March 2011 Archives

Atlanta, Ga. - March 31, 2011 - Got smiles? Dunson Dental Design, the leading Georgia cosmetic dentist, today invited all Atlantans wanting that picture-perfect smile to come to their conveniently located downtown and midtown offices.

Dr. Bernie Dunson makes it easy and does it right. His state-of-the-art offices feature the most sophisticated dental equipment available. His friendly team makes your visit easy and comfortable so you can have confidence in the quality of your care.

Many people are finding that getting dental implants in Georgia is a much better way to go when replacing one, or more, of your natural teeth. Dentures are false while implants are natural. Dr. Dunson takes great care in placing, tailoring, and contouring these implants to fit your special smile.

Dr. Dunson has great credentials; not only is he board certified in oral implants, he sits on the board as an examiner. He is also a fellow at the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the nation's leading implant organization. He launched the Implant Dentistry of Georgia Institute featuring training for implant specialists and up-to-date medical communications.

Dr. Dunson and his highly trained, professional staff commit to giving the best treatment and following up to ensure quality and function.

"Every patient's smile is of the utmost importance to me and my team," says Dr. Bernee Dunson about his practice.

About Dunson Dental Design:

Dunson Dental Design is situated conveniently in Midtown Atlanta to serve the metropolitan area and Georgia patients. Dunson Dental Design makes it simple to attain a perfect smile by utilizing the most up-to-date practices. Contact them for more information.

Contact: http://www.dunsondental.com
hdunson@dunsondental.com.
Phone: (404) 418-8626
Fax: (404) 897-1599

Becky Biggs to Lead PR Efforts and Serve as Georgia's Technology Evangelist

ATLANTA - February 22, 2011 - The Technology Association of Georgia, the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, today announced it has named Becky Biggs as the director of public relations and Georgia's technology evangelist. In this role, Biggs will spearhead strategic communications initiatives to spread the word about the state's rich technology scene, as well as to promote TAG's industry-leading programs and events.

"Georgia has a deeper footprint in technology than I think most people realize," said Tino Mantella, President of TAG. "So we are extremely pleased and excited to add Becky to our growing team at TAG. As an experienced communicator, she, in collaboration with our many partners, can help us tell the stories that will lead to our ultimate goal of making Georgia one of the top five technology states in the nation."

"Working in technology communications for more than five years, I have witnessed the evolution and expansion of technology business in Georgia," said Biggs. "But there still exists an untapped opportunity to share the news about the innovation and job creation happening in Georgia's technology community every day. I am excited to join the team at TAG and work with our member companies to bring these stories to life and paint a full picture about the growth and economic impact of Georgia's technology scene."

Prior to TAG, Becky was a member of the Technology and Digital practices for global public relations firm, Cohn & Wolfe, where she was responsible for leading and implementing strategic marketing and public relations initiatives for companies on a local and national level. She started her career serving as an associate news producer for WFMJ-TV 21, the NBC-affiliate station in Youngstown, Ohio. Becky holds a degree in public relations from Bowling Green State University.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG's charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at www.TAGthink.com.

Heather Miner to Lead Development of TAG's annual State of the Industry: Technology in Georgia Report

ATLANTA - February 28, 2011 - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) has announced today that Heather Miner has been hired as the Director of Economic and Community Resources. In this role, Miner is responsible for producing TAG's annual State of the Industry: Technology in Georgia Report. This report, which is supported by the Georgia Economic and Community Development Department (GDEcD), the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) and the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC), provides an in-depth analysis of factors critical to the continued success and growth of the Atlanta technology community. It will be released at the 2011 Georgia Technology Summit on March 23rd.

Miner is also responsible for executing TAG's Business Launch Competition, facilitating Leadership Council meetings, TAG Radio, the TAG Ambassadors program, developing White Papers and TAG's Society Showcase, as well as several TAG societies, including the Business Process Management Society, the Customer Relationship Management Society and TAG's Entrepreneurs and Infrastructure Societies.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Heather to our growing TAG team. With over 12,000 members, the strategic addition of creative and industrious new staff is critical to our ability to provide quality customer service," says Tino Mantella, President of TAG. "TAG's mission is to help make Georgia one of the top 5 technology states in the U.S. Georgia, with the help of TAG and our many partners, is well-positioned for this goal."

Prior to joining TAG, Heather was a Community Outreach Director for Edison Learning--an education management company. Other experience includes nearly a decade of educating state and federal legislators on issues facing Georgia credit unions and educators, serving as an account coordinator at Duffey Communications, a public relations firm in Atlanta, interning for Rep. John J. LaFalce (D-NY) and working on the political campaign of Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA).

Miner holds a bachelor's degree in political science and international studies from State University of New York at Brockport. She has also attended the University of Georgia.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 28 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG's charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at www.TAGthink.com.

