LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - OwnYourInfo, the premier online life management service, announces the release of Version 2.Since its launch in September 2011, OwnYourInfo has undergone a series of structural and interface design updates that make for a significantly improved user experience.

As corporate investment grows in the personal data space, OwnYourInfo promises to be steadfast in its goals of making the access and sharing of personal information more organized, safe, efficient and universally accessible.The release of Version 2 marks major improvements in usability, integration, and user verification.Company founder, Mark L. Black, said, "We have learned a lot since we launched our online web service in September 2011.We are adapting our service to the feedback that our growing user base is providing, as well as the emerging standards and innovations of the industry.Our team has reaped many benefits from the increasingly organized and collaborative community of individuals and companies working to promote individual control over personal information."

Version 2 of OwnYourInfo comes with major usability improvements."Many of the changes are to enable more granular -- but still simple -- control over data we share all the time; for example, its easy to figure out how to enter and share sensitive account numbers or credit card information.V2 is all about convenience without losing security," said William McCusker, Product Manager for OwnYourInfo.

With the release of V2, OwnYourInfo will begin to focus on interoperability and exporting capabilities.Recently, OwnYourInfo became a development partner in the Respect Trust Framework and a member of the Personal Data Ecosystem Consortium (PDEC).Participation within these organizations begins a new chapter for OwnYourInfo; now, a company that is beginning to interact and coordinate with a growing group of companies which operate in the personal data space and drive the concept of the 'personal cloud.'

Individuals interested in OwnYourInfo's services can now try a basic version of the site for free. A subscription service for a nominal fee ($5/monthly) is offered for individuals seeking more advanced features.

Visitownyourinfo.com and start taking control of your information today.

About OwnYourInfo OwnYourInfo is an online and mobile portal based on four principals: organization, efficiency, safety and accessibility. OwnYourInfo was founded on the premise that people should be able to securely and efficiently store and share their personal information and documents. For more information, visitwww.ownyourinfo.com.

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OwnYourInfo Introduces V2 and Freemium Model

BetterNetworker announced that they are promoting Ray Higdons new personal development course, The Power Mind. A BetterNetworker Instructor and member since 2010, Higdon is widely known and respected throughout the network and Internet marketing industry and is one of the top leaders and earners. Higdon and BetterNetworker previously teamed up in June 2012 to promote Higdons ProBlog Academy blogging course, which met with much success.

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) October 10, 2012

This course, which will be broken down into separate modules and released over a six week time span, focuses on teaching people how to change their mindset and use the power of attraction to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. The law of attraction, which is essentially the idea that a person has the ability to attract success through positive thinking, had a profound effect on Higdon when he first began in network and Internet marketing, and he credits it with much of his success.

Years ago I was sent a book on how to use the law of attraction and it changed my life, says Higdon. I started experiencing major success with real estate, speaking and many other areas of my life. Looking back, it is breaking away from that training that attributed to my disastrous fall in that career.

Its time to divorce the negative emotions that run so many peoples lives. My goal with this course is to change the lives of thousands of people all over the world [] and to make investing in this course a very easy decision, he continues. My goal is not just to make money from this but to impact as many people as possible.

BetterNetworker plans to promote the course via two separate mailings to their list during the week of October 8-12, 2012.

Were always delighted to work with Ray, says CEO Jesse Jameson. Hes such an inspiration to so many people. The way he was able to break through in this industry and experience the incredible success he has is truly amazing, and on top of it all hes just such a genuine person with so much integrity and class. Hes a shining example of a true leader who honestly cares about helping others, so were always proud to stand behind him and help promote his training, because we know just how valuable it will be for our members.

Im really excited to do something cool with BetterNetworker, says Higdon. I love those guys.

A BetterNetworker member since 2010, Higdon has worked closely with the company in the past and is a very frequent contributor to their site. In June 2012, BetterNetworker partnered with Higdon to promote his ProBlog Academy blogging course, which was extremely popular within the BetterNetworker community.

