It is fair to say that the impact of globalization in the cultural sphere has, most generally, been viewed in a pessimistic light. Typically, it has been associated with the destruction of cultural identities, victims of the accelerating encroachment of a homogenized, westernized, consumer culture. This view, the constituency for which extends from (some) academics to anti-globalization activists (Shepard and Hayduk 2002), tends to interpret globalization as a seamless extension of – indeed, as a euphemism for – western cultural imperialism. In the discussion which follows I want to approach this claim with a good deal of skepticism.

Postmodern culture, the politics of post-structuralism and the influence of globalization on identity are topics that have received much critical attention and have given rise to complex debates. Whether in the field of cultural and media studies, (post)colonial discourse analysis or aesthetics, these discussions are often perceived as being extremely complicated, confusing or removed from everyday reality. The subject of postmodernism is no longer restricted to learned debates by intellectual elites: Its appearance in mass media discussions concerning topics as diverse as architecture, drama, fashion, literature, music or film has become almost a daily occurrence. The importance of debates on the cultural impact of television is self-evident in the light of television being "an asset open to virtually everybody in modern industrialized societies and one which is increasing its visibility across the planet" (Barker, The Cultural impact of television, 3).

The Cultural Studies in a Global Context fosters cross-disciplinary research and teaching among social sciences and humanities scholars, focusing on the complexities of increasing globalization and intercultural contact. These changes have stimulated both formal and informal dialogues and collaborations among faculty, graduate students, professors of departments, and programs. Recently their works have focused on environmental issues in postcolonial contexts; empire, masculinity and gender; ethnic and religious violence; migration and diasporas as it currently occurs in the face of accelerating globalization and from a historical perspective; theories of cultural hybridity and interculturality in the context of asymmetrical power relations; and geopolitical and other kinds of borders where differences of all kinds cause peoples to clash and intermingle.

Two powerful scenarios dominate the public discourse about the cultural consequences of globalization. The one very common scenario represents globalization as cultural homogenization (for example Benjamin Barbers McWorld vs. Jihad). In this scenario the culturally distinct societies of the world are being overrun by globally available goods, media, ideas and institutions. In a world where people from Vienna to Sidney eat Big Macs, wear Benetton clothes, watch MTV or CNN, talk about human rights and work on their IBM computers cultural characteristics are endangered. As these commodities and ideas are mostly of western origin, globalization is perceived as westernization in disguise. The other scenario is that of cultural fragmentation and intercultural conflict (Huntington’s Clash of civilizations and most recently "confirmed" by the ethnocide in Yugoslavia).

But can we really reduce the processes of cultural globalization (i.e. the process of world-wide interconnections) to these two stereotypes? What about the meaning that local people attach to globally distributed goods and ideas? Why do people drink Coca Cola and what sense do they make of the soap-operas they watch? Do they really trade in their century old life worlds for the kinds of Madonna and Bill Gates? And how does the homogenization scenario fit with its rival, the imminent cultural fragmentation? (Joana Breidenbach and Ina Zukrigl).

Global and local analysis is inseparability. Global forces enter into local situations and global relations are articulated through local events, identities, and cultures; it includes studies of a wide range of cultural forms including sports, poetry, pedagogy ecology, dance, cities. The new global and translocal cultures and identities created by the diasporic processes of colonialism and decolonization. Cultural studies consider a variety of local, national, and transnational contexts with particular attention to race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality as categories that force us to rethink globalization itself.

It is very important how local and particular discourses are being transformed by new discourses of globalization and transnationalism, as used both by government and business and in critical academic discourse. Unlike other studies that have focused on the politics and economics of globalization, cultural studies, today, articulating the Global and the Local highlights the importance of culture and provides models for a cultural studies that addresses globalization and the dialectic of local and global forces.