Atlanta, GA, March 15, 2011--TAG diversity, a society of the Technology Association of Georgia, announces the first annual TAG Diversity Award to be awarded at a dinner event on Tuesday, April 26th. The award will be presented to the individual who proved to be a superstar leveraging diversity within their organization to increase productivity, efficiency, profits, revenues and employee morale. Organizations in the technology sector or use technology as a driving force to sell products and services are eligible. Nominations are made online by a supervisor or manager level person in a position to evaluate the outcome.

Diversity includes creative, intellectual, cultural, ethnic, generational, gender and lifestyle differences.
"This award was created to reward efforts by organizations to mine the broad array of diversity to meet aggressive goals," said Greg Parker, Co-Chair of the TAG Diversity Society. Rebecca Hoke, Co-chair, added that "we are enthused by the response so far by the Atlanta business, academic, and not-for-profit communities to recognize the efforts of their employees breaking through existing artificial barriers to meet goals and improve the overall work environment".

Nominations are being accepted now through March 18th and more information is available at http://www.tagonline.org/Diversity-Awards.php .

Nominations Close: FRIDAY, MARCH 18TH
AWARDS GIVEN: TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH

About

Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support its members by generating opportunities for personal, professional and business growth. By forging strategic alliances, TAG serves as a primary catalyst to foster a rich environment for economic development in Georgia's technology community. TAG is made up of more than 12,500 members representing technology leaders from over 1,500 Georgia-based companies, affiliated technology and business organizations. For more information on TAG, visit www.tagonline.org.

TAG Diversity provides a collaborative environment for professionals in the technology community for education and increased awareness on the benefit to business goals when diversity is leveraged within their organizations. Our focus is on helping professionals leverage creative, intellectual, cultural, ethnic, generational, gender & lifestyle diversity to achieve positive outcomes.

ATLANTA (March 16, 2011) - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, today announced its list of Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia. These companies will be recognized at the 2011 Georgia Technology Summit (GTS) on March 23, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria for their innovation, financial impact, and their efforts at spreading awareness of Georgia's technology initiatives throughout the U.S. and globally. The list includes:

BrightWhistle
CardioMEMS, Inc.
Cardlytics
Concurrent
ControlScan
Damballa Inc.
Digital Assent LLC
EyeMail Inc.
First Data
GMT Corporation
Internap
ipTrust, a division of Endgame Systems, Inc.
Liaison Technologies
LIFT Retail Marketing Technology
Merlin Mobility
OmniLink
OpenSpan
Pardot
Paymetric
PhloSoft
Prenova
Preparis
REACH Health, Inc.
Reflex Systems
Riskonnect, Inc.
Scoutmob
ShapeStart
Smartsoft Mobile Solutions, Inc.
SRIYA GREEN MATERIALS, INC.
StarPound Technologies
TALENThire
Telineage
Transaction Tree
Unicoi Systems
Utility, Inc.
Vault Ecommerce Inc.
Vendormate
Webmedx
Whoop, Inc.

"Each of the 40 companies we are recognizing have made a significant impact on how we live and do business through their technology innovation," said Tino Mantella, president & CEO of TAG. "We applaud each of these companies for their success and contribution to making Georgia a leading state for technology education, research and business. At TAG we are committed to supporting companies like these and we fully expect that, with their ongoing leadership and innovation, Georgia's technology community continue to grow and be top in class in the U.S. and beyond."

"Each year it becomes harder to choose our Top 40 companies because of the rapidly increasing number of high-quality technology businesses in our state," said Dennis Zakas, a partner and founder of Zakas & Leonard, LLP and chairperson of the Top 40 Selection Committee. "This year's Top 40 companies are sterling examples of the technology innovation in Georgia's DNA. We are proud to recognize this year's winners and wish them continued success."

The Georgia Technology Summit is TAG's flagship event that brings together C-level executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to celebrate and recognize Georgia's technology community. This year's theme, Innovation Next Generation, will address how organizations are leveraging social networking to reach buyers and how they are incorporating social media tools in the workplace.

For more information about TAG and the Georgia Technology Summit and to register for the event, visit http://www.tagonline.org/georgia-technology-summit.php .

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG's charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at http://www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at http://www.TAGthink.com .

Atlanta, Georgia - March 28, 2011 - Dunson Dental Design has become the leading force as a dental implant center in Atlanta. The dental implant specialists at Dunson offer a wide range of services and use the best advances in technology and materials to ensure success for every patient.

Dental implant procedures are very involved and in many cases complicated. And while requiring real expertise, a professional dental implant procedure can immediately improve the physical and emotional health of the patient. The health of one's mouth - from each tooth itself to bite structure and alignment - affects the health of the entire body, as well as that all-important public smile.

The latest materials need to be used for the teeth to look and work the way they should. While many specialty dentists use a scanning technology during pre-surgery examinations, the dental specialists at Dunson use the advanced Cone Beam 3D scan, providing a 3D image. Dunson also uses the safest and most advanced materials for implants.

