Helping Institutional Investors turn Internet information into alpha generation
Monitor110 gives you unique information few have seen before it becomes news .
More at:http://www.monitor110.com/
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Company Insights Center
If you do much investing and are looking for new sources of information, check out Businessweek's new Company Insights Center. It has all the usual financial information, news, and analysis you would expect to see in a tool like this, but everything is very slick and easy to use. Plus, there is information about employees and compensation that I haven't seen in most free tools. If you are like me and lean towards a focused portfolio and value investing style (I only own six stocks in my main account), then you probably spend lots of time on research. This is an excellent tool for that. It's much more useful for fundamental analysis than for technical analysis.
More at:http://investing.businessweek.com/research/company/overview/overview.asp
More at:http://investing.businessweek.com/research/company/overview/overview.asp
Local.com
Local.com will begin offering a new service it says will help small businesses compete "with the big boys" in the online ad world. As MediaPost explains, Local.com's new "Local Verified" service gives businesses the choice of paying an annual fee to receive top placement in its localized search results. For a premium listing with the website, businesses can expect to pay $249. Is it worth it? According to comScore, it is. The site found that almost half of consumers who visited a local search website visited a local retailer as a result of their search. And it doesn't hurt that Local.com attracts about 10 million visitors per month.
Local.com also provides free listing services for businesses not wanting to purchase the premium services. "Local Promote Basic" is the name of its free online listing service, which allows local businesses to post and update their business' name and contact information, even if they don't have a website.
More :http://www.local.com/
Local.com also provides free listing services for businesses not wanting to purchase the premium services. "Local Promote Basic" is the name of its free online listing service, which allows local businesses to post and update their business' name and contact information, even if they don't have a website.
More :http://www.local.com/
New Face Of Facebook
Facebook add classified ad listings to their services. Yesterday, Facebook announced the decision to promote free listings to their 22 million active users. The site joins the ranks of MySpace, the largest social networking site, by offering the classified listings. Friendster says it also has plans to add the service to its site. Facebook's listings will be broken up into four categories including housing, jobs, "for sale" and "other." Users who create classified ads can only share them with their designated friends on the service or anyone in their "networks." This type of advertising makes selling a bit more personal. "The advantage of having classifieds linked to a social network is that you know something about the seller. You're less likely to buy a lemon from someone who's a friend of yours," said Charlene Li, an analyst at Forrester Research.
More:http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/index.html
More:http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/index.html
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Reverse Auction
A supplier's survival guide.
On days when Gartner Studios is trying to lock down a major sale, Greg Gartner turns his employee lounge into a war room. An arsenal of laptops and phones and reams of data are brought in for employees to use. Shouting matches among workers are common. So is heavy perspiration. If Gartner's team wins the deal, there's a lot of whooping and the boss hands out tequila shots. These back-breaking dealmaking sessions can last for eight hours or more.
For Gartner, a company that supplies stationery and related products to mass market retailers and office superstores, selling paper ain't what it used to be. Deals that 10 years ago would have started with a cold call and ended months later with a handshake are now governed by a process that was virtually unheard of when the Stillwater, Minnesota, company was founded in 1998: the online reverse auction.
During a reverse auction, a customer allows suppliers only a short window of time to bid down the price on their products or services. The practice was pioneered by automotive and aerospace buyers, which used reverse auctions to procure commodity parts. Today, many large companies use them to buy everything from paper clips to their employee health care plans. Reverse auctions are loved by corporate purchasing managers, loathed by suppliers, and rarely discussed publicly by anyone involved.
Typically, a buyer announces an auction months in advance. After a qualifying process that may include interviews, presentations, and a preliminary bid, a group of suppliers--usually between three and 12--is selected to participate. At a set date and time (often between 6 and 8 in the morning to accommodate Asian bidders), companies log on to a secure Web-based program and bid against one another anonymously. Most auctions are limited to an hour or two, but they can drag on as long as the bids roll in.
