RoMay Allen - Entrepreneur

i.TV - Movie and TV Guide for the iPhone

2008-11-10T15:37:00.002-07:00

Things are going well at i.TV. Quickly rising to number 1 for free apps through the iTunes App store, i.TV has had great response from users across the U.S. and Canada. Check out the i.TV Blog for more details.

Quote: Changing the World

2008-08-15T09:46:00.001-06:00

"Never believe that a few caring people cannot change the world. For, indeed, they are the only ones who ever have." -- Margaret Mead

LDS Family Values

2008-08-12T20:32:00.002-06:00

"It is good for people to know . . . how family centered our theology and our lifestyles are. . . ."Mormons place particularly strong emphasis on family as the basic unit of the Church and of society. We have a deep commitment to marriage (defined as a union between one man and one woman). Polygamy, a limited practice in the early pioneer days of the Church, was discontinued in 1890, some 117 years ago."

Families and individuals, whether members of our faith or not, can attend Sunday services in our chapels. Here we worship together, instructing one another from the scriptures."

Latter day Saint families are encouraged to hold family home evenings weekly, usually on Monday nights. This provides a regular and predictable time for parents to teach values to their children and to have fun together. . . ."

The Church has auxiliary programs for women, youth, and children as a support to the family. . . .

-- M. Russell Ballard, "Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits," Ensign, Nov. 2007, 26

i.TV

2008-08-10T13:36:00.002-06:00

So I'm now VP of Content and Community at i.TV -- we are building a really cool iPhone application which should launch in the next few weeks -- our site isn't up yet, but we're working on that as well. I've been too busy to blog much, but I'm looking forward to blogging again. It seems that time goes by too fast, and my summer is almost over -- but without any vacations. Dang it! I guess I'll have to make more effort to fit in playing very soon. :)

Custom iPod and iPhone Cases

2008-07-10T20:39:00.002-06:00

I love the cases at iFrogz -- fun, colorful, and perfectly customizable for each person. Very fun.

Quote: Changing the World

2008-05-05T10:53:00.001-06:00

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, they are the only ones who ever have." -- Margaret Mead

Cheap Web Hosting and Domain Names

2008-05-03T14:26:00.005-06:00

If you're looking for cheap web hosting and domain names, I've always been pleased with www.GoDaddy.com . Not only do they have great customer service, but their prices are the best I've found. I've tried other services, and I like them the best. You can even use Go Daddy for Bulk Domain Registration if you are a serial entrepreneur and want to own many domains -- you get even higher discounts that way.

Agilix Wins Top Microsoft Award

2008-04-24T12:31:00.002-06:00

Agilix Selected as One of Three Winners in Microsoft's Ingenuity Point Competition

GoCourse Learning System Takes Top Award in Education Category as Part of Round Two of the International Competition to Drive Innovation

OREM, Utah, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Agilix Labs, Inc. announced that its GoCourse Learning System solution has been selected as a winner in round two of Microsoft Corp.'s Ingenuity Point contest, a worldwide competition for independent software vendors (ISVs) that recognizes solutions built on Microsoft technology with the potential to drive positive change in the areas of education, healthcare and environmental sustainability. GoCourse Learning System, a personalized distributed learning platform for delivering online courses, is the winner in the education category.

"Educational institutions want to deliver personalized learning through rich, engaging content to their online students. We are pleased to work with Microsoft worldwide in providing a powerful new learning solution to schools and institutions that need the benefits of fully distributed learning," said Curt Allen, Agilix CEO.

"The Agilix GoCourse Learning System is the first hosted 'Software + Services' solution built on the Microsoft platform that can be easily customized and integrated with other components of a complete eLearning system through a suite of open XML APIs," said Allen.

GoCourse Learning System, which is now in its 2.0 released version, is a distributed online learning system designed to address the needs of distance and online education and training around the world.

GoCourse Learning System improves the lives of teachers and students. The solution provides the tools that allow any instructor or instructional designer to create and deliver rich and engaging courses with minimal effort. Instead of publishing course materials as a series of links and text in a browser, GoCourse delivers the entire course inline as a series of engaging learning experiences through an immersive course player environment. The combination of dynamic templates and simple drag-and-drop assembly methods supports the creation of course content, quizzes and assessments and learning activities that are accessed through either an Internet browser or an installed Windows application.