More details about The Power Mind can be found by clicking on the following link:

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BetterNetworker Announces Support of Ray Higdon’s “The Power Mind”

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - Respect Network, the world's first open network for the trusted exchange of personal data, today announced that Allfiled and OwnYourInfo have joined as Development Partners, and Edentiti has joined as a Verification Partner. Each of these companies offers new technologies or services that empower individuals to control the sharing of their personal information online.

"The Respect Network is a decentralized multi-provider network that enables individuals to choose a trusted service provider to enable them to more easily, safely, and profitably share their personal data online, just like they can choose a bank to exchange money," said Respect Network Managing Director Drummond Reed. "Allfiled and OwnYourInfo are pioneers in creating these new personal data services in the U.K. and the U.S., and Edentiti's online identity verification service is already used by over 80 companies across Australia."

Allfiled is a personal data services provider, building tools that help people get stuff done in a secure, empowering, privacy-enabled way. "We fully recognize and endorse that this new industry will necessarily be built out as a network of providers architecting themselves around individuals and their needs," said Product Director Iain Henderson. "We are delighted to join the Respect Network, who is helping to make this vision real."

OwnYourInfo is a personal data store for safe, organized and efficient access and distribution of sensitive and routine personal information. "Convincing customers to keep their personal data online is all about trust; OwnYourInfo joined the Respect Network to demonstrate to our customers that their trust in our service is paramount," said founder and CEO Mark L. Black. "We are convinced that initiatives like the Respect Network are foundational to our emerging industry."

Edentiti's Australian-based online identity verification service recently won the Novay Digital Identity Award for the best new concept or product in the field of digital identity. "Edentiti provides legal entities with the services to be their own identity providers," said Kevin Cox, Founder of Edentiti. "Since this enables both users and businesses to control their own digital identity, Edentiti services fit easily within the Respect Network framework."

Respect Network launched the Founding Partner Program in the spring of 2012 to enlist companies committed to the strong personal data control protections of the award-winning Respect Trust Framework. Neustar, one of the world's leading trusted neutral network service providers, and Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecom provider and one of the most trusted brands in Europe, are the first two Commercial Partners. Other Founding Partners include Kynetx, The Customer's Voice, Project Danube, Gluu, Planetwork, Bitworld, Miicard, BioID, Virtrue, TrustCloud, Ctrl-Shift and The Searls Group.

The Founding Partners will be meeting and giving demonstrations of interoperable digital identity and personal data technologies at the Internet Identity Workshop being held October 23-25 in Mountain View, CA.

Respect Network will soon begin inviting select global brands to participate in this new consortium, enabling them to empower and connect directly with customers in a way that has never been possible.For more information, visit http://www.respectnetwork.com.

About Respect Network Corporation Respect Network is the world's first trusted personal data network.All members subscribe to the Respect Trust Framework; the new model for personal data sharing that is listed with the Open Identity Exchange and won the Privacy Award at the 2011 European Identity Conference.Individuals can join the Respect Network today through the Connect.Me social relationship manager available at http://connect.me/.

About Allfiled Allfiled, founded in 2007, provides a personal data service to individuals, and white label personal data services to large organisations and entrepreneurs wishing to enter the personal data ecosystem either as service providers or application developers. Our strong belief is that the individual will become the optimal point of integration and origination for data about themselves, and that this will enable step change improvements in how customer-supplier relationships are managed and run. For more information see http://www.allfiledsolutions.com.

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Respect Network Announces New Development and Verification Partners

SCRANTON, Pa., Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Penn Foster, Inc., a global leader in online education, offering programs in high school, career school and college, today announced that after an extensive review it has selected the Vsnap video messaging platform to help faculty and staff better engage and support Penn Foster's more than 150,000 students. With Vsnap, Penn Foster employees can easily record short video messages for students, as a more personal alternative to email or other text communication. This is part of Penn Foster's commitment to creating more personal connections within its community as a path to increasing students' success.