Easy enough, right? It depends on whom you ask. Among procurement professionals, reverse auctions are considered a best practice, a tool that can reduce costs by as much as 20 percent. Target (NYSE:TGT), Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), and General Electric (NYSE:GE) are said to use them liberally. Sandy Jap, a professor at Emory University who studies reverse auctions, says it's possible that half of all corporate spending could someday be decided by reverse auction.
For small suppliers, however, reverse auctions are incredibly stressful--win or lose. "The prices can fall quickly, and it's a frightening situation," says Michael Roberts, who runs Kid-riffic, a St. Louis-based toy distributor. Roberts first faced reverse auctions five years ago when his former company, a private label manufacturer and distributor of items such as drum sets and toy walkie-talkies, lost $3 million in sales through reverse auctions in a matter of months--in spite of having long-term customer relationships. "They had us competing directly against factories," says Roberts, who sold that company to a Chinese rival shortly after the debacle. "Reverse auctions are great for buyers, but I'd have to use my imagination to see how they're good for suppliers," he says.
More at;http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070501/salesmarketing-pricing.html?nav=mostpopular
On days when Gartner Studios is trying to lock down a major sale, Greg Gartner turns his employee lounge into a war room. An arsenal of laptops and phones and reams of data are brought in for employees to use. Shouting matches among workers are common. So is heavy perspiration. If Gartner's team wins the deal, there's a lot of whooping and the boss hands out tequila shots. These back-breaking dealmaking sessions can last for eight hours or more.
For Gartner, a company that supplies stationery and related products to mass market retailers and office superstores, selling paper ain't what it used to be. Deals that 10 years ago would have started with a cold call and ended months later with a handshake are now governed by a process that was virtually unheard of when the Stillwater, Minnesota, company was founded in 1998: the online reverse auction.
During a reverse auction, a customer allows suppliers only a short window of time to bid down the price on their products or services. The practice was pioneered by automotive and aerospace buyers, which used reverse auctions to procure commodity parts. Today, many large companies use them to buy everything from paper clips to their employee health care plans. Reverse auctions are loved by corporate purchasing managers, loathed by suppliers, and rarely discussed publicly by anyone involved.
Typically, a buyer announces an auction months in advance. After a qualifying process that may include interviews, presentations, and a preliminary bid, a group of suppliers--usually between three and 12--is selected to participate. At a set date and time (often between 6 and 8 in the morning to accommodate Asian bidders), companies log on to a secure Web-based program and bid against one another anonymously. Most auctions are limited to an hour or two, but they can drag on as long as the bids roll in.
Easy enough, right? It depends on whom you ask. Among procurement professionals, reverse auctions are considered a best practice, a tool that can reduce costs by as much as 20 percent. Target (NYSE:TGT), Dell (NASDAQ:DELL), and General Electric (NYSE:GE) are said to use them liberally. Sandy Jap, a professor at Emory University who studies reverse auctions, says it's possible that half of all corporate spending could someday be decided by reverse auction.
For small suppliers, however, reverse auctions are incredibly stressful--win or lose. "The prices can fall quickly, and it's a frightening situation," says Michael Roberts, who runs Kid-riffic, a St. Louis-based toy distributor. Roberts first faced reverse auctions five years ago when his former company, a private label manufacturer and distributor of items such as drum sets and toy walkie-talkies, lost $3 million in sales through reverse auctions in a matter of months--in spite of having long-term customer relationships. "They had us competing directly against factories," says Roberts, who sold that company to a Chinese rival shortly after the debacle. "Reverse auctions are great for buyers, but I'd have to use my imagination to see how they're good for suppliers," he says.
More at;http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070501/salesmarketing-pricing.html?nav=mostpopular
Kidpreneur/Teenpreneur
An annual business education program for young, African-American entrepreneurs opens this week at Walt Disney World's Swan and Dolphin Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., organizers said Tuesday.
The Black Enterprise Kidpreneur/Teenpreneur Conference aims to give young people all the tools required to run a successful small businesses, including workshops geared towards would-be entrepreneurs between 7 and 17 years old.
