Business Generation

BOSTON – Verizon is axing its unlimited data plan as of Thursday, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

The new 2 gigabyte cap will only affect new customers so there is one more day to sign up for the carrier’s $30 per month unlimited data plan.

Verizon follows AT&T Inc., which did away with its unlimited data plan last year. T-Mobile still offers an unlimited service but slows down data transfers on heavy users. Sprint Nextel Corp. is the only top wireless company that still offers unlimited data plans, the newspaper said.

Cox Communications, which offers a $30 per month unlimited data plan for smartphone users, left the door open to a possible data cap in the future when asked by Providence Business News.

“We continuously evaluate our service and pricing options to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers,” Amy Quinn, spokeswoman for Cox, said in an emailed statement.

Verizon will offer new plans for data-hungry users – a 5 gigabyte data plan for $50 or 10 gigabytes for $80. Beyond

Read more…

PROVIDENCE – Although the R.I. General Assembly’s total number of violations of the Open Meetings Act has declined over the years, the last two weeks of the session are still a violations sore spot.

In 2010, 28 of the 31 violations of the Open Meetings Act, or 94 percent, occurred in the last eight days of the legislative session, said Common Cause Rhode Island, the local branch of the national, nonpartisan advocacy group that says its aim is to hold elected leaders accountable to the public interest.

The Open Meetings Act, adopted in 1976, promotes government openness. Violations range from insufficient to no notice of committee meetings, incomplete or vague agendas, lack of public access to the meeting space, or not publicly closing the meeting in accordance to rules for executive sessions.

In a report released Tuesday, Common Cause examined the compliance of the General Assembly with the Open Meetings Act during the last decade. The

Read more…

How do you handle public relations for your small business these days? Things have changed a lot, what with business increasingly being done online and with the explosion of blogging and social media for business communications and marketing. We’ve prepared this roundup of small business PR news and hope that you’ll add some thoughts of your own in the comment section. What’s new with PR at your company?

Tips & Advice

Picking the brain of a social media genius. Torrey McGraw talks with PR expert and entrepreneur Sarah Evans to learn how small business people can create a media empire of their own around their product, service or personal brand. Have you ever wondered how the best known social media “celebrities” built their following? Welcome to PR in the online world.

The Studio 54 effect helps market Google Plus. What can we lea

Read more…

WARWICK – The NYLO Hotel along the Pawtuxet River, closed since suffering severe damage in the spring floods of 2010, is gearing up to reopen in August, according to Joanne Schroeder, director of sales and marketing.

Owned by the Atlanta-based NYLO Hotels LLC, the five-floor 163-room hotel that first opened in September 2008 will once again open its doors in mid- to late August, Schroeder told Providence Business News Tuesday.

“The leadership team is starting to gear up for a soft opening in August,” she said.

Schroeder and Susan Shaw, general manager of NYLO, are in the process of hiring staff; the workers will be “a mix” of former employees and new ones. Schroeder was not certain how many people would be hired because, she said, the reopening effort is just beginning.

The hotel was the first in the state to obtain its electricity from renewable sources and owners have prided themselves on the many green features of the newly-built structure. Urban lof

Read more…

Rick Cesari (@cesaridrtv)  is a regular guy who did what every businessperson is supposed to do and talks about doing but rarely does.  He spotted a trend, turned it into an opportunity and created millions in sales.  And now, he’s sharing his stories, insights and experiences in his book, Buy Now: Creative Marketing That Gets Customers to Respond to You and Your Product.

I received a review copy from Rick’s team and also had the opportunity to chat with Rick and ask him a few behind the scenes questions.  I foun

Read more…

We’ve gone from the chamber of commerce small business mixer to social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. And we’ve learned a lot along the way. How is your social networking going? Let’s review some links below then share your own thoughts on social networking and how it works for your business.

Self-development

Do you keep a calendar? Keeping up your social media networking is perhaps the hardest part of what you do. Basic social skills are easy when some one’s invited you to an event. But what if it’s just you and your computer?

In-House Social

New trends bring social media in-house. Getting social networking into the hands of collaborative employees is the focus of a new business networking platform called Jive. Follow the link above to learn more.

Google

It’s a bird, it’s a plane. No, it’s actual

Read more…