Monday, June 27, 2011

Privacy Invasion?

Facebook’s new facial recognition software is being called an invasion of privacy by some.  This software looks at photos of you to gather information about your face to store in a database.  The kicker is that this happens whether you have an account or not. 
Why are they doing this?  Photos that are uploaded now have automatic suggestions of people to tag in them.  It recognizes the face of your friend that you have uploaded and tagged several times and eventually will recommend tagging them the next time you upload.
Once again Facebook has angered the public at large because they didn't tell us they were going to use all those photos we uploaded to make its facial recognition software better.  What some think is even worse is that all accounts were automatically defaulted to an enabled status for this feature when they installed it recently.  Many think they should have been asked if Facebook could use them for this reason.
What can you do?  While you can't delete the information Facebook already gathered and stored about your facial features, you can turn off this feature if you would like to. 
How to opt out:
1. Go to Account Privacy Settings.
2. Click "Customize settings."
3. Scroll down to "Suggest photos of me to friends" and click the Edit Settings button.
4. Click the box where it says "Enabled" and select "Disabled."
5. Click "Okay".

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Facebook for Beginners

The crowd that came to the Facebook for Beginners Workshop proves how many individuals understand the need to learn about the biggest social media site on the web.  This class really delved into topics that most think they understand, but many would be surprised to find how many little nuances there really are. 
A few of the topics discussed were:
·         Privacy Settings
·         “Checking In” – How and Why?
·         Uploading
·         Mobile Devices and How They Differ
·         And much more…
To see the slide presentation in its entirety, go to http://www.slideshare.net/lisaadamslicenses/score-facebook-workshop-for-beginners.  There are active links within this presentation, so click away!   If you are looking for more advanced techniques to apply to your business, please join us for the Facebook for the Advanced Business User on July 13th!
If you have any questions after watching this (or would like to hire us to do the work for you), please don’t hesitate to call Lisa at 239-963-5369!


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

CILB

Chrissi and Lisa were able to attend the May Construction Industry Licensing Board meeting which was an eye opening experience.  They were able to hear discussions and comments as well as rulings made during this procedure.  Hopefully you never have to go in front of the board, but if you do then maybe this will help.
The actual statute that exists regarding financial stability reads that any open liens or judgments stop an application.  This will get you sent to the board where you will need to explain what you are doing to rectify these situations.  They can then choose to ask for a certain amount of money in the bank, to ask that the applicant get a separate financially responsible officer or to deny the application immediately.  A rule has been created that an applicant’s credit score be 660 or above, but at this time that rule is not being enforced. 
When you fill out your application, you are asked to answer questions regarding your criminal history and background.  You are also required to submit to a fingerprint scan that the FDLE and FBI cross reference to their databases.  Anything in your past worst than a speeding ticket needs to be disclosed to the DBPR, and may get you sent to the board.  Crimes less than 10 years old—particularly violent crimes or felonies – are most prone to board referral, as well as previous board referrals.  The board has final say over who has good moral character, which is a purely subjective issue.  An applicant that had been convicted of a felony, but had his rights restored, came in front of the board to ask for his license back and was denied because his experience stated a project during the time he was in jail. 
Another major point of contention for the board is the experience verification section.  They discussed in great detail the amount of experience necessary and what makes up the four story requirement for a Certified General Contractor license.  One gentleman in front of the board had experience in a pump station project where one of the stories was underground and housed equipment.  This was deemed unacceptable to be considered a four story project.  The board gave him the option to receive his Certified Building Contractor license instead. 
Qualifying an additional business is a very involved process and is scrutinized heavily by the board.  They want to make sure that a contractor is not selling his or her license, but is actively involved in both companies.  If the license holder owns more than 50% of both businesses, the application should be approved without going to the board (unless background, financial or other areas show instability).  If the license holder does not own more than half of both, then the board will look at two main areas:  Why do you want to qualify this business?  How are you to be paid for this venture?  If you are trying to qualify two companies that compete with each other, the board sees that as a definite sign that you are selling your license.  As for payment, any individual who was not an owner and was paid by 1099 instead of W-2 was denied on the spot.
Reinstatement of a license after it has become Null and Void is also done by a board review.  Several individuals were at the meeting requesting their licenses be reinstated, but only one was granted.  A hardship endured must be proven to the board’s satisfaction for them to reissue their license.  The two who discussed their divorces did not meet that standard, nor did the gentleman who just had no idea how his license was never renewed.  The contractor who had been wrongly imprisoned in Cuba for a period of time before finally being allowed a liaison from the embassy was the only one to receive his license back.
After seeing all of this, we have several points of wisdom to share with you:
·       You have the right to an attorney.  This can help you know your rights and be able to communicate more effectively with the members of the board.
·       You will be drilled about all of your application, not just the part for which you were sent board.  Be sure that you know your application forwards and backwards.
·       If you ever find yourself in front of the board hearing the words “motion to deny”, immediately stand up and either ask for a continuance or completely withdraw the application.  This will save you from having a record of being denied by the board.
The gals at Licenses, Etc. are constantly on top of the newest rules and regulations to help our clients avoid a board referral if at all possible.  Call us today to find out how we can be of assistance with your next application.  www.LicensesEtc.com

Friday, June 10, 2011

Congratulations, May licensees!

Congratulations to the following Licenses, Etc. clients who were approved in May:
·         Robert Burton at Native Roofing Enterprises, Inc. of Davie, FL
·         Timothy Abell at Security Vault Works, Inc. of Laurel, MD
·         Andrews Delgado at Andrew Hunter Homes, LLC of Marco Island, FL
·         Anne Towers at PFCI, LLC DBA Precast Keystone of Naples, FL
·         Edward Rodriguez at E.R. A/C & Refrigeration, LLC of Northport, FL
·         Erik Reed at EJR Construction, LLC of Boca Raton, FL
·         Charles Stone at C-J Stone Construction, Inc. of Somerville, TX
·         George Crabtree at Gulfshore Drywall and Stucco of Florida, LLC of Fort Myers Beach, FL
·         Jeffrey Cindrich at Cindrich Construction, Inc. of Cape Coral, FL
·         Darrin Miller at Blue Wave Construction Group, Inc. of Hollywood, FL
·         David Blom at Structural Sign Solutions of Longwood, FL
·         Jennifer Polkow of Fort Myers, FL
·         Jeffrey Baller at J Baller Construction, LLC of Fort Myers, FL
·         Bob Cory at Queenslander Construction, Inc. of North Fort Myers, FL

We're also pleased to share the newly created Linked In site for this fine business:
·         Richard Pearson at  Good Value Pharmacy, LLC DBA Prescriptions Plus
Be sure to check them out!
And remember if you would like to be set up on Social Media Networking sites, call Lisa at 239.963.5369 for more information.