In addition to expert dental implants, Dunson Dental offers a variety of services including teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, dental bonding, tooth-colored fillings, dental implants and metal-free restorations. The dental implant center also offers IV sedation for patients during more involved procedures.

The perfect smile is just a visit away with Dunson Dental Design. Located in Midtown Atlanta, the dental practice serves patients from throughout the metropolitan area and the state of Georgia.

For further information regarding cosmetic dentistry in Atlanta or Dr. Dunson's expertise as a dental implant specialist, contact Dunson Dental Design at:

Phone: 404-418-8626, Fax: 404-897-1599 e-mail: hdunson@dunsondental.com http://www.dunsondental.com

Vayu Media is delighted to announce its sponsorship of the Polish American Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, Georgia.

"The Polish American Chamber of Commerce Atlanta (PACC Atlanta) is an initiative with a goal of building bridges between business professionals in Poland and the Metro Atlanta area.  We believe that these connections will flourish into a strong relationship based on understanding and common goals" explained Anna Alford, President PACC Atlanta.

The Polish American Chamber of Commerce Atlanta (PACC Atlanta) is an initiative to reintroduce Poland to the business community of Metro Atlanta area.  Since its inception into the structures of the European Union, Poland has become a vibrant country with a strong economy, stable banking system, young and well-educated workforce, and many business opportunities for Georgia companies.  During the recent worldwide economic turmoil, Poland has come on top as the "green island" among countries battling the economic downturn.

 PACC Atlanta creates networking, business promotion, and relationship-building opportunities for you and your organization to connect with all that Poland has to offer. PACC Atlanta is also a partner for Polish companies seeking business opportunities in the U.S. We are here to show you that Atlanta is your best place for locating your business. With the world-busiest airport, modern and updated infrastructure, low taxes, and many other business incentives, Georgia is a perfect gateway to grown your organization in the Western hemisphere.

Vayu Media will be supporting the Polish Chamber of Commerce through branding, publicity initiatives, event management and search engine marketing.

Any questions should be sent to info (at) paccatlanta (dot) org

The Technology Association of Georgia recognizes "Top 10" companies for contributions to Georgia technology community

ATLANTA (March 21, 2011) - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, today announced its list of Top 10 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia. These companies will be recognized at the 2011 Georgia Technology Summit (GTS) on March 23, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria for their innovation, financial impact, and their efforts at spreading awareness of Georgia's technology initiatives throughout the U.S. and globally.

Each Top 10 company will be given the opportunity to introduce their innovations to an expected thousand attendees at the Summit.

CardioMEMS, Inc. Concurrent ControlScan Damballa Inc. First Data ipTrust, a division of Endgame Systems, Inc. Pardot PhloSoft ShapeStart SRIYA GREEN MATERIALS, Inc.

"Narrowing down our selection of the most innovative companies in Georgia becomes more difficult each year because of the growing number and caliber of innovative businesses headquartered or operating in our state," said Tino Mantella, president & CEO of TAG. "The companies that made our Top 10 list stand as shining examples of the best-of-the-best in Georgia's technology community and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to each of them. By cultivating technology education, research and business in Georgia, our state will become a destination of choice for even more companies as innovative as this year's winners."

"The competition for Top 10 recognition was particularly fierce this year, which speaks to the rapid expansion of Georgia's technology community," said Dennis Zakas, a partner and founder of Zakas & Leonard, LLP and chairperson of the Top 40 Selection Committee. "We are proud to recognize this year's winners and thank them, and all Georgia technology companies, for their contributions to our reputation as a top state for technology business."

The Georgia Technology Summit is TAG's flagship event that brings together C-level executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to celebrate and recognize Georgia's technology community. This year's theme, Innovation Next Generation, will address how organizations are leveraging social networking to reach buyers and how they are incorporating social media tools in the workplace.

For more information about TAG and the Georgia Technology Summit and to register for the event, visit http://www.tagonline.org/georgia-technology-summit.php .

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG's charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at http://www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at http://www.TAGthink.com.

Georgia's Top Tech Sectors Highlighted by "Where Georgia Leads" Maps

ATLANTA (March 23, 2011) - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, today unveiled results from its 2011 State of the Industry: Technology in Georgia Report. The report was released at TAG's 8th annual Georgia Technology Summit that drew more than one-thousand technology executives from around the state to the Cobb Galleria today to hear some of the top minds in Georgia's leading industry sectors: Health IT, Information Security, Financial Technology, IT Communication and Software.

