company, could have multiple employees on tweeting while with Facebook, your company can only have a fan page. Tweeting links to interesting articles unrelated to your company, providing insight into events or office life is a great way to make your tweets less like a sales pitch and more like a conversation. Remember that tweets are a way to show the human side of your company and a way to talk with your customers directly.

Twitter is a forum or mini-blog that enables and promotes conversation. Regularly commenting on other people’s tweets and responding to comments or “retweets” made on your postings is necessary to continuing the conversation. Aside from continuing the conversation, retweets or hashtags (#) allow you to see what the rumor mill is saying about your brand, search for people to follow, and keep track of trends.

Twitter allows your company to engage your customers in real-time conversations thereby improving overall customer relations. A classic example of how Twitter can help improve customer service is what happened on a Virgin Atlantic WiFi equipped flight. A passenger was not served his meal so he used his phone to tweet about the flight attendants oversight. This tweet was seen by a Virgin Atlantic employee who contacted the flight crew and the passenger was immediately served his meal.

Facebook:

If Twitter is talking to random people on the streets of Manhattan, then Facebook is your 20-year high school reunion. Facebook has “friends” while Twitter has “followers.” Facebook has “fan pages” to promote your company and each fan page is used differently.  Two examples of organizations that use Facebook differently are:

• Sanuk. This shoe company focuses on a hilarious photo caption contest to create buzz.
• The NFL’s New England Patriots. The Patriot’s use this page to include any and all fan information and updates. The page was created to share specific information that is not on their website.

Facebook fan pages have less “rules” on what is expected of you compared to Twitter. That being said, to get the most out of your site, it needs to be interactive and updated frequently. Your clients need a reason to come back to it—if a fan page never changes, why would one revisit?

Facebook offers chat, email, video chat, and both video and photo posting capabilities that Twitter does not offer directly. Companies with fan pages on Facebook are not aiming to show the inner workings of their companies but still intend on interacting with their “friends.”

As far as legwork and time invested to both, Twitter sucks more time than Facebook as it requires more updates and real-time conversations. Facebook does not make your company more personal, but still promotes customer interactions. Before opening accounts on both social networks, determine why you want to be on a social networking site and what you hope to accomplish from it. Word to the wise - if you are not ready to give Twitter or Facebook the attention it deserves, then wait until you are. Both of these sites take time to develop a following, require frequent updates and valuable content.

With the ongoing recession, it is critical for existing and new business owners to carefully analyze the risks prior to entering the marketplace and how they intend to overcome these challenges, or barriers to market. Not every business plan service includes a risk analysis, but as an experienced business plan writer, I argue that it is necessary to acknowledge any risk(s) associated with expanding or commencing a business. The technique of building a risk analysis may cause some business owners to cringe – especially those who are exuberant about their concept and see nothing in the way of jeopardizing their ability to thrive in the marketplace. However, that is not always the case.

Business owners need to be well-prepared to create a contingency plan in case things do not go according to plan. What do I mean? Maintaining a sustainable cash flow, unforeseen market circumstances, fierce competition, utilizing the right marketing methods, etc. To properly mitigate these market risks – the owner must carry out a plan of action based off of the contingency proposal to overcome potential risks that make their business vulnerable.

The risk analysis inserted into a business plan document should include at least three market risks specifically tailored to the business concept emphasized in the plan. It is up to the owner and/or management team to look at the more pressing risks facing their industry entrance. Commonly used risks include lean capitalization, the economic recession (slow times), competition, and the owner’s ability to successfully oversee day-to-day operations. Other risks, for such businesses like retail stores, eating places, and independently owned medical clinics entail obtaining a substantial customer/client base, slow industry traction, and how to advertise to the target audience. When speaking with a client, I ask them questions to engage then with confronting market risks, i.e. “How do you intend to rise above competition?”, “How will you draw in customers?”, and “How do you intend to obtain enough customers to sustain business and generate a strong profit?” Their answers are usually their planned action in overcoming these risks.

According to information submitted by the Small Business Administration, business plans should include a competitive overview, risk assessment (or analysis), and a contingency plan once the writer has collected enough data to possess a more thorough understanding of the business’ position and what it will need to focus on or strive for to supersede its competition in an effort to become a profitable entity.

Eighty-one US banks have closed so far this year, and unfortunately for businesses, misery loves company. With high-street staples such as Circuit City closing, and many other big brands scaling back operations (Dell has closed 140 stores, Sprint/Nextel 125, even Disney has stopped supplying the public with cartoon merchandise in 98 locations), one might have to read these five reasons why the recession is good for businesses in order to get any sleep at night.

1. Value Engineering

While recessions may sound the death-knell for money lending and expansion, they breed frugality. In a shrinking economy businesses are encouraged to look inside themselves, find out where they are wasting money and stop it. By “value engineering”, the process of reducing the cost of the elements that go towards making a product, a business can cut its costs in a sustainable way. Using less packaging, for instance, will not impact the quality of the product but will create savings that will translate into great profit margins, even more so when the recession wanes.

2. First-class Fifties

Business-development advisers suggest that in an uncertain economic climate, the one sector of the market that will still show signs of growth is the over-fifty marketplace. If a business can find a way to market its products to appeal to this demographic, it will have found a whole new revenue stream post-recession. Not only that, but it will also provide the company with valuable experience at broadening their customer base and marketing to consumers that they haven’t approached before.

3. Analyzed Ideas for Customer Focus

In a game of Russian Roulette, no-one wants to add another bullet to the gun. In business, as with roulette, adding more risk to a risky situation can not only be costly, but fatal. That is why all ideas need to be thoroughly explored and analyzed to make sure that they are customer-focused. Businesses who love their own product or invention are good, but the recession demands that companies concentrate on giving the customer what they really want. A recession makes sure that businesses are providing products and services that their customers are excited about spending their money on – products that do not meet customer needs are promptly killed off.

4. Competition-Killer

If one business can survive the difficulty a recession brings, it is possible that its competition will not have been so lucky. If a rival business fails, the gap in the market left in their wake is an opportunity for growth and expansion for the most productive company.

5. Toughness

A business that has bore the brunt of a recession will be mentally tougher than a post-recession start-up trying to muscle in on their territory. The challenges that it has triumphed over will create a bond and determination that would be difficult to form in less tumultuous times, and one no amount of training could mimic.

Guest post by Jack Ratcliffe, who writes at The Credit Letter about the latest Citibank credit cards and more..