Globalization leads to a new cultural diversity. Culture is one of the most prominent global concepts and gets appropriated in highly diverse ways. From its origins, cultural studies have defined its interdisciplinary impulse as a necessity derived from the nature of its object of study. Stuart Hall locates the origin of cultural studies in the refusal to allow "culture" to be distinguished from the social and historical totality of human practices, as exemplified by the refusal of cultural studies to acknowledge the autonomy of high art from mass or popular culture, or the autonomy of cultural artifacts from practices of reception and consumption in everyday life. Thus globality leads to the emergence of new cultural forms - a process points out that everywhere cultural tradition mix and create new practices and worldviews.

One of the key questions in globalized cultural studies is whether we have now entered a new moment in the institutionalization of cultural studies and interdisciplinary work more generally. Cultural studies also have a long history of skepticism and self-critique directed at its own institutionalization. Typically, the way cultural studies seeks to make its methodologies mirror the "totalizing" nature of its object is cited as a defense against reductive institutional codification along disciplinary lines, which it is feared will not only reduce cultural studies to a formula but also eliminate the interdisciplinary forms of dialogue, collaboration, and critique of disciplinary limits that have informed the history of this movement. The logic of epistemological mobility and boundary-crossing that cultural studies shares with its definition of culture is supposed to provide an inherent resistance to disciplinary formation, the traditional mode of academic legitimating. The interdisciplinary logic of cultural studies makes possible an alternative mode of institutionalization, so that Stuart Hall distinguishes "institutionalization," as a positive process, from the dangers of "codification." On one level, what a cultural studies program institutionalizes is its own skepticism toward institutionalization as a discipline.

Colocation is the purchase of a web server by a company. The web server is physically on the premises of a third-party company. This third-party company provides networking services. Colocation is for those companies that require complete control over their server configuration. This essentially means that a company will connect a server that it owns to the Internet. Additionally, the company owning the server must provide necessary technical support. When the web hosting company owns a server, it is referred to as a “dedicated server”, whereas in a “colocated environment”, the company opting for the service owns the server.

Colocation services are accompanied by costs. These are of two types: rental fees and connection charges. For rental charges the company pays for having the server in the data center of the web host. There are certain terms that a person needs to know, such as the height of the server expressed as “1u” or a “full rack”. Nearly all servers have a configuration of either 1U or 2U. Those that have a larger number of hard drives come in the capacity of 3u or 4U.

Connectivity charges are also included in a collocation agreement. There are a number of gigabytes that are transferred every month. Hence, a standard is used for calculation. If a 1mpb/s connection is used, then the average is calculated on the basis of 1 megabyte per second. This is not all though. There is a certain method by which the “transfer” is measured. The widely accepted method is through a system referred to as “95th percentile”, where bandwidth measurements are recorded every 5 minutes. Thus at the end of every month the data shows the highest readings, which are obtained when the top 5% are not needed and hence not considered.

For a customer, it is important to have first-hand knowledge of the physical location of the server. Natural disasters can occur, and the safety of a server that contains volumes of data is of paramount importance.

More and more traditional business services are going online and becoming integrated into the world wide web. Faxing services are following this trend. Email or Internet fax is becoming extremely popular with many companies and home businesses.

Countless online fax companies have set up shop and offered their services to meet this growing demand and popularity. Likewise, many home businesses are joining or switching their faxing requirements over to this relatively new phenomenon.

Before you jump on this bandwagon, just keep in mind it would be prudent for any company or home business to do a little research before choosing any long term service like Internet fax. A little homework done now could save your home business or company money over the long haul. A little knowledge about Internet fax and these fax service providers will come in handy when you are ready to choose your own online fax provider.

Internet Fax Is Cheaper

First, you probably already know Internet fax uses the Internet and your email system to send and receive faxes anywhere, anytime. It is faxing done right. It is also faxing done cheaper. Setup costs are much less expensive than a traditional fax method since there is no need for a bulky fax machine, paper or an extra phone line.

