In his "Google Watch" blog post Gmail Down? Not for Me. For How Many? I Want Answers! Clinton Boulton sets the impression that Gmail going down should be a major event and Google should be accountable to the public.  Is this really a sound position?

Look at all these service (or lack thereof) updates from The Next Web's chronicling of the Google Apps Status Dashboard. Apparently mail was restored at one point, followed by contacts and chat at a later time.

He seems to feel that a provider of a free (use at your own risk) service is accountable.  Don't get us wrong.. it stinks when these services go down as we use them too.  Twitter is another company that's dealt with outages that users have cried about.

But to what end and with what justification?  These services are FREE and come with zero service level agreement.  Buyer beware.  Sometimes you get exactly what you pay for.

Small and medium sized businesses should NOT rely on such services.  Cloud Computing is still in its infancy.  There are far too many questions regarding what it is, how will it grow for it to be used to support a business critical application or service such as email.

A Simple Approach to Managing Information Overload

We all have to follow never-ending streams of information to varying degrees. Small business owners and web workers have to keep their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in their markets and with their customers and clients. Writers and bloggers read for inspiration and to follow the latest trends.

We're often overloaded with data. The above referenced article has some great stuff in it to help combat this problem. Check it out!

DMVG is excited to introduce this new service to clients. Delmarva Group clients have been asking for a system to improve the DMVG bulk email/newsletter service. Something with more tracking and analysis tools. Something that will show what interests potential customers and draws them in. Something to make their emails stand out from the crowded in-box.

This new service is available immediately and already in use to great effect by some of our clients.

Click here for more information.

DMVG is proud to sponsor the NASVF's annual event.  Delmarva Group views the NASVF as a vital organization helping grow the innovation economy and we're proud to be part of that organization.  In addition, we've been so impressed with the people and their mission that we've become members ourselves.

We look forward to a rewarding, innovating relationship with them as we move forward.

Additional information about the conference can be found here.  NASVF information can be found here.

The conference takes place in Oklahoma City from September 14-16th.  Spaces are still available as we understand.

Delmarva Group, LLC is very pleased to announce we have joined the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce.  We whole heartedly support the "Be Loyal Buy Local" approach to helping restart our economy.  We're not new to the NCCCC as some of us have experience with it from other organizations.

We'd like to take this opportunity to announce a forthcoming discount for all current members of the NCCCC.  At this point, we'll provide a 10% discount for NCCCC members who come to us and mention the NCCCC.  Our other ventures will also offer a similar discount.  Stay tuned for those later.

One key to success is marketing.  We believe the NCCCC will provide a key channel for our business to meet yours.  We look forward to meeting our co-members, perhaps hitting some golf balls and sharing a toast.