Included in the report are this year's top 10 key findings:

1. Georgia's technology sector will lead the state's economic recovery
2. Georgia needs more venture capital
3. Corporate investment in Georgia's technology sector is healthy
4. Georgia's technology company growth outpaces the nation
5. Georgia's research universities are key to the state's technology status
6. Five out of the top ten export categories in Georgia are technology-related
7. Atlanta's impressive broadband footprint is a key business attractor
8. Availability of quality labor is crucial to technology decision makers
9. Technology jobs lead Georgia's labor market
10. Technology decision makers say there is room for improvement in Georgia's business climate

TAG also unveiled today "Where Georgia Leads," interactive maps outlining Georgia's business footprint in the state's top technology industries. The maps provide the names, locations and information about companies in Health IT, Information Security, Financial Technology, IT Communication and Software.

The "Where Georgia Leads" maps and entire State of the Industry Report are available online at http://www.tagstateoftheindustry.com.

"Georgia has a larger footprint in technology than I think most people realize and it is our technology industry that is poised to lead the state's economic recovery," said Tino Mantella, president & CEO of TAG. "With more than 13-thousand technology companies and close to 250-thousand technologists in our state, Georgia is truly emerging as a top state in the nation for technology. We hope our State of the Industry Report and 'Where Georgia Leads' maps prove to be valuable resources for decision-makers as they look to expand or relocate their businesses in Georgia."

The State of the Industry: Technology in Georgia is TAG's annual industry report to benchmark the growth of Georgia's technology industry against previous years and other top technology states. Primary and secondary research is conducted in collaboration with CSM Research and Internet Decisions, LLC., including TAG's annual Technology Decision-Makers Survey which polls top executives from more than 120 state technology companies about their plans to hire, expand and invest in their Georgia operations.

The Georgia Technology Summit is TAG's flagship event that brings together C-level executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to celebrate and recognize Georgia's technology community. This year's theme, Innovation Next Generation, will address how organizations are leveraging social networking to reach buyers and how they are incorporating social media tools in the workplace.

For more information about TAG and the Georgia Technology Summit, visit http://www.tagonline.org/georgia-technology-summit.php.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)

TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG's charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at www.TAGthink.com.

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Atlanta, Georgia - March 23, 2011 - Long gone are the days when information technology professionals worked in isolation, researching relevant technology on their own and tirelessly working to stay current on breaking developments in industry news. Now, they have TAGthink.com.

TAGthink is part of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), a nonprofit organization committed to the interests of IT professionals. This leading industry association promotes the advancement of the technological industry in Georgia to encourage economic and educational advancement.

TAGthink's website, TAGthink.com, is a centralized hub of resources connecting people and ideas relating to information technology. The resources available through this community technology center include a network connecting IT professionals, blogs featuring the latest information and insights on new technologies, an online community for IT professional discussions and an assortment of other useful resources such as practical articles, interesting photos, social media updates and news and events for the IT community. IT industry professionals will find a wealth of useable information at their fingertips and will be able to instantly connect with other like-minded technophiles.

Technologies such as social media, smart phone scanners, blogs and online broadcasting are changing the face of business, education and society as a whole. With so much information out there, who has time to sift through it all? TAGthink allows professionals an opportunity to get everything they need in one place.

TAG drives policy, capital, education and giving initiatives. It also unites the technology community through programs, events and networking opportunities. TAG also features twenty-seven special interest groups including Women in Technology, and its charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, exists to help science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives succeed.

Contact:

Katie Sewell
404-920-2026
Katie@TAGonline.org
Website: http://www.TAGthink.com

Finalists to compete for over $450,000 in cash and services

ATLANTA (March 22, 2011) - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) have finalized an all-star lineup of judges for the 2011 GRA/TAG Business Launch Competition finals round on May 24, 2011.

Announced today are the following finals judges: Bob Bozeman, General Partner, Angel Investments, LP, San Francisco, CA; John Glushik, Investing Team, Intersouth Partners, Durham, NC; Wayne Hunter, Managing Partner, Harbert Management Corporation, Birmingham, AL; Allen Moseley, General Partner, Noro-Moseley Partners, Atlanta, Georgia; Tripp Rackley, Senior Vice President, Qualcomm; Ron Verni, former CEO, Sage Software. .

"The 2011 competition will again feature an impressive mix of highly successful serial entrepreneurs, as well as out-of-town and local investors as judges," stated Tino Mantella, president of the Technology Association of Georgia. .

"Competing companies describe the interaction and feedback they receive from the judges throughout the competition as a key element to experience," said Michael Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. "We give considerable thought and effort to the composition of the judging team and are excited to have the commitment of such an outstanding group." .

After a preliminary and semi-finals competition process, these finalist judges will be responsible for selecting the overall winner from a group of companies to receive $50,000 in cash, and more than $400,000 in donated services from the Atlanta business community. .

The TAG/GRA Business Launch Competition is designed to help a local startup technology company launch its business. The competition is GRA/TAG's initiative to reward and promote high-tech entrepreneurship and to help assure that Georgia startups are primed for success..