Internet Fax Is Tailored To Your Faxing Needs

Online fax services are very cost-effective. They come with many different service plans so you are assured of finding the right plan to meet your specific faxing needs. From very modest or lite faxing plans, all the way up to fax broadcasting to millions; there is a fax service plan to meet your needs.

In addition, most of these fax services are completely scalable and can be quickly adjusted to meet any increased business demands. Just as important, potential customers and business partners will appreciate your convenient online fax number.

Know Your Online Fax Providers

Like any industry, Internet Fax has its major players or companies. You may have heard of many of these online fax providers... eFax, MyFax, TrustFax, Send2Fax, RapidFax are among the big names. However, there are smaller companies that also offer great service but are not as well known, Faxage is one such company that readily comes to mind.

All of these companies are very reputable and professional, however, they do offer slightly different rates and service plans. It is in your best interest to compare and find the company/service that is best suited for your company or home business. Again which service provider you pick will depend mainly on your company's faxing needs.

Why Your Company Needs An Online Fax Service?

Companies and workforces are becoming more mobile as the Internet plays an even greater role in the workplace. Online fax services help provide this mobility and will make any company more competitive in the long run. Your employees can send and receive faxes wherever they access the Internet and these days that just about anywhere on the planet.

If you're operating a home business, it is important to project a professional image, having your own business fax number is paramount to how your business is perceived by potential customers and business partners.

If you're operating your home business online, then you know building trust and dependability are extremely important in the online world. Having all your contact information on your webpages including your own fax number is essential for doing business and commerce on the world wide web.

Having an Internet business fax number will no doubt make your company or home business more accessible to more people... use it to take orders, contact clients, promote special sales... it is an essential business tool no company should be without, especially as we use the Internet more and more to find the products and services we require.

Make sure your home business or company is properly equipped to meet this brave new wired world. If your company or home business doesn't already have an Internet fax number, you can easily get one within the next five minutes. It is a small investment in your company or home business that will pay big dividends in the future.

A phone number scan gets you someone's name, address, zip code and a bunch of other information. All these are obtained legally since such information is publicly accessible and hence, are readily available. People looking to find other people using just their phone numbers want up-to-date info but just how fresh the information you get is will largely depend on the phone number scan service you choose and how regularly the database they use is updated.

Phone Number Scan Companies - Make Sure You Are Asking the Right Questions

Anybody can say they can find people or their addresses using just phone numbers but in the end, it all comes down to who can deliver the goods. Knowing who to trust is essential to landing the information you want.

Which telephone number scanning company are you placing your faith in? There are lots of landline and mobile telephone scan services out there, but most of them aren't that different from the others. When it comes to locating people, you want to make sure you stick with services that boast the most reliable data.

Here are questions you need answered before settling on a phone number scanning provider.

* How up-to-date or current are the data you're viewing? Make certain that the service you use has access to a wide selection of public records resources. The company should have reliable information source partners whose records are updated the moment county records databases make the updates available.

* Do other people know you're searching for their phone numbers? You don't really want to risk others finding out you've been on a number-hunting expedition. Make sure that nobody is notified that you're using phone number scanning services. As much as possible, keep your searches private and totally anonymous.

* Is the website of the phone scanning service secure? With numerous things being available for public scrutiny and the heightened risks of identity theft, people need to ensure that the phone scan firm they choose employs the highest level of personal information protection and security. Go for websites that utilize no less than 128-bit encryption.

Treating all phone number scan services the same would be a mistake. There are plenty of great phone scanning providers available. But there are also a lot more that are untrustworthy, unreliable and unsecured. When choosing among several phone scan companies, make sure you do your homework and research each one thoroughly.

As businesses become more globalized and people around the world migrate to various countries to pursue their dreams, communication tools become more and more important. Global calling card overseas rates are the perfect communication tool, since international global calling card consumers can use them to get in touch with their families and businesses in their home countries. But how would someone know that she is getting a good deal on a calling card? Shopping for a good deal in the International calling card overseas market is definitely not easy. For instance, there are many companies that offer their services for let’s say half a cent a minute, which sounds too good to be true. Also, the calling cards market is so crowded that it is not easy to figure out which company is offering the best deal.

