Eccentric billionaire Richard Branson has made the news once again in one of his trademark publicity stunts, this time using a blimp to poke fun at the British Airways sponsored London Eye, which was suffering a technical glitch.

In a move that exemplifies Branson’s quick-thinking, the company was able to erect an airship with a slogan that poked fun at the company and promoted Branson’s corporation at the same time.

“I was woken up at 5.30am one morning to be told that the BA-sponsored London Eye had a technical problem – they couldn’t erect it,” Branson said on his blog.

“They had the world’s press waiting to see it going up and I knew we had a duty to give them something to look at. We had an airship company just outside London so we scrambled a blimp and the end result was an airship flying over the wheel bearing the slogan ‘BA Can’t Get It Up!!’”

It’s yet another of Branson’s signature stunts for various product launches, although some have been more successful than others. Some have flopped alt

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Persuading people to do business with your company in the physical world is hard enough. But add in the skepticism that pervades the online corporate market, and youre looking at a much tougher barrier to entry when trying to attract customers. Ease their wary woes by proving that you operate a reputable and ethical enterprise. The following three suggestions are quick, easy, and effective ways to improve the credibility of your companys online presence in 2012.

1. Review and edit your sites content.

If you didnt hire a professional writer or marketing specialist to develop the content posted on your website, chances are you need to review it for both accuracy and grammar. Ambiguous or confusing information leaves potential clients less-than-enthused to do business with you, no matter what your line of work is. If spelling and grammar errors sprinkle the information found on your site, potential clients will question your authority and professionalism. Never, ever underestimate the value of quality content. Nobody wants to give their money to business owners who dont take their job seriously enough produce quality content.

2.

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Ed. Note: We just announced the opening of our offices in São Paulo, Brazil. Here’s a welcome post from Osvaldo Barbosa de Oliveira, country manager of LinkedIn Brazil to our Portuguese speaking members.

É com muito orgulho que venho anunciar o lançamento do primeiro escritório do LinkedIn na América Latina, em São Paulo, Brasil. E o momento não poderia ser melhor, afinal, acabamos de ultrapassar a marca dos 6 milhões de usuários no país.

Com o estabelecimento de nosso escritório e com a expansão de nossa equipe no Brasil, nosso objetivo é fazer com que nossa comunidade latino-americana de profissionais continue aumentando. Tendo em mente o atual crescimento econômico no país, há um enorme potencial para engajarmos os brasileiros na maior rede profissional do mundo.

Desde que lançamos o LinkedIn em português em abril de 2010, assistimos nosso número de usuários crescer de quase 1 milhão para os atuais 6 milhões. Os profissionais brasil

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Under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, a referendum on the question of independence was conducted after 56 years of grinding war between the North and South that left some 2 million southerners dead and millions displaced. The January 2011 referendum was approved by more than 99 percent of voters, now waiting for the benefits of peace.

The U.S.hosted meetings, billed as an International Engagement Conference for South Sudan, emphasized private sector development, good governance and accountability.

A key purpose of the Conference which included officials from private companies, diplomats and international aid officials from Sudan, the United Kingdom, Norway, Turkey, the European Union, the United Nations, the African Union, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation was dedicated to understand South Sudans strategic development priorities and broker investment opportunities.

But, just as U.S. Full Post…