The initial applications are screened by group of experts in the technology startup field that is chaired by Mike Eckert, Executive Chairman, Atlanta Technology Angels and includes Lawrence Guillory, Racemi Inc.; Melanie Leeth, Vice-President, Imlay Investments; Jeff McConnell, CEO, Whisper Communications; Adrian Sawczuk, Senior Manager, Accenture; Richard Spencer, President, R.P Spencer Company; and Lance Weatherby, Advanced Technology Development Center. Semi final judges include Aaron deSouza, Partner, Grant Thornton; David Eckoff, Revolutionary Partners; Sid Elliott, Director, Georgia Research Alliance (GRA); Dave Gould, President/CEO, TechOperators; Sami Jajeh, Principal, Arketi Group; Paul Judge, Chief Research Officer and VP, Barracuda Networks; Vasant Kamath, Director of Business Development, Cox Enterprises; Jamie Kennedy, Vice President of Business Development, Cox Enterprises; Sig Mosley, President, Imlay Investments; Michael Price, General Partner, CEO Ventures; Martin Tilson, Managing Partner, The Tilson Group, LLC; and Judi Vitale, President, VitaleCFO. Joan Herbig, CEO, ControlScan serves as the competition's Chairman. .

For more information about the 2011 TAG/GRA Business Launch Competition, visit http://www.tagonline.org/businesslaunch.php. .

About Georgia Research Alliance

The Georgia Research Alliance is a private, non-profit organization that brings together the state's academic, industry and government leaders to grow Georgia's economy through scientific discovery. Key programs are recruitment of top scientific talent (GRA Eminent Scholars), development of centers of research excellence, and commercialization of university R&D (GRA VentureLab). GRA has helped to generate more than 200 new technology companies from university research. .

About Technology Association of Georgia

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 28 affinity groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG's charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at www.TAGthink.com.

The internet: Mental-health specialists disagree over whether to classify compulsive online behaviour as addiction--and how to treat it

CRAIG SMALLWOOD, a disabled American war veteran, spent more than 20,000 hours over five years playing an online role-playing game called "Lineage II". When NCsoft, the South Korean firm behind the game, accused him of breaking the game's rules and banned him, he was plunged into depression, severe paranoia and hallucinations. He spent three weeks in hospital. He sued NCsoft for fraud and negligence, demanding over $9m in damages and claiming that the company acted negligently by failing to warn him of the danger that he would become "addicted" to the game.

But does it make sense to talk of addiction to online activity? Mental-health specialists say three online behaviours can become problematic for many people: video games, pornography and messaging via e-mail and social networks. But there is far less agreement about whether any of this should be called "internet addiction"--or how to treat it.

Some mental-health specialists wanted "internet addiction" to be included in the fifth version of psychiatry's bible, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", known as DSM-V, which is currently being overhauled. The American Medical Association endorsed the idea in 2007, only to backtrack days later. The American Journal of Psychiatry called internet addiction a "common disorder" and supported its recognition. Last year the DSM-V drafting group made its decision: internet addiction would not be included as a "behavioural addiction"--only gambling made the cut--but it said further study was warranted.

Sceptics say there is nothing uniquely addictive about the internet. Back in 2000 Joseph Walther, a communications professor at Michigan State University, co-wrote an article in which he suggested, tongue in cheek, that the criteria used to call someone an internet addict might also show that most professors were "addicted" to academia. He argued that other factors, such as depression, are the real problem. He stands by that view today. "No scientific evidence has emerged to suggest that internet use is a cause rather than a consequence of some other sort of issue," he says. "Focusing on and treating people for internet addiction, rather than looking for underlying clinical issues, is unwise."

Others disagree. "That would be wrong," says Kimberly Young, a researcher and therapist who has worked on internet addiction since 1994. She insists that the internet, with its powerfully immersive environments, creates new problems that people must learn to navigate.

No one disputes that online habits can turn toxic. Take South Korea, where ubiquitous broadband means that the average high-school student plays video games for 23 hours each week. In 2007 the government estimated that around 210,000 children needed treatment for internet addiction. Last year newspapers around the globe carried the story of a South Korean couple who fed their infant daughter so little that she starved to death. Instead of caring for the child, the couple spent most nights at an internet café, sinking hours into a role-playing game in which they raised, fed and cared for a virtual daughter. And several South Korean men have died from exhaustion after marathon, multi-day gaming sessions.

The South Korean government has since asked game developers to adopt a gaming curfew for children, to prevent them playing between midnight and 8am. It has also opened more than 100 clinics for internet addiction and sponsored an "internet rescue camp" for serious cases.

But compulsive behaviour is not limited to gamers. E-mail or web-use behaviours can also show signs of addiction. Getting through a business lunch in which no one pulls out a phone to check their messages now counts as a minor miracle in many quarters. A deluge of self-help books, most recently "Alone Together" by Sherry Turkle, a social scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offer advice on how to unplug.