The consumer is not hopeless in this market, however. As a matter of fact, consumers have several ways to find out the best of the crop:

• Be Realistic: everybody wants to find a cheap reliable calling card. But, consumers need to be aware of bogus offers. If a calling card’s rate sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Companies are out there to make some profit, if possible, and offering impossibly low rates does not make them profitable!

• Be Sharp: global calling card consumers should not assume anything about the rates that they’re offered. Just because a company is offering a calling card for 2 cents a minute doesn’t mean that the final cost to the consumer will be just that! There might be some hidden fees associated with that card. Of course, some companies do not mention those hidden fees, since that would ruin their irresistible offers. So, consumers should always ask about hidden fees. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they do not exist!

• Be Curious: consumers should not focus on just low prices when it comes to global calling card overseas rates. There are of course several other things to look at when evaluating a calling card:

o Expiration dates: It is essential for consumers to find out a calling card’s expiration date when evaluating that card. For example, a company might offer a calling card with the rate of 3 cents a minute. However, if the card expires in 10 days, then consumers are in fact paying 9 cents a minute for that card.

o Additional features: Many card service providers offer many added features for additional fees. Global calling card consumers should always take time to find out what’s being offered.

o Coverage Area: Consumers buy international cards to communicate with countries around the globe. But what if your “1 cent a minute” card does not cover countries that you want to call? For that reason, consumers should figure out beforehand what areas are covered by a particular service provider to avoid such problem.

All in all, the process of searching for a cheap reliable calling card online is not rocket science! By using the tips in this article and investing some time, everybody can find a truly good global calling card deal.

A newspaper to begin a day with, even two or more when one chooses to. The importance of media in our lives has tremendously grown as a means of giving news to an essential tool we have come to love over the years. And most people are finally realizing just how much influential newspapers have become. That is not just saying it but a real fact.

There was a time when people were okay without the thought of it. Today that is simply a sound of the past. Much more than electronic media can do the print version of media and entertainment have gained significant importance. Of course, television and radio have faithful audiences and listeners and I’m sure they are well loved. But at the rate newspapers are going, it looks like they are here to stay. From giving us sad and happy news to enlightening our minds with a series of entertainments, here is something that amazingly holds a range of interesting things.

It is no wonder then, that the morning tea is not complete without the newspapers to accompany you. It gives you a great package and has everything that your mind is in search of. Sometimes, it’s more like reading a great book. The only difference is, it’s got more colours, having a little bit of everything put together to fit into everybody’s taste. Politics, national and international happenings, sports, cartoons, crimes of sorts, human interests, life’s valuable lessons, reviews and sorts of entertainment. Yes, you name it! Imagine, it must be some real hard work to bring up something like it everyday.

What more can you ask for? You get to voice your opinions too. And the best part is, it works for the truth-a report of facts, whether it’s music to the ears or some ugly truths. Though it is hard to realise the importance newspapers play in our lives, it goes without saying that we are passing everyday, dwelling in its glory. No matter which corner of the world you are in, you don’t have to worry about losing track of the things happening beyond your reach. There is this faithful media to give you glimpses of everything even when you are not there to witness the show.

The interesting thing is that the media is like a power tool. Everything it does is for the good of the public. It is a voice of the society that rings out their views and opinions. Apart from being a faithful news provider, it goes on to lift up those who seem to have no stand in the society in the public eye. It encourages people to do well by featuring those who have achieved well in life, not be dishonest and unfair means but by hard work, crossing obstacles and struggles. Newspapers carry the voice of the youth and those who have a heart to make our land a better place to live in.

Today, more than ever, we rely on this news-giving instrument that does more than its part. It is widely reaching out to bring more light to our society. How would we know of any wrong or unfair practises that raised an undeserving person to a higher platform if there were no media to tell us so? Lesser care for the dying human beings, those without a home would have remained in the shadow if issues like this one have never been highlighted. Or any good undertaken by the government will also be an untold story in the absence of media.