"This top-notch, step-by-step program covers everything from creating a business plan to actually establishing and managing a mini-company," Black Enterprise vice president Alfred Edmond Jr. said in a statement.
This year's conference begins May 10 and is sponsored by Wendy's.
More at:http://www.inc.com/news/briefs/200705/0508event.html.
2.http://www.blackenterprise.com/events/events.asp
The Black Enterprise Kidpreneur/Teenpreneur Conference aims to give young people all the tools required to run a successful small businesses, including workshops geared towards would-be entrepreneurs between 7 and 17 years old.
"This top-notch, step-by-step program covers everything from creating a business plan to actually establishing and managing a mini-company," Black Enterprise vice president Alfred Edmond Jr. said in a statement.
This year's conference begins May 10 and is sponsored by Wendy's.
More at:http://www.inc.com/news/briefs/200705/0508event.html.
2.http://www.blackenterprise.com/events/events.asp
For Only Women Entreprenuers
The Scholarships are being provided by the Jennifer d'Abo Scholarship Foundation which exists to help women entrepreneurs access top quality management development.
Jennifer d'Abo was a prolific entrepreneur in the 1980s and 1990s, best known for transforming the stationary company Ryman from an unprofitable chain into a business which was sold for £20 million in 1987.
Her son Joel Cadbury has helped to create the scholarship scheme to support women displaying his mother’s skills, talent and enthusiasm to achieve as much as she did.
The Business Growth and Development Programme has run every year since 1988, making it the UK’s most successful and longest-running programme for ambitious owner-managers. During that time, BGP has helped nearly 1,000 owner managers to achieve their business and personal ambitions.
Firms that have taken part in BGP form a roll-call of Britain’s most dynamic owner-managed businesses. Brands such as Cobra Beer and Hotel Chocolat have achieved national prominence and founders such as Karan Bilimoria, the creator of Cobra Beer, acknowledge the importance of BGP in helping them on the path to success.
More at: www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/bgp
Jennifer d'Abo was a prolific entrepreneur in the 1980s and 1990s, best known for transforming the stationary company Ryman from an unprofitable chain into a business which was sold for £20 million in 1987.
Her son Joel Cadbury has helped to create the scholarship scheme to support women displaying his mother’s skills, talent and enthusiasm to achieve as much as she did.
The Business Growth and Development Programme has run every year since 1988, making it the UK’s most successful and longest-running programme for ambitious owner-managers. During that time, BGP has helped nearly 1,000 owner managers to achieve their business and personal ambitions.
Firms that have taken part in BGP form a roll-call of Britain’s most dynamic owner-managed businesses. Brands such as Cobra Beer and Hotel Chocolat have achieved national prominence and founders such as Karan Bilimoria, the creator of Cobra Beer, acknowledge the importance of BGP in helping them on the path to success.
More at: www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/bgp
BSE Market Watcher
Foe all kind of latest on BSE markets,IPOs,charts,earnings,site search.Global Market watch as well.
more at:http://india.123jump.com/?gclid=CLyt3Ii7iowCFShtTAodrDBp5Q
more at:http://india.123jump.com/?gclid=CLyt3Ii7iowCFShtTAodrDBp5Q
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Compare Quotes From The Industry's Best Carriers In Seconds
Freightquote.com® gives you instant comparisons from lots of great carriers. Our user-friendly tools automate everything - pricing, pickups, documents, and tracking. Customers trust us with over 500,000 shipments every year - click below to learn what we can do for you
Lenexa-based Freightquote.com has become a $200 million, 500-employee company in less than a decade.
The firm emerged on the e-commerce scene in 1998 to specifically service small and midsize firms that didn’t have the resources and purchasing power to fulfill their shipping needs.
“On the one end of the tail, you have the very large enterprise, which we pretty much steer clear of,” said Tim Barton, chairman and chief executive of Freightquote.com. “Then you hit that long tail where there are thousands of freight users who are generally less sophisticated and harder to reach. That’s where we focus and deploy our various marketing efforts.”