GoCourse's distributed learning model and personalized learning approach provide students with access to anywhere, anytime learning that expands the concept of the classroom to include anywhere the student has access to the course materials, even when Internet access may not be available.

"Ingenuity Point contest winners such as Agilix utilize Microsoft technology to build new, exciting applications that make a difference in the world and demonstrate the true power of software," said Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist at Microsoft. "We are pleased to recognize Agilix as an ISV leading the field of pioneering software solutions in the education category."

Agilix customers include schools and institutions, such as K-12 school districts, universities, professional associations, and corporate and military training organizations that use GoCourse to author, deliver, and track comprehensive online courses.

Once an online course is created, GoCourse Learning System delivers the course as a series of interactive and media-rich learning experiences, tracking both performance and time spent.

Agilix and the winners in the other two categories make up the final-round grand prize recipients of the yearlong Ingenuity Point competition and are joined by the three grand prize winners from round one. The six vertical winners selected in both award rounds are eligible to be chosen as the Platinum Ingenuity Point Award winner later this spring. Platinum Award winners will receive additional marketing support from Microsoft, as well as a coveted guest judge position at the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2008 competition to be held in Paris.

More information about the contest and all winning ISVs is available at the Ingenuity Point Web site, http://www.theingenuitypoint.com.

About Agilix

Agilix Labs, Inc. enables educational institutions and organizations focused on distributed online learning to deliver rich and engaging online courses. Its flagship GoCourse(TM) Learning System is designed to radically transform instructional management and the learning experience and improve the lives of instructors and students. Agilix products enable delivery of rich interactive learning content through online and offline access. Through partnerships with some of the industry's most progressive technology leaders, including Microsoft, Intel, Higher Ed Holdings and FranklinCovey, Agilix delivers its software applications to hundreds of thousands of users in more than 110 countries worldwide. Founded in 2001, Agilix is based in Orem, Utah. For more information about Agilix, please visit http://www.agilix.com.

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Great Quote for the Week

2008-04-21T11:26:00.001-06:00

"My richness consists not in the extent of my possessions; but in the fewness of my wants." -- J. Brotherton

Mitt Romney - Top 10 List

2008-04-18T11:50:00.001-06:00

Here's a very funny David Letterman style - top 10 list - presented by Mitt Romney about why he dropped out of the Presidential race.

Quote: Procrastination

2008-04-15T10:49:00.000-06:00

"There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today, and to live most fully today, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most."

-- Thomas S. Monson, "Treasure of Eternal Value", Ensign , April 2008, 4–9

Hannah Montana Star to Perform at BYU!

2008-04-01T12:05:00.004-06:00

PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Miley Cyrus, the star of TV show "Hannah Montana," will perform at Stadium of Fire, a July 4 (2008) event in Provo.

Brad Pelo of America's Freedom Foundation says tickets go on sale Friday at 5 p.m. They will be available at www.byutickets.com.

Cyrus will perform at Brigham Young University's LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Blue Man Group is also on the program, and CNN talk-show host Glenn Beck will be the host.

Cyrus announced her appearance by video, promising to set the stadium on fire with her performance.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Note: This is NOT an April Fool's Day Joke.

Petition to Save Windows XP

2008-03-25T12:06:00.002-06:00

InfoWorld is collecting signatures on a petition to save Windows XP. Click here to sign. I'm happy to add my signature. I'm in need of a new computer system, but hesitate to buy one because every machine comes with Vista -- and the time and money it will take to get all of the software I use upgraded, with patches, etc. -- just makes me not want to go there. I just don't have the time to deal with it. So I stick with my current system and hope it keeps working well. If I could get a new computer with Windows XP (that is not a DELL), I'd do it in a heartbeat. I hope Microsoft will listen to what their customers WANT and not keep trying to tell us what they want us to want -- and keep Windows XP around. (It won't be sold after June 30th).

Facebook to Launch IM Service

2008-03-17T13:29:00.001-06:00

"Facebook is poised to launch its own instant messaging service as early as next week. The service will be built into Facebook profile pages.

Facebook's plans may be bad news for third parties like Social.IM and FriendVox, which built IM apps on Facebook.