Most of us would be living in our own closed worlds without an idea of what’s going on beyond our borders. Maybe it’s time we acknowledge how well they have played their game. The nicer thing being, they will continue to shower us with more than we can ask for.

Bridging the gaps of a thousand miles, even expanding the joys of small events taking place in our own towns, the role of the media is beyond description. The hard work they stitch together to produce a daily newspaper will always be our morning anticipation that lights our paths.

When conducting an address to phone number search, you usually need to consult with a reverse directory. Reverse directories first started in the 1960s, when they were a popular resource for law enforcement agencies and government officials. It is also synonymous to reverse phone lookups or the Black Pages.

Address to Phone Number Search - How It Works

Many law enforcers search for an address through one’s phone number in emergency situations. If someone calls during an emergency, caller ID can usually identify the number of the calling party. However, the phone call may have been cut off or the person calling was unable to give his or her address. The reverse directory works in a way so that you will be able to find out where the number is located and the police are thus able to extend emergency assistance where it is needed.

Since these reverse directories may contain both listed and unlisted numbers - sometimes even mobile numbers - these have been exclusive to law enforcement use only. This is intended to protect the privacy of the individuals listed in these directories and to guarantee that the extensive information that these reverse directories contain are used only for beneficial purposes.

For private use, there is usually a telephone service number that you need to call if you have a telephone number and wish to know if it belongs to a particular person or company. You will only be able to retrieve the related customer details if you can identify the entire phone number and provide it for the search.

Some countries may provide a reverse directory as a supplement to the regular phone directories, but these are more the exception than the norm. In rarer cases, these reverse directories, which allow either an address to phone number search or a phone number to name search function, have been created by phone phreakers or a subculture of people in the underground who experiment with phone systems. Some of these services may be provided for free or for a minimal fee.

These days everybody seems to be doing everything online. Of course, the most popular among the online tools is electronic mail, or e-mail. In recent years, text chat in real-time has become possible. Not long after, voice chat, then video conferencing functions have been added to the mix. Radio streaming is currently available, as well as video streaming, which makes communicating much more multi-faceted.

Online faxing is no different from actual manual faxing, except for the difference in medium. People have moved from the manual method of sending a fax through analog phone lines, to using the Internet to send a document. Even if you do your faxing online, the concept of sending a fax has not deviated from the original manual method. You will still need to have a sender, a receiver and a document or file to fax.

Faxing on the Internet utilizes the same principle as e-mail: You will need to purchase a fax server to host and regulate the sending and receiving of documents. Obviously you will need an Internet connection as well as a static IP. Just like with e-mail, you can create multiple accounts and allow multiple users within the company to use the online fax capability with just one fax server.

With Internet faxing, you no longer have to pay costly long-distance bills. You don?t even need to print out a document to be able to fax it overseas.

A fax server allows you to send a fax directly from your computer. If you need to resend the message for whatever reason, the fax server stores a copy of previously sent faxes for you to access, so you don?t have to redo your fax. The person intended to receive the fax will be able to retrieve your fax through his own fax server.

Whether you belong to a large Fortune 500 company or are in the process of starting your own business, you probably have the need to meet with associates, investors, or other colleagues. Conference calling will assist you in making these meetings manageable and efficient from any location.

Conference calling is a service used by businesses that allows multiple parties to participate in a phone call, no matter how close or far away they are from the source of the call. Large businesses use conference calling services to communicate with associates across the country or even across the globe, making meetings effortless and efficient.

For conference calling to work one company needs to purchase and participate in a conference calling service, either through a telephone company or a web server. When the leader of the conference call wants to have a meeting he simply informs all of the participants of the time the meeting will take place and the information needed to access the call. The called party can be set up to either have their voices heard or to merely be at the listening end of the meeting.