Pornography is hardly new, either, but the internet makes accessing it much easier than ever before. When something can be summoned in an instant via broadband, whether it is a game world, an e-mail inbox or pornographic material, it is harder to resist. New services lead to new complaints. When online auction sites first became popular, talk of "eBay addiction" soon followed. Dr Young says women complain to her now about addiction to Facebook--or even to "FarmVille", a game playable only within Facebook.

Treatment centres have popped up around the world. In 2006 Amsterdam's Smith & Jones facility billed itself as "the first and, currently, the only residential video-game treatment program in the world". In America the reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program claims to treat internet addiction, gaming addiction, and even "texting addiction". In China, meanwhile, military-style "boot camps" are the preferred way to treat internet problems. After several deaths, however, scrutiny of the camps has intensified.

Yet many people like feeling permanently connected. As Arikia Millikan, an American blogger, once put it, "If I could be jacked in at every waking hour of the day, I would, and I think a lot of my peers would do the same." Bob LaRose, an internet specialist at Michigan State University, doesn't believe her. In his research on college students, he found that most sense when they are "going overboard and restore self-control". Less than 1% have a pathological problem, he adds. For most people, internet use "is just a habit--and one that brings us pleasure."

The internet: Just as car number plates and telephone dialling codes need to be updated every so often to allow for growth, so does the internet's addressing system. But it should not need updating again any time soon


REMEMBER the panic over the "millennium bug", when computers everywhere were expected to go haywire on January 1st 2000, thanks to the way a lot of old software used just two digits to represent the year instead of four? Doomsters predicted all sorts of errors in calculations involving dates when the clocks rolled over from 99 to 00. In the event, the millennium dawned without incident.

Something similar is about to happen again, and this time it cannot be ignored. The problem is the exhaustion of internet protocol (IP) addresses--the four numbers ranging from 0 to 255, separated by dots, that uniquely identify every device attached to the internet. According to Hurricane Electric, an internet backbone and services provider based in Fremont, California, the internet ran out of bulk IP addresses on February 3rd.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, which oversees such things, had doled out all its so-called "slash-eight" blocks of addresses to the five regional internet registries around the world. The registries are expected to allocate all their remaining addresses to local network operators over the coming months. After that, any organisation applying for new addresses will be told: Sorry, none left.

The issue is real and has been a long time in the making. The Economist first wrote about it ten years ago. The problem is that the current version of the internet's address system, called IP version 4 (IPv4), uses 32-bit numbers, and the total number of addresses possible with such an arrangement is therefore two raised to the power of 32--or roughly 4.3 billion in decimal terms. Back in the 1980s, when the internet connected just a couple of dozen research institutes in America, that seemed like a huge number.

But with the invention of the web in 1990 came an explosion in demand. It was soon clear that it was only a matter of time before the internet would exhaust its supply of addresses. Work on a replacement for IPv4 began in the early 1990s, with IPv6 finally being made available in 1998 (IPv5 was an experimental protocol for streaming audio and video that was abandoned). By giving the new internet version an address space of 128 bits, the designers pretty well guaranteed that it would not run out of unique identifiers for decades, or even centuries, to come.

Two raised to the 128th power is an enormous number: roughly 340 billion billion billion billion--or, as Martin Levy of Hurricane Electric likes to say, "more than four quadrillion addresses for every star in the observable universe". That will come in handy when the "internet of things" becomes a reality. Already, some 2 billion people have access to the internet, many of whom own multiple devices. The use of Wi-Fi base-stations and routers that allow sharing of a single IP address has put off the day of reckoning for a while. But add all the televisions, phones, cars and household appliances that are currently being given internet access--plus, eventually, every book, pill case and item of inventory as well--and the need for IPv6 is clear.

Though a vast improvement, IPv6 is not without its problems. The biggest is that it is not directly backward compatible with IPv4. To reduce the amount of processing the routing computers have to do as they direct packets of data over the internet, IPv6 was given a far simpler packet format. That speeds things up no end. But although the two internet versions can coexist on a single device, they have to operate as two separate networks. When an IPv4 device needs to communicate with an IPv6 device, various relay services and tunnelling tricks have to be employed, with IPv6 packets getting wrapped inside IPv4 packets and vice versa.

It seems likely that the two separate internets will have to live side by side for the foreseeable future. That could mean putting up with interoperability hassles for decades--in the United States, at least. Being the inventor and earliest user of the internet, America received the lion's share of addresses before today's rules were put in place. As a result, many large companies, universities and government agencies still have plenty of spare IPv4 addresses lying around unused. The pressure to upgrade has therefore been minimal.

That is not the case elsewhere. The biggest single demonstration of IPv6 to date was during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, when everything from live television and data feeds to security and traffic information was streamed over a vast IPv6 network. Being a relatively latecomer to the internet, China has only one address for every four people. Hence Beijing's desire to adopt IPv6 as rapidly as possible. The same goes for Russia, South Korea and Japan. NTT, Japan's largest telecoms firm, has been offering IPv6 services to the public since 2000.