E-marketing makes it possible to capture demand in the long tail because of lower costs and competition. By transferring as many marketing activities, such as promotion campaigns and customer support, to the Web, companies increase opportunities for customer input without increasing costs.
More at:https://www.freightquote.com/Default.aspx
Lenexa-based Freightquote.com has become a $200 million, 500-employee company in less than a decade.
The firm emerged on the e-commerce scene in 1998 to specifically service small and midsize firms that didn’t have the resources and purchasing power to fulfill their shipping needs.
“On the one end of the tail, you have the very large enterprise, which we pretty much steer clear of,” said Tim Barton, chairman and chief executive of Freightquote.com. “Then you hit that long tail where there are thousands of freight users who are generally less sophisticated and harder to reach. That’s where we focus and deploy our various marketing efforts.”
E-marketing makes it possible to capture demand in the long tail because of lower costs and competition. By transferring as many marketing activities, such as promotion campaigns and customer support, to the Web, companies increase opportunities for customer input without increasing costs.
More at:https://www.freightquote.com/Default.aspx
Start A Virtual Assistance Business
If you're wondering how to start a business as a virtual assistant, Elite Office Support founder Susan Totman offers these tips:
1. Decide just what type of services you want to offer, and analyze your background to ensure you have adequate experience.
2. Determine your business niche-consider specializing in just two to three services.
3. Determine how much time and energy you have to commit to your venture. Do you want to work part or full time?
4. Conduct thorough industry research to determine a need for your services in your local area.
5. Outline who your clients are, where they are and how to access them.
6. Do a market analysis. Find out the needs for your niche and focus on how you'll apply that to your business.
7. Know your budgetary constraints-projected expenses, expected income and how long you can "float" until your business is running successfully.
8. Prepare a business plan and review it often to manage growth and change.
9. Examine your equipment, software and work space to ensure they meet client needs.
10. Wrap up all legal and financial aspects of startup before securing your first client.
11. Market your services 24/7. Just because you've built a Web site or placed an ad in the Yellow Pages doesn't mean clients will come knocking on your door.
You might want to consider joining a professional organization or networking group. This will give you the opportunity to network, build camaraderie and have access to a knowledge bank for solving technical problems.
Progressive Leadership's Carole Nicolaides, a Columbus, Ohio-based business coach, has helped a number of virtual assistants match their talents with sound business planning.
More at:http://www.virtualassistanceu.com/.
2.http://www.psweassist.com/
3.http://www.eliteofficesupport.com/
1. Decide just what type of services you want to offer, and analyze your background to ensure you have adequate experience.
2. Determine your business niche-consider specializing in just two to three services.
3. Determine how much time and energy you have to commit to your venture. Do you want to work part or full time?
4. Conduct thorough industry research to determine a need for your services in your local area.
5. Outline who your clients are, where they are and how to access them.
6. Do a market analysis. Find out the needs for your niche and focus on how you'll apply that to your business.
7. Know your budgetary constraints-projected expenses, expected income and how long you can "float" until your business is running successfully.
8. Prepare a business plan and review it often to manage growth and change.
9. Examine your equipment, software and work space to ensure they meet client needs.
10. Wrap up all legal and financial aspects of startup before securing your first client.
11. Market your services 24/7. Just because you've built a Web site or placed an ad in the Yellow Pages doesn't mean clients will come knocking on your door.
You might want to consider joining a professional organization or networking group. This will give you the opportunity to network, build camaraderie and have access to a knowledge bank for solving technical problems.
Progressive Leadership's Carole Nicolaides, a Columbus, Ohio-based business coach, has helped a number of virtual assistants match their talents with sound business planning.
More at:http://www.virtualassistanceu.com/.
2.http://www.psweassist.com/
3.http://www.eliteofficesupport.com/
Sites Which Could Help Your Business
Sitekreator
www.sitekreator.com
SiteKreator provides DIY services to build, publish and host Web 2.0-ready websites for $95 a year. Easy-to-implement features include blogs, web forums, image galleries and mailing lists. Websites are based on templates and are customizable. The business edition starts with storage capacity of 200MB and can be upgraded to 1GB. SiteKreator allows for unlimited pages and enables you to add your logo, slogan and custom text, giving your website the look and feel you want.