If you are new to the world of conference calling you may be overwhelmed with the amount of conference calling services that are available. Like most new products and services you will definitely want to do your research and discover which service will best suit your needs and fit into the budget of your business.

When choosing a conference calling service there are several features you will want to consider. First you’ll need to choose a service that will allow the number of participants you will need to use the conference call. Some providers allow anywhere from 25 to 150 participants. You will also need to consider which type of conference calling will be most efficient and convenient for your needs. Reservation-less conference calling for instance does not utilize an operator so you can schedule the call at your convenience. Web conference calling allows you to show data and presentations through a PC to other participants.

As you research various conference calling services, do not be deceived by the word “free”. It is true that the actual conference calling service is free to you and the other participants because you won’t need to pay a fee for an account. However, there will be expenses in the form of paying the normal long distance rate that each caller’s long distance carrier would charge for the length of the call. The conference calling service itself is “free” but all parties involved will be spending some money on the cost of the long distance call.

Conference calling services make business meetings easy and efficient by allowing all parties to participate without the hassle of finding a time and place to meet in person. Conference calls can be accessed by multiple parties from multiple places, so a business owner in Iowa could conference with associates as far as Italy, Jamaica, or China all at the same time. When finding your ideal conference calling service, be sure to do your research and utilize the best service for your business needs.

Don't know how to make a conference call? No worries - for the most part, conference calls are easy to work out. And once you've done it, it's almost muscle memory; you need not worry about botching the job the next time you have to set one up.

Different call providers might have different routines for logging into their conference service, but the procedure is essentially the same. Once you've selected a carrier, ask them directly for instructions. Your provider ought to be able to walk you through the process even if you don't have the first idea yet how to make a conference call.

There are so many conferencing providers out there -- how can you tell which ones are best? Well, pricing is one of the first criteria. Look for a provider in your area that offers cheap long distance connection rates. Sometimes, having to connect to individuals based in other parts of the world can be trickier or more expensive than initially assumed. The nearer the provider is to you, as the initiator of the call, it is assumed that the sharper your reception will be. Anticipate problems with reception if some members of the conference are on the go or too far away.

Have a good idea of the number of people who will be accessing the conference call. This will enable your provider to select the best package to suit your needs. Sometimes, for small-scale packages, only six people (including yourself as the service subscriber) will be able to log into a teleconference at the same time.

Many conference call providers start off by assigning you a toll-free number, open for use only at the conference time you specify. Then, you'll be given information such as passwords or security codes which you can distribute to the other conference participants; they can then use those codes to access the toll-free number at the proper time. As the initiator of the teleconference (sometimes known as the Host) you'll be assigned a separate login, and this login will empower you to moderate the conference via simple touch tone commands. You can choose to mute only certain participants, or mute the entire conference, control the volume, etc. Remember: this is a huge responsibility!

It starts off with the CEO and once the technology manager is approved to also purchase one, it slowly spreads across the entire company.

The technical issues involved are actually quite simple to overcome. The process is straight forward, your phone is configured to hit an exchange server, identify your exchange servers outside name or ip, and put it in your phone with your username/password/domain.

If you have SSL setup in your exchange OWA (outlook web access) then select secure, if not, don't.

If you can hit your OWA mail.servername.com/exchange then your phone should sync. Actually your phone may use mail.servername.com/oma (outlook mobile access), it will in-turn use mail.servername.com/microsoft-server-activesync

Security:

The default installation of exchange is configured with security low enough to let your phone in right away. Your firewall would need to have port 80 open for OWA anyway, so there is no change required there by default, SSL is of course not default. Later you may want to setup SSL, or you may have it already, port 443 is required in your firewall, but that's about it from a network perspective.

Once you know you can access /oma from outside via http or https as required you can lock down the users. Typically you can review the microsoft-server-activesync directory security settings in IIS and check basic, uncheck anonymous and integrated. At that point you should be good to go, however basic is clear-text, and if you are not running SSL your password could possibly be seen by a network sniffer. So add a certificate to your OWA, place that certificate in your phone, and you should be able to check secure to encrypt the traffic.