In addition to offering apps that make it easy to record and send short video messages, or "vsnaps," from Apple and Android smartphones and tablets, Vsnap also hosts the videos and provides a simple system for measuring their effectiveness. Each vsnap is 60 seconds or less, and can be shared to a recipient's Twitter handle, LinkedIn account, or email address.

By using Vsnap, Penn Foster has the ability to send and store an unlimited number of video messages, and access rich measurement tools to guide the school's usage. In addition, students will be able to send vsnaps to one another and to faculty, further deepening the cohesion of the Penn Foster community. Close to 90 percent of all college students have a smartphone, and according to eMarketer are seen as a necessity by undergraduates. With the rise of social networks, consumers have become more comfortable with communicating via video, and with Vsnap, students can more easily connect with faculty and school administrators.

"We have been testing the Vsnap software with strong results both internally and in academic learning situations," said Joe Gagnon, president of Penn Foster. "The tool aligns perfectly with our commitment to making sure that students feel supported as they use education to advance their goals. This enterprise agreement will give us access to richer analytics, as well as the opportunity to customize the branding on the video messages."

"At Vsnap, we admire Penn Foster's deep commitment to making their students feel special," said Dave McLaughlin, co-founder and CEO of Vsnap. "We are very pleased to be helping their team create that personal and emotional connection as a way to better serve their students and to drive the growth of the company. It's exciting for us because we share the values of the Penn Foster team, and because their student population of more than 150,000 gives our young company an amazing opportunity to have enormous impact."

"With Vsnap we are adding a layer of collaboration and a personal touch on top of our classes, making it easier for our student body to embrace learning and succeed," continued Gagnon. "That's our mission, and it's our growth strategy. The more successful students are, the more successful we are as a company."

The benefits to online learning are known from scalability, flexibility, and affordability to greater student achievement. However, with a debt-free model like Penn Foster, it is also proving to be a viable, low-cost strategy that could substantially help overcome the huge, recession-driven deficits in education budgets across the country.

About Penn FosterPenn Foster is a global leader in online education, providing high school diplomas, career-focused degree and vocational programs in the fields of allied health, business, technology, education, and select trades. Penn Foster has a rich history in distance learning, tracing back to their roots as the International Correspondence School in 1890. The institution today, comprised of Penn Foster High School, the largest high school in the United States; Penn Foster College and Penn Foster Career School, graduates 25,000 annually, and has always been dedicated to educating and training America's working population.

About VsnapVsnap is a tool that businesses use to make their customers feel valued. It's a simple system that makes it easy to record, share and measure short video messages, not more than 60 seconds, as a more personal alternative to email or other text communications. The benefit is that recipients take action about 40% more than email recipients, and that they tend to be more evangelical on online social networks. Vsnap is a free product with premium features for businesses becoming publicly available in the coming months. Vsnap is privately held. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, and recently closed a $750,000 investment round.

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Penn Foster College Chooses Vsnap To Integrate Video Messaging For Faculty And Students

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 10, 2012) - The Learning Annex today launches its new, celebrity-curated online education marketplace which will connect experts and learners for the exchange of knowledge. The new Learning Annex platform will allow learners and experts to purchase and sell knowledge through a variety of offline and online means, including classes, live tutoring, online, phone calls, micro-consulting and email chat.

Continuing with its long tradition of working with celebrities, the new Learning Annex has enlisted mogul Russell Simmons, dating expert Siggy Flicker and home/design power couple The Novogratz to share their favorite experts or classes with their followers. The new platform will also provide celebrities with the ability to promote their own products, services or charities, teach a class or offer their expertise in various methods to Learning Annex members. New celebrities will be added to the platform every week.

Learning Annex founder and chairman Bill Zanker says, "More than 30 years ago, The Learning Annex changed adult education by offering experts and information in a shorter format, with one-night classes. Since then, the company has successfully provided more than two million people with the tools they need to enhance their lives and careers. I wanted to do something online that would transform and disrupt the way people currently connect with experts."