Bizfilings.com
www.bizfilings.com
This site is a one-stop shop for small businesses looking to incorporate or form an LLC. The site is full of information, including a helpful comparison of LLCs and corporations. Products and services are also available, such as corporate supplies and amendment filings as well as a free guide to incorporation. More than 150,000 companies have found help at Bizfilings.com, which accommodates businesses in all 50 states. Prices vary from state to state.
PR Mentor System
www.pr-mentor.com
PR Mentor offers a PR toolkit to help entrepreneurs get their messages heard. The toolkit enables businesses to use the same PR process as large agencies and includes templates, samples, work sheets and more. The $299 PR Mentor System includes the toolkit and offers access to a members-only online forum where you can get PR questions answered and even have your press releases reviewed. The toolkit a la carte is $129.
www.sitekreator.com
SiteKreator provides DIY services to build, publish and host Web 2.0-ready websites for $95 a year. Easy-to-implement features include blogs, web forums, image galleries and mailing lists. Websites are based on templates and are customizable. The business edition starts with storage capacity of 200MB and can be upgraded to 1GB. SiteKreator allows for unlimited pages and enables you to add your logo, slogan and custom text, giving your website the look and feel you want.
Bizfilings.com
www.bizfilings.com
This site is a one-stop shop for small businesses looking to incorporate or form an LLC. The site is full of information, including a helpful comparison of LLCs and corporations. Products and services are also available, such as corporate supplies and amendment filings as well as a free guide to incorporation. More than 150,000 companies have found help at Bizfilings.com, which accommodates businesses in all 50 states. Prices vary from state to state.
PR Mentor System
www.pr-mentor.com
PR Mentor offers a PR toolkit to help entrepreneurs get their messages heard. The toolkit enables businesses to use the same PR process as large agencies and includes templates, samples, work sheets and more. The $299 PR Mentor System includes the toolkit and offers access to a members-only online forum where you can get PR questions answered and even have your press releases reviewed. The toolkit a la carte is $129.
Bid For Dating
A NEW DATING SITE, IMINLIKEWITHYOU.COM, allows users to use points to "bid" for access to people they like.
Users can earn those points in one of three ways: by answering random, site-generated questions, by inviting others to join, or by creating a game for other users to spend their points in.
Users will only be allowed to join the network (now in closed beta) if another member invites them.
More at:http://iminlikewithyou.com/protected
Users can earn those points in one of three ways: by answering random, site-generated questions, by inviting others to join, or by creating a game for other users to spend their points in.
Users will only be allowed to join the network (now in closed beta) if another member invites them.
More at:http://iminlikewithyou.com/protected
DiscRevolt,For Selling Digital Media
DiscRevolt provides a tangible solution for selling digital media. Artists upload songs to DiscRevolt's website and design their own artwork for a plastic download card. The cards are then printed by DiscRevolt with a unique redemption code on the back. Artists sell the cards to fans at live shows, and the fans can then download songs or albums from the artist's online page.
Many independent artists make most of their revenue at merchandise tables after they play a live show. Audiences connect with a band or song, and are most likely to pay for music during the post-gig buzz. As bands are moving from CDs to digital downloads, they need something to hook potential customers when they can, instead of asking them to download later. Which is a challenge DiscRevolt aims to solve. The start-up describes its download cards as a cross between a gift card, a backstage pass and a baseball trading card. They're designed to be collectible items, attachable to lanyards or backpacks or rear-view mirrors. The fact that artists design their own artwork, and often make cards in limited runs, adds to the appeal.
DiscRevolt is currently in beta, and is offering artists 100 free cards if they sign up before May 15th. The website currently only supports MP3 audio files (at any bitrate), but future releases will also support other media files such as video and PDF files of liner notes, lyrics and artwork. Something to set up locally? And although musical artists are the main target group for this type of service, how about BookRevolt? At lectures or other