The next showcase for the new internet technology will be "World IPv6 Day" on June 8th. While doing all he can to help, Vint Cerf, one of the fathers of the internet (who now works at Google), warns that the day could be marred by painful configuration problems. But the main purpose of the event is to air precisely such difficulties and get their fixes circulated. Meanwhile the American Registry for Internet Numbers, which allocates blocks of IP addresses to internet service providers and other network operators throughout North America, has suggested that all public-facing websites in its region be ready to support IPv6 by January 1st 2012. Such initiatives should gradually move the internet from today's world, with islands of IPv6 systems in a sea of IPv4, to a world with islands of IPv4 in a vast ocean of IPv6.

Despite Recession Some Business Thriving.avi

Jennifer Dunphy VP Marketing  of Atlanta SEO Company Vayu Media Will Be The Featured SEO & Internet Marketing Expert During The Women In The Spotlight Event.

Atlanta, GA - March 11th, 2011 -

Women In The Spotlight will take place at the W Hotel in Buckhead March 17-20th.  This event will focus on personal brand leadership and offer thought leaders on the personal brand developments.  Executives, Entrepreneurs, Celebrities and Media Personalities will be in attendance.  Attendees will have the opportunity to share quality interaction with some of the most intriguing women.  One of these women will be Jennifer Dunphy of the Atlanta internet marketing company Vayu Media.  She is the force behind Vayu Media's rapid growth from a local Atlanta company to a national and international respected internet marketing agency.
   Jennifer Dunphy has provided her marketing and public relations expertise to the business community since 2005. Through her efforts, Vayu Media has seen significant growth year after year, becoming the #1 Atlanta SEO Company in Google, been featured on CBS, and has maintained an A-rating by the Better Business Bureau.  Jennifer has been nominated two years standing as one of the Small Business People of the year, through the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.  She is a Google AdWords certified professional, as well as a SEMPO certified Professional. Jennifer is also an active member of TAG, The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, The German Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Connections.

More information on the event can be found at: Women In The Spot Light (www.womeninthespotlightnow.com)
 

Any questions regarding Vayu Media and their services should be directed to Jennifer Dunphy at jdunphy (at) vayumedia (dot) com.

About Vayu Media:
Vayu Media is an Atlanta based search engine optimization and search engine marketing company that delivers a proven Integrated Marketing Solution, a holistic approach to marketing and advertising in the digital economy.
Vayu Media also offers search engine friendly web design for Ecommerce, Corporate & 3D web development projects.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com

 

Atlanta, Ga. - March 9th, 2011 - It used to be that a business's position on search engine results seemed like a random result of chance. Now that the marketplace has shifted to Internet commerce, however, businesses need to know how to gain top positions on results pages to capture - and keep - the attention of today's consumer.

That's where Vayu Media comes in. Vayu Media is an Atlanta Web Design Company with a mission to help local businesses harness the power of the Internet. Vayu Media offers local search engine optimization and Web design services with a specialty in Search Engine Optimization and Submission Services.

Vayu Media's proven methods are at the forefront of technology and help businesses navigate the complex world of online marketing by analyzing online presence and marketing strategy. By utilizing organic search engine optimization, Vayu Media helps business owners understand the "missed opportunities" of those business sites that are not maximizing their potential.

VayuMedia.com will "optimize keywords and target qualified searches based on...business content and keywords to convert online users into customers."

Vayu's specialists consult with businesses to analyze an existing website and pinpoint problems that may hinder business growth. They also develop winning marketing strategies that are custom-tailored to ensure increased search engine visibility and more productive consumer visits. Their Web design services optimize a business's presence and ensure accessibility and readability with intuitive designs and customized resources.

VayuMedia.com's strategy is to "consult with local businesses face to face" and assist businesses in unlocking the potential of their Web presences. VayuMedia.com states that, "In order to stay relevant in today's market, every local business must have an online marketing strategy."

Contact:
Media Jennifer Dunphy
Vayu Media LLC
(800)-456-1563
info@vayumedia.com

ATLANTA, March 7, 2011 - PwC and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, today announced that Tripp Rackley will be inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia at the 2011 Georgia Technology Summit on March 23, 2011 at Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta.

Mr. Rackley is an accomplished and distinguished entrepreneur, having founded several Atlanta-based technology companies over the last 16 years. His ventures have created a combined $1 billion in shareholder value and more than 500 jobs in Georgia.

According to Maureen Morrison, lead partner for PwC's Technology Practice, "Tripp's career achievements, along with his significant contributions to the community, make him a clear choice for this year's inductee into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia. His commitment to innovation and the advancement of technology in Georgia exemplify the spirit in which the Hall of Fame was created."

The Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia was established in 1993 to recognize the achievements of outstanding members of Georgia's technology community. Inductees have helped shape the technology industry in Georgia and each has made a significant impact on the state. PwC has been a lead sponsor of the Hall of Fame since its inception and has collaborated with TAG recently to honor the inductee at the annual Mr. Rackley becomes the 29th member of this prestigious group.

"Tripp's entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit epitomizes the type of leadership that has built such a strong technology community in the state of Georgia," said Tino Mantella, president of TAG. "We are pleased to honor Tripp, not only for the successes of his career, but for his contributions to the reputation and economic progress of our technology industry, making Georgia a leading state for technology."

Mr. Rackley's career as an entrepreneur began in 1995 when he founded and served as chairman and CEO of nFront, Inc., an award-winning Internet banking technology firm. Mr. Rackley led nFront to a successful initial public offering in 1999 and subsequent sale to Digital Insight (now part of Intuit) in 2000. Upon leaving Digital Insight, Mr. Rackley became entrepreneur-in-residence at Noro-Moseley Partners, a venture capital firm focused on technology and healthcare investments. Most recently, Mr. Rackley founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Firethorn, a leading provider of mobile commerce. Under Mr. Rackley's leadership, Firethorn became a prime mover in introducing banks, wireless carriers, merchants and consumers to the concept of mobile commerce. He oversaw Firethorn's vision of building and growing the premier mobile banking payments ecosystem until its acquisition by Qualcomm in 2007.

Mr. Rackley earned an engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992 and continues to be active there today, serving on the Board of Trustees for the Alexander-Tharpe Fund and the Advisory Board for the Georgia Tech School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. In 2000, Mr. Rackley was inducted into Georgia Tech's Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni.

Mr. Rackley currently serves on several Georgia based board of directors including: Cox Enterprises, Georgia Technology Authority, BroadSource, ITC Holdings Venture Fund and Peachtree Road United Methodist Church. He also served as the 2003 Chairman of the Technology Association of Georgia.

The Georgia Technology Summit is TAG's flagship event that brings together C-level executives, entrepreneurs, technology professionals and academia to celebrate and recognize Georgia's technology community. This year's theme, Innovation Next Generation, will address how organizations are leveraging social networking to reach buyers and how they are incorporating social media tools in the workplace. For more information about TAG and to register for the 2011 Georgia Technology Summit, visit http://www.tagonline.org/georgia-technology-summit.php.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 163,000 people in 151 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

"PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

About Technology Association of Georgia

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support its members by generating opportunities for personal, professional and business growth. By forging strategic alliances, TAG serves as a primary catalyst to foster a rich environment for economic development in Georgia's technology community. TAG is made up of more than 8,300 members representing technology leaders from over 1,700 Georgia-based companies, affiliated technology and business organizations. For more information on TAG, visit www.tagonline.org.

© 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved.

Jennifer Dunphy VP Marketing  of Atlanta SEO Company Vayu Media Will Be The Featured SEO Expert During The 2011 Digital Summit.

Atlanta, GA - March 4th, 2011 -

Digital Summit 2011 taking place on May 16th-17th at Cobb Galleria, Atlanta, GA will be attended by hundreds of Internet executives, online marketers, entrepreneurs, web strategists, bloggers, and investors for expert content on opportunities and trends created by the latest in web innovation.  Attendees will hear from dozens of industry thought leaders and innovators on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Web Analytics, Online Advertising, Ecommerce, Email, and Search and much more.

In addition to learning from thought leading keynotes, actionable presentations and expert panels - attendees will have numerous networking opportunities to make lasting relationships, while also exposed to some of the top new internet firms in the demo showcase.

Jennifer Dunphy, VP Marketing of Vayu Media the premier internet marketing agency in Atlanta will be the featured SEO expert speaker at the Summit.  Jennifer Dunphy has provided her marketing and public relations expertise to the business community since 2005. Through her efforts, Vayu Media has seen significant growth year after year, becoming the #1 Atlanta SEO Company in Google, been featured on CBS, and has maintained an A-rating by the Better Business Bureau.  Jennifer has been nominated two years standing as one of the Small Business People of the year, through the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.  She is a Google AdWords certified professional, as well as a SEMPO certified Professional. Jennifer is also an active member of TAG, The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, The German Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Connections.
 

Any questions regarding Vayu Media and their services should be directed to Jennifer Dunphy at jdunphy (at) vayumedia (dot) com.

About Vayu Media:
Vayu Media is an Atlanta based search engine optimization and search engine marketing company that delivers a proven Integrated Marketing Solution, a holistic approach to marketing and advertising in the digital economy.
Vayu Media also offers search engine friendly web design for Ecommerce, Corporate & 3D web development projects.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Dunphy, Vayu Media LLC, (800)-456-1563 , info (at) vayumedia dot com