The announcement comes a week after Bebo, the third biggest social network, was purchased by AOL. AOL says the merger's success hinges upon the successful integration of AIM into Bebo.

MySpace also offers a rather sporadic IM service, which debuted in 2004.

Early this month, Facebook announced a music partnership with iTunes, right on the heels of MySpace, which itself is developing a music service with the four major record companies."

http://www.marketingvox.com/facebook-to-launch-im-service-037361/?camp=newsletter&src=mv&type=textlink

Thought from Oprah

2008-02-19T12:24:00.002-07:00

"It makes no difference how many peaks you reach if there was no pleasure in the climb." -- Oprah

I liked this thought for today -- and thought I'd share. I realize that sometimes I get so busy and caught up in work, that I forget to really "live" -- or put off living until I get such-and-such done... "then things will be good." But the reality is -- this is it. So it's nice to be reminded that we should take time to enjoy the process.

Quote for Today

2008-02-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

"We become what we think about all day long. The question is, what do you think about?" Dr. Wayne Dyer

Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-28T13:58:00.001-07:00

I'm going to miss President Hinckley tremendously - he passed away last night - but oh, what a wonderful reunion he must have had. We love you President Hinckley! I found this quote and it reminded me of him -- a straight arrow!

If you hold to high standards and try diligently to build your life on principles, you may well be labeled as a prude, a do-gooder, unsophisticated, square — a straight arrow . If they don't want you to be a straight arrow, then what would they have you be — lascivious, a do-badder, sinful, shapeless — a crooked arrow ? Can you imagine anything as useless as a crooked arrow? If you wanted to hit a target, reach a goal, predict a course of flight, which arrow would you pick? In working out his plans, do you imagine God picks crooked arrows?
-- Adrian Van Mondfrans, BYU Devotional, Becoming Men and Women of Principle,
June 1st, 1982

Having a Balanced Life

2008-01-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Kicking Off 2008 With ETR: The Balancing Act That's Up to You

By MaryEllen Tribby, ETR's CEO & Publisher

People ask me all the time how I run a $25,000,000 company, raise three small children, travel all around the world, AND manage a household. Essentially, they want to know how I create and maintain balance in my life.

In my experience, the answer is three-fold. It's extremely simple, and something you have total control over. You just need to (1) have the right attitude, (2) make smart choices, and (3) develop positive relationships.

Step #1 to a Balanced Life: Having the Right Attitude

Charles Swindoll is famous for his writings about attitude. One of the things he talks about is the fact that attitude can make or break a company, a church, a home. And that we have a choice, every day, regarding the attitude we will embrace.
MJ, one of the acquaintances I've made in our info-publishing world, runs a nice little consulting company and has two beautiful, healthy little boys and a wonderful husband.

You would think she considers herself to be extremely fortunate. Yet every time I see MJ at an industry function and ask about her family, she starts in about how hard it is to run a company and raise two children. Not only that, she complains about how much more successful she would be if she did not have to take the kids to school and to soccer practice and to play dates.

I have never looked at my children as a hardship. It is a privilege for me (and my husband) to raise them and build our lives together. I am so much better at everything I do because of them. I am a better leader, a better manager, a better multi-tasker, and a better negotiator.

But this positive attitude is not something that magically happened to me.
Early in my career, I was asked to interview for a management position at Forbes - and the competition was fierce. All the candidates had a good education and work experience. Finally, they narrowed their choices down to two of us: me and Natalie.
Natalie had graduated from Harvard, had an MBA from Columbia, and had a reputation for being tough as nails. And seven years later, she still bragged about her perfect SAT scores.

It was finally the day of reckoning - the day of our last interview. But this was not just any old interview. We were both meeting with Steve Forbes himself.
The HR director made it very clear that Mr. Forbes was a busy man. That he would ask the questions and we would answer them. That he would spend no more than 10 minutes with each of us, and that a final decision would be made shortly after he met with us both.

Now Forbes being the intensely competitive place that it is, Natalie and I both wound up sitting outside of Steve Forbes' office at the same time. As I looked over at her, sitting there confidently in her St. John suit, I remember thinking, "I know as much as she does. I can do this."