Once the infrastructure is setup at your office, the next phone is a breeze to configure (outside server-name, uid/pwd, done).

Give yourself a little stress relief; get your exchange to automatically push your messages and calendar items instantly to your phone. Often your phone will know you have a message before your outlook in the office does.

In businesses, the trend seems to be going paperless for everything because everything has to be instant and efficient. The convenience of getting an e-mail saves a lot of time. Registration is simple and free, and delivery is in real-time. No more worries if the message has actually been sent or if there was a change of address.

In recent years, service providers have taken the concept of e-mails and started offering fax services. Similar to the e-mail service, you have to sign-up for an account use free Internet fax services.

On the registration page, you are required to give a unique user name and password. You can also optionally specify your real name, mailing address, zip code, phone number and e-mail address. Similar to any other online account, the user name you provide must not be the same as another existing account. If the user name does not exist in the database and the password passes minimum requirements, you will then be given an account and fax number. A welcome e-mail will be sent to you validating your registration, providing you with your unique PIN number.

Whenever someone calls your fax number, they will be greeted automatically by pre-recorded introductions informing them that they have reached your fax. You may replace this recording and record your own introduction to greet any customers that may call. You simply need to type in your PIN number to validate yourself as the owner of the account. Once your identity has been confirmed, you can record your personalized welcome message.

Free Internet fax numbers work very similarly to e-mail addresses. The difference is that the source of your message comes from a fax. The fax is sent to your account, but when the message reaches your server, it is broken down into data that allows you to retrieve it through via e-mail.

E-mail has been one of the most convenient innovations of our time. It gives you the option to send a message in real time, and if there are problems with the mail delivery, you get a response that an error was encountered and that the sending of the e-mail failed. Gone are the days where you ponder if the mail has been received by the intended party. But sad to say, not everyone has embraced this technology. In conducting business transactions, people usually resort to the use of fax as a real-time means of communication. However, fax bills can be high if the call is overseas.

You can now make use of these services that allow you to send a fax message through your e-mail. An email-to-fax service provides you and your co-workers with the option to send out fax messages via an e-mail application, customize cover sheets with company logos, include pictures and graphs, plus get a confirmation message that your fax has been sent to its intended recipient. The process behind the e-mail Internet fax service is that your e-mail service provider sends the document to the fax number of your customer. Your provider will be responsible for sending the message to the other party, and you will be informed once the fax has been received by the customer.

You need to sign up for a subscription package to make use of the e-mail Internet fax service. This service is not free. You will have to pay $20 a month just to maintain an account. There are additional charges of $0.10 per faxed page you want to send, but you can send a fax to a recipient anywhere in the United States. Rates for sending faxes to different areas around the globe depend on the location. If you need to receive fax messages through the same account, there will be additional charges as well. Inbound faxes will cost you $0.15.

One of the most important activities required at the onset of a telecom audit is that of collecting all of the appropriate and applicable data that is to be included within the framework of the audit.

It makes sense that telecom auditing success and eventual cost savings is directly related to the initial data that is collected. This data is then thoroughly reviewed/analyzed during the entire audit process. Telecom data that is NOT collected obviously cannot be analyzed, and that could result in limited savings over the course of the entire audit. As they say, "garbage in, garbage out."

It is easy to forget or to simply leave out important data. The following checklist will help keep you on track as you begin the telecom audit process. Prepare a manila folder for the following items and label each with its appropriate title. Once you have collected and organized each item, simply check that item off the list. Be sure to have a pad of Post-it notes handy too!

Telephone Bills

Local/Long Distance

The most obvious source for data collection is telephone bills. Before you hastily gather them up however, first determine the manner in which your basic telecom services are billed. Start with local telephone bills and branch out from there. Long-distance services may be billed on the same statement as local bills or they may be included on a separate bill altogether. If they do come separately, be sure to include them in separate folders.