Zanker continued, "I believe that everyone has expertise to sell and that people want to purchase that knowledge in a convenient way. Just as Airbnb made people realize that an extra room in their home or apartment can be a source of income, the new Learning Annex provides a platform for people to monetize their knowledge. It's an exciting time for online adult education and our new platform is way to unify an otherwise fragmented market."

To support the launch and growth of the platform, The Learning Annex recruited internet industry veteran David Galvan to serve as the company's chief executive officer. Galvan has held leadership roles at technology companies such as Schedulicity, Yahoo!, AOL/Netscape and Motorola, among others, and is responsible for overseeing the company's transition from an offline provider of adult education classes to a robust expert marketplace, curated by celebrities.

"I'm honored to be working with such an extraordinary brand like The Learning Annex during this pivotal time," said Galvan, CEO. "The market for local individual experts in the adult education, life-long learning and self-help market is highly fragmented, inefficient and ripe for disruption. Since The Learning Annex's creation of the market, the industry has shown little innovation or change and represents a $100 billion global opportunity."

About The Learning Annex For more than 30 years, The Learning Annex has been the premier producer of education classes, bringing courses and lectures from high-impact speakers, such as Suze Orman, Deepak Chopra, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, P. Diddy, Richard Branson, Bethenny Frankel, Tony Robbins, Harrison Ford, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Al Gore and many more. The new Learning Annex is the most comprehensive celebrity-curated online marketplace that connects experts and learners for the exchange of knowledge. The Learning Annex platform allows learners and experts to purchase and sell knowledge through a variety of offline and online means, including classes, live tutoring, online, phone calls, micro-consulting and email chat. For more information, visit http://www.learningannex.com.

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The Learning Annex Disrupts Adult Education -- Again

The injured technician was awarded 73,000 after falling two storeys in a CPD training course.

Karl Stagno-Navarra

Judge Silvio Meli, presiding over the First Hall of the Civil Court, today ordered the Director of Civil Protection Department to pay out 73,000 to an ST. Microelectronics technician who had seriously injured himself when falling two floors during a fire-fighting training course at the department's compound in Hal Far.

The accident happened in March 2002, when Pierre Farrugia, who was employed as a technician at ST. Microelectronics, was delegated by his company to act as 'trainee fire-fighter' and was sent on a course at the Civil Protection Department.

During the excercise, Farrugia had fallen a height of two floors, seriously injuring himself and sustaining permanent disability.

He had sued both the Civil Protection Department and ST. Microelectronics over their responsibility for the accident.

The court, upheld Farrugia's claim that the Civil Protection Department was to be held responsible for his safety during the training excercise, but absolved his employer, ST. Microelectronics from responsibility.

It ordered the Civil Protection Director to liquidate the amount of 73,000 in favour of Farrugia.

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Civil Protection director ordered to pay €73,000 in damages

Thai goods enjoy a reputation for above-average quality in Vietnam, where many consumers are willing to pay a little more for something with a Product of Thailand label. However, consumer tastes are constantly changing and marketers must be prepared to defend their products reputations against new competition.

Thai goods have not flooded Vietnam the way products from China have, but have gradually expanded their presence based on higher quality and better services. Among the Thai brands that have built great market share momentum are Red Bull energy drinks, Rosso mens underwear, BSC cosmetics, Three Lady Cooks foods, Pao laundry detergent, and Malee fruit juice products.

One of the very first things that we need to do is maintain brand loyalty and continue to improve product quality, says Dr Siwarit Pongsakornrungsilp, head of the Consumption and Sustainable Economy Research Cluster (CSE) at Walailak University in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

It is important to note the effects of digital media on consumer culture trends, as when people see more, they have more choices which leads them to be more selective when it comes to purchasing decisions.

To expand their share in Vietnams consumer market, he says, exporters have to create a distinctive brand story. Successful brands develop a conceptual framework to capture customers collective consciousness and make the brand unique and memorable.