They called her in first. I heard Mr. Forbes' muffled voice through the door. I heard her muffled reply. This went on for a while, and then I heard laughter. I thought, "How could that be? She was just supposed to answer some questions."

Thirty-five minutes later, Natalie swaggered out, shooting me a grin that said "Don't even bother."

Then it was my turn. I went in. I answered Mr. Forbes' questions. After five minutes, he thanked me and I left.

There was no laughter. No pleasant conversation.

As I opened the door to my Columbus Avenue apartment that I could not really afford, my phone was ringing. You guessed it. It was Forbes. They were calling to offer me the job!

After I'd been there a few months, I mustered up the courage to ask my boss how they made the decision to choose me over Natalie. Her answer rings true in my head more than 20 years later: "Mr. Forbes liked your attitude."

That single experience helped me understand what is really important and what is not. It helped me learn not to sweat the small stuff and not to get upset about things I have no control over. And that brings me to my next point...

Step #2 to a Balanced Life: Making the Right Choices

We all have to make hundreds of choices every day. It starts first thing in the morning. Do you eat your healthy high-fiber cereal with blueberries and skim milk? Or do you eat a chocolate chip muffin with a Starbucks specialty loaded with whipped cream?

As the day goes along, our decisions generally get more complicated and difficult to make.

Last summer, a friend in the industry sent out invitations for a huge networking party he was having at his home in Texas. I was honored to have been invited. Everyone who is anyone in our industry was going to be there. My friend Rich Schefren commented that this was the event of the year, the one that everyone who was lucky enough to be invited should attend.

I immediately RSVP'd, memorized the entire guest list, and thought about all the deals I could make that would benefit ETR. (You may remember the article I wrote recently about the importance of meeting everyone you do business with in person... and how cultivating those relationships can facilitate your deal making.)

That evening, while going over my travel dates with my husband, he pointed out that this networking event was being held on the first day of the new school year.

My husband encouraged me to go on the trip. He assured me that he could handle the kids that day. And, of course, I knew he could. But that was not the point. I told him that my daughter was only going to have one first day of fourth grade. And my son was only going to have one first day of first grade. And I wanted to be there for those once-in-a-lifetime occasions.

He told me to think about it for a few days to make sure I was making the right decision. So I did. I thought about what would happen if I missed the kids' first day of school. I also thought about the business consequences of missing the event.
To help make this decision, I applied my two-two-two rule. I asked myself, "What will be the impact on both sides two weeks from now, two months from now, and two years from now?"

If I missed their first day of school, would my kids still be upset in two weeks? Would they still be upset in two months? And would the disappointment continue to echo in all of our hearts and minds in two years? I knew the answer was yes.
But I couldn't just blow off the networking event. So I went through the same process. I figured that most of the people at the event would remember I had been there after two weeks. But I also figured that the majority of them would not remember I had been there after two months... and that none of them would remember I had been there after two years.

Guess what I decided to do? I skipped the networking event and took the kids to school. And four months later, my son still laughs about how I almost hit his new teacher's car in the parking lot that day.

Of course, I did not just blow off the networking event. ETR's Internet Marketing Director, Patrick Coffey, went and represented ETR proudly. He brought back tons of useful information, and I have since spoken with or met with everyone I would have seen that day.

This dovetails nicely with my final point on creating and maintaining a balanced life...

Step #3 to a Balanced Life: Developing the Right Relationships.

I was fortunate to have someone like Patrick to send to the networking event I missed. Someone who would represent me and ETR, our core values and our policies. I knew Patrick would see it as an opportunity for him - and that is exactly what happened. Many of the people he met there told me what a great job he did.

Now had I not cultivated my relationship with Patrick over the last 19 months, this would have been a lost opportunity for both of us, instead of a win-win situation. Patrick knew exactly what I expected of him, and he over-delivered.

It's funny. Many high-level executives think that if they cannot be at an important business function, they would rather miss out completely than send a substitute. In fact, one sign of a good leader is that his or her business runs smoothly even when they are not present.

I pride myself on hiring and mentoring people who have as much potential as I do (if not more).

It is the same with my personal relationships.