Wireless Phones

After you have collected and organized local and long-distance bills, next concentrate on wireless services. First determine if your wireless services are billed as a group or as individual accounts. If a separate bill is received for each wireless phone, be sure to collect each and every one of them. There may be wireless phones that are not in use but are still being billed on a monthly basis. Include all wireless phone bills into one folder.

Paging

Paging bills are next on the list for data collection. Use the same process for collecting paging bills as you did for wireless phones. Be sure to create a separate folder for paging bills.

Internet

Next concentrate on collecting all Internet service related bills. More often than not your Internet provider will provide a separate bill for Internet services and related monthly charges. However, many local telephone companies now offer customers broadband services along with local telephone service. If this is the case, your Internet service charges could be included on your local telephone bills. If that is the case, simply make a note of it in the internet folder and then move on.

Contracts

Voice and Data Service Contracts

Contracts on voice and data services are an important element in the audit process. It may be best to gather all contracts that are current and in place and include them in one manila folder. Some contracts may overlap, such as a contract for both local and long-distance services. Be sure to identify and include wireless phone contracts as well as telecom equipment and maintenance service agreement contracts.

Directory Advertising Agreements

Directory advertising and/or Yellow Pages agreements include important data that should be included in your audit. Keep in mind that white page listings are usually included on the local phone bill while Yellow Page ads are more often than not billed by a Yellow Page service provider. These contracts/agreements are an important data source because they specify the type of directory advertising ordered, when it was ordered, and by whom it was ordered. More importantly, these agreements include the rates that are to apply to all advertising along with the terms and conditions of the agreement.

Services and/or Equipment Inventory

If you have conducted an inventory of lines and/or telecom equipment that is in use, include all of this information in a separate labeled folder.

Supplier/Vendor Data

Many telecom auditors make the mistake of only collecting data that is readily available on the user end, such as the items listed above. They fall into the trap of simply "analyzing phone bills". Collecting supplier information as well as information and data from third parties is extremely important if your goal is to achieve the most thorough telecom audit possible.

Customer Service Records (CSRs)

Customer service records contain the unique data about customers that are generated by suppliers during the normal course of day-to-day business. Written in what are usually called Universal Service Order Codes (USOC) these records serve as an itemized listing or "snapshot" of all of the lines, services, features, etc. of a specific customer account.

Customer service records can and should be obtained from suppliers. The information contained on these records provides a wealth of data that will ultimately be the backbone of your telecom audit. Allow a few weeks for carriers to respond to your request and do not hesitate to continually hound them if they fail to respond immediately to your requests. Click here for a more in-depth explanation of customer service records.

Tariffs

Tariffs are the official documents that spell out rules, service offerings, rates, etc. While they have become less important for long-distance contracts, Local Exchange Carriers still maintain tariff rates. Tariffs are available for inspection at telephone company offices as well as many Internet web sites.

Tariff bureaus provide tariffs in printed or electronic format. An excellent source for tariff information is CCMI. CCMI provides access to the most comprehensive online repository of rate and tariff documents available in the industry. This is information that is useful to both users and suppliers.

Tax Information

Charities, churches, schools, nonprofit educational and hospital operations, certain other entities that receive government funding, foreign counselor operations, and others, may be exempt from state and/or federal taxes. For example, common carriers, newspapers and broadcast companies may be exempt from federal tax on some services.

It is wise to organize and collect tax information at the beginning of your telecom audit. Also, it is important to keep in mind that telephone service representatives generally do not have a good grasp or understanding of applicable taxes and how they are applied in many different situations. Service representatives are useful for information verification relating to your bills. In most cases they can refer you to those who have the tax answers you are seeking. The most reliable source for tax information is from a tax professional or the Internal Revenue Service.

Proper collection and organizing of telecom date at the start of any telecom audit will set the tone for the duration of the project. In the end, this attention to detail will pay off not only in additional cost-savings but also in the time and effort needed to thoroughly complete the task.