The success of Korean products in Vietnam since Korean pop culture spread across Asia makes an excellent case study for this theory.

Last year Vietnam imported $13.17 billion worth of products from South Korea, a rise of 65% from $8 billion just three years earlier, helped by the enthusiasm of Vietnamese young people for K-Pop and housewives for Korean TV shows.

Thai exporters can learn from Koreas success and try to create brand stories to make their products the talk of the town. Making sure that salespeople in stores have a positive feeling about your products is a plus.

Researchers have found that compared with their peers in other countries, Vietnamese shoppers, especially those above middle age, like to interact with salespeople and get their comments and recommendations. As well, according to the Nielsen Shopper Trends Study, Vietnamese shoppers are the most prolific promotion-seekers in Asia, so regular promotional campaigns can be a great bonus.

Participating in exhibitions and trade fairs is also very significant promotional tool for ewxporters seeking to introduce new products, says Busaba Butrat, director of the Thai Trade Center in Hanoi.

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Opportunities await in Vietnam, but preparation a must

Sheryl Light and Thomas Slattery pose in their new business, Open Studio.

WILMINGTON | Open Studio, a yoga and healing art studio, has opened on Military Cutoff Road, offering yoga , creative classes in drama and writing and even one-on-one life coaching.

The realized dream of artists Sheryl Light and Thomas Slattery, Open Studio is most definitely out of the box.

Sheryl Light was born and raised in Boston and graduated from art school with a degree in Fine Art. Mother of three boys, Light nurtured her passion for painting and became a certified yoga instructor and life coach.

California native Thomas Slattery spent more than a decade as a professional dancer, working in Paris and New York, before discovering yoga and settling on the East Coast.

As well as being a dancer and a yogi, Slattery is also a talented sculptor working with bronze, steel and

stone.

Merging their artistic visions and shared love of yoga, Slattery and Light co-create unique paintings, inspired by their focus on mind/body connection.

The innovative pair established their own art company 12 years ago called Cross Your Toes. It hosts their artwork and offers tailor-made paintings.

They meet with clients and collect stories from their lives, then work those details into the abstract painting. There may be an anniversary date hidden in the background or a favorite color dominating the image, the pair said.

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New business combines yoga and artwork

Summary: Rather than trying to pick a winner, Lenovo has decide to offer several Windows 8 convertibles. At an event in New York, the company launched four new hybrids including the unique Yoga design.

There are several different ways to build a laptop that converts into a tablet. Rather than trying to pick one winner, Lenovo has decide to cover them all. At an event in New York last night Lenovo launched its Windows 8 convertibles for consumers and small businesses. In all there are four new hybrids including the unique Lenovo Yoga design.

Photo Gallery: Lenovo's lineup of Windows 8 convertibles

As it turns out there are two Yoga laptops, a 13-inch model running Windows 8 and an 11-inch one running Windows RT, both of which have the display that folds backwards 360 degrees. Unlike more common designs with swiveling or detachable displays, the Yoga works not only in tablet and laptop modes, but also at points in between in "tent" or "stand" modes for viewing content.

The 13-inch (1600x900) model uses Intel's third-generation Core processors, up to 8GB of memory and either a 128- or 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). The Yoga 13 measures 0.7 inches thick and weighs 3.4 pounds. Lenovo claims it will have more than 8 hours of battery life. It will be available when Windows 8 launches, on October 26, starting at $1,099.

The smaller Yoga 11 is based on Nvidia's Tegra 3 and has an 11.6-display (1366x768), up to 2GB of memory and either 32- or 64GB of storage. It is 0.6 inches thick and weighs only 2.8 pounds, yet Lenovo says it will get up to 13 hours of battery life which, if accurate, suggests that this is an area where ARM-based systems will have an edge. Like all Windows RT devices, it will also include Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview. But at $799 and up, the Yoga 11, which will be available starting in December, is priced more like a full Windows 8 laptop.

The other two convertibles, the IdeaTab Lynx and ThinkPad Twist, are more conventional convertibles. The Lynx has an 11.6 inch (1366 x 768) display that detaches from a keyboard dock to switch to tablet mode. This is the same approach that Acer, Asus, HP and Samsung are taking with their Windows 8 convertibles. The tablet is 0.4 inches thick (about the same as the iPad) and weighs 1.4 pounds; the keyboard adds another 1.5 pounds to the system weight, but it has an extra battery that stretches the battery life to 16 hours, according to Lenovo. The Lynx, which uses Intel's recently-announced Atom Z2760 (Clover Trail) dual-core processor and has 2GB of memory and either 32- or 64GB of storage, starts at $599 and the optional dock is an additional $149. It will be available starting in December. Lenovo previously announced a standalone slate, the ThinkPad Tablet 2, which has similar specs and will start at $649 without a keyboard.

The Twist has a 12.5-inch (1366x768) display that rotates 180 degrees and folds flat. Lenovo has been making Windows convertibles using this design for years and I use one of them, the ThinkPad X Series convertible, every day. The drawback to this design is that it has tended to be bulky, but the Twist is sleeker--at 0.8 inches thick and 3.5 pounds it is small enough to qualify for Intel's Ultrabook designation. Like the Yoga, it works in tent and stand modes. Lenovo rates it for up to 7 hours of battery life. Available at Windows 8 launch, the Twist will start at $849 with a third-generation Core processors, up to 8GB of memory and either a hard drive or 128GB SSD.

It's too early to tell whether with Windows 8 convertibles will finally catch the attention of consumers. But there will certainly be a lot more to choose from, and it will be interesting to see if novel designs like the Yoga or Dell's XPS 12 get some traction. It's worth noting that all of these Lenovo convertibles use a newer chiclet keyboard, rather than the classic ThinkPad keyboard, and most of them lack the iconic red trackpoint. Lenovo may be reasoning that the combination of a touchpad and multi-point touchscreen provides enough modes of input. But personally I'm holding out for a thinner, lighter version of the ThinkPad X230 running Windows 8 Pro with Intel's upcoming Haswell processor.

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Lenovo has Windows 8 convertibles covered with Yoga, Lynx and Twist

The Lenovo Yoga isn't just redefining Lenovo's product line -- it's also transforming how the company names its products. The company's marketing chief says the laptop/tablet hybrid's name was a serendipitous moment, and Lenovo will be re-examining how it names its products in the near future.

[More from Mashable: Lenovo Yoga Transforming Laptop Arrives, With Friends]

"Yoga" is the incredibly apt (but no too clever) name for Lenovo's laptop whose screen can bend backward a full 360 degrees thanks to a special hinge design. When the screen folds past 180 degrees, the keyboard automatically shuts off, and when completely folded it effectively becomes a tablet.

It's a novel design, and Lenovo CMO David Roman says the name was conceived very early in the process.

[More from Mashable: HSN Jumped the Gun on Sales of Windows 8 PCs]

"Yoga was actually the code name," he says, "but the code name was so logical -- it was just a perfect fit -- that it ended up becoming the real name. And it was justifiable to have a name [as opposed to a number] because it really is a new category."

The Yoga name stands in contrast to less-creative names of Lenovo products, such as its first Intel Atom-powered tablet, the "ThinkPad Tablet 2." Roman says he recognizes the disparity, and that the company is doing something about it.

"We are looking at our naming overall," he says. "We don't feel that our naming is up to snuff. It can be confusing. Taken product by product it makes sense, but put them together it doesn't."

What do you think of Lenovo's naming, and the name of the Yoga in particular? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Able to swivel its screen a full 360 degrees, the IdeaPad Yoga 13 leads Lenovo's "convertibles" line of Windows 8 devices. It'll be available Oct. 26 starting at $1,099.

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How the Lenovo Yoga Got Its Name