I have a mother's helper that my kids love... and she loves my kids. And though my friends and family know how happy this makes me, every once in a while someone asks me: "Doesn't it bother you that your kids love Nora so much?" My answer: "Hell no!"
I want people in my life who are good for me. Patrick and Nora are two examples. These are positive relationships.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not Super Woman. And I have days at home and at the office that are more challenging than others. Sometimes, the only reason I can accomplish as much as I do is because I have a spouse who is my biggest fan, a spouse who never puts his career before mine.

We decided a long time ago that we could accomplish anything as long as we were in it together, as long as our goals were in alignment, and as long as our philosophies regarding success were the same.

As Michael Masterson has said, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. So when people tell me there is no way they can maintain balance between their business life and their personal life because they have soooo much work to do, I simply don't buy it.

Everyone can have a balanced life. You just need to want it... and act to achieve it.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I've had time to blog. Working too hard. But this year I have set some really great personal and business goals -- work hard, play hard, and relax. Life is too short to get stressed out.

My team at LDSAudio.com has been great -- working really hard to keep the company alive. It looks like we have been able to overcome the huge obstacles we were facing -- at least to the point that we are dedicated to keeping the company moving forward. If you love uplifting LDS music, audiobooks, and LDS MP3s -- check us out!

Quote: Preparing for the Second Coming

2007-10-02T18:30:00.000-06:00

"If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear? If we would do those things then, why not now?" -- Dallin H. Oaks, "Preparation for the Second Coming", Ensign, May 2004, 7

In business, it becomes apparent that there is much to challenge us. It could be a dishonest employee, or lack of integrity or work-ethic. It might be the issues of trust that are questioned. Or even personal attacks. No matter the problem, it seems that if we can maintain the eternal perspective -- it is easier to not allow those things to influence our personal peace. I loved this quote and thought it was perfect for today.

LDS Audio / LDS Library

2007-09-25T12:02:00.000-06:00

Hi all --

I've not been blogging because I've been so busy taking over LDS Audio and LDS Library. I'm the new acting President and am really excited about the potential of this company (Infobase Media Corp.) We have some of the best LDS content you can find anywhere. Anyway, check it out, and I'll try to blog more often. :-)

Great Quote from Oprah

2007-09-18T13:47:00.000-06:00

I really liked this quote -- and thought I'd share:

"It makes no difference how many peaks you reach if there was no pleasure in the climb." -- Oprah

I've been really busy taking over LDS Media during the past month. It's very exciting and I love the business -- but there is much to be done. LDS Media / Infobase Media Corp. runs LDS Library and LDS Audio. I've been working long hours - so haven't been blogging much -- but I've realized this week, that I have to take a little bit of time for myself every day -- and enjoy the journey. The quote by Oprah today was another reminder.

Julius Caesar in Provo

2007-08-21T00:12:00.000-06:00

Anyone who loves Shakespeare and doesn't want to travel all the way to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Festival -- we have our own production of Julius Caesar in Provo, Utah. Beginning August 23rd - September 15, 2007 -- go to www.utahplays.org for more details.

Quote: Trials

2007-08-06T21:38:00.000-06:00

I liked this quote and thought I'd share it.

"Rather than simply passing through trials, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us." -- Elder Neal Maxwell, "Enduring Well", April 1997 Ensign

Back from Vacation

2007-07-21T22:41:00.000-06:00

Taking a vacation should be required for everyone at least twice a year. There are many benefits of taking vacations. It gives us opportunities to review our lives, take a break from our daily routine, get re-centered, and re-create. Europeans have the right idea -- they take summer vacations -- 6-8 weeks each year.

I just got back from a short vacation -- and was scolded by a woman in an internet cafe for working on my vacation. I have to admit I was guilty. Perhaps next time I should make sure not to have access to computers, cell phones, and technology. Then I won't run the risk of working while I should be relaxing.

I realized this trip that I really do need a vacation -- a vacation where I can truly relax. I'm thinking the far reaches of Alaska would be nice.

I wonder what has happened in American society -- we work longer hours, take less time off, are more stressed out, have more health problems, and seem less relaxed than other cultures. Do we think we're going to get behind if we take a break? Probably. I've been there myself.

But the benefits of vacations are so great not only in mental and physical health, but also in emotional health and productivity.

So, take a break -- go on a vacation -- and relax. It will pay off in the long run! I'm thinking I'll take another one and leave the laptop at home. :-)