Confessions Of A Berson Mind

Yes, yes, I know.  I’m guilty of not updating this blog as often as I preach everyone else should update their own — for shame.  But here’s to a new blog post, and the hope that it’ll become a recurring process…

What’s new? Have a few new and exciting clients to talk about:

1) RLB Marketing.  RLB is a marketing firm (based in Harrisburg, PA) with a solid framework and values to match.  If you’re interested in having a true marketing plan, rather than the typical marketing cash abyss…please reach out to RLB.  You’ll be quite pleased.

http://www.rlbmarketing.com

2) BRP Entertainment.  BRP is based in Camp Hill, PA, and provides artists & entertainers with the connections they need in the event world — and vice versa.  Whether you’re holding an event, or you’re an artist looking for an event to impress — contact BRP.  Their polite and knowledgeable staff will get you what you need.

http://www.brpentertainment.com

Oh, and of course, if you like the sites they have up and running, I may just have had something to do with that.  Contact me @ sales@berson3.com to find out ways to get your own Berson3 web site.

There are more clients to discuss, but I’ll save them for future blog posts (gives more reason for me to continue blogging…).  Also, if you’d like to follow my random thoughts and article finds throughout the day, find me at:

http://www.twitter.com/3daysaside

This post will be all about cell phones:

Decided to write a post about my MMS issues with the combination of TMobile, my HTC Touch Pro 2, Windows Phone 6.5.x, and Manila (Sense) 2.5.  For every ROM I’ve installed with these settings, I haven’t been able to send picture messages straight away.  Found a fix at: http://thewingster.com/mmsfixm25.aspx — that works great, but I also make a few alterations to ensure success.  Here’s my tutorial.

1.) Flash a clean custom ROM.
2.) Install the fix found on that link immediately after a soft reset. If you wait until after you’ve opened a few text messages or done some other things, you may run into a permissions problem during the install.  Soft reset, then install.
3.) At this point, your picture messages may already work — mine do not.  The next step I undertake is to go to the Messages tab in Manila, and hit the All Messages softkey.  Next, Menu -> Settings -> Options.  In this window, I flick to the bottom, and change the photo resolution to Original, and choose whatever size I like for the camera (currently XGA).  I do this to ensure my photos won’t be sent in micro.
4.) Click done.
5.) Repeat the Menu -> Settings -> Options step, but this time, hit the menu button in this new window, and select MMS Server.  Make sure the SampleMMSC is selected, and click on it (that’s two steps). Here, I change the “Connect via” option to TMobile MMS.  If yours already says this, congratulations.
5a.) I also set the Send limit to 300KB.  One, because I once read that TMobile doesn’t permit messages larger than that (doubt this), and two, because my mobile data is slow enough as is — I don’t need to spend 4 minutes every time I send a pic.  Click Done, and get back to your home screen.
6.) Last tricky step: click the Start Menu -> and Settings. Then Connections -> Connections. In this window, go to the “Advanced” tab, and hit “Select Networks.”  You should see a dropdown that has Tmobile Data already selected — hit the dropdown and select Tmobile MMS. Then, click Edit. In this window, hit the edit softkey, click Next, and change the Access point name to “wap.voicestream.com” (no quotes).  Click Next and then Finish. Click OK and you should be back at the Network Management screen.  BEFORE you leave here, hit the dropdown again, and RESELECT Tmobile Data.
7.) A soft reset isn’t probably necessary, but not a bad idea.

After all these steps, my MMS works great — I send receive no problems, the pictures send and receive at the proper sizes…these steps work for my phone across a multitude of ROMS, and it’s not that tricky.

Hope this helps.

As promised, here is the location for you to post your web-related questions.  No question is too complex, or too simple.  You may post with your name, or anonymously, either way your question should be answered the next day I speak (February?  I’m the program chair now so I should probably figure this out….)

Yup, that’s it.  Do your best to make 2008 a wonderful year for yourself and everyone around you.

…from Berson3 Computers!!

Just a brief mention of the passing of quite possibly the best cash-game poker player of all time.  He passed away earlier this week and got a small article on ESPN.com, and the poker sites made mention of it…but I have not seen the true outpouring that a player of this caliber deserves.  So, I’m making my small little contribution to his memory with this blog post, and I hope others with much more clout will do the same.

I…having never been west of State College…obviously never knew him.  So, my knowledge doesn’t span past what was shown/spoken on television.  But so many great players, including Doyle Brunson, give him credit for being an amazing poker talent…and I always found it interesting that he stayed away from the limelight.  Clearly, he made his career in the cash games, but when he was forced to show up for a tournament (I once heard him say he only did tournaments when his children forced him too…to see him on TV) he was immediately a threat.  Case in point…Mr. Reese will go down in history as the first Pros champion, by winning the inaugural WSOP $50,000 HORSE event in ’06.  Very, very appropriate.

The poker world mourns.

Sometimes, it’s not how difficult something is, it’s how difficult it is to find time to accomplish it.

Found some time to log in a couple hours reworking my wordpress blog, and presto…now it looks like it belongs.

Hope you enjoy it!

As promised, this file has been updated with the answers from today.   Hope you enjoy!

1. Email.  Our company needs it, and our needs are going to consistently change.  What should we do?

Simple answer: get a Berson Hosting Package.  If you’re in it for the web site, then your email will tag along.  If you’re only in it for the email, then a web site space will tag along.  You can’t lose!  Also, for the hosting fee, Berson3 actually administers your email…meaning that if you need to add new addresses, or change passwords, or whatever…you just call us and we take care of it.
2. What does some of the stuff you do cost?  I mean, really.  Enough with the hype, what are the numbers?

Two numbers: 55 per quarter for hosting, 198 per page on the web site.  Extremely fair and aggressive pricing.
3. My sites’s old and outdated.  What options do I have?

Go for the facelift!  By simply changing the layout and appearance of your site, you’ll regain your customer’s interest and also your own.  Plus, it’s much, much cheaper than making a completely different site from scratch.
4. Ok, so if you’re so great and can fix my site, what do I need to get to you so that you can actually change it?

FTP info: Username & Password.  That’s it.  Really.
5. How often should I update my site?

As often as possible!  Constantly generate new information or content…it keeps your customers interested, which means they’ll keep coming back and keep thinking about your company.
6. Chicken or the egg?  Or rather, which is more important – advertising and getting the people to the site , or the content they see when/if they get there?

Quality retains customers…flashy advertising gets them there.  If you want your business to last, focus on content..otherwise, you’ll have “flash-in-the-pan” success…and then fizzle quickly.
Thanks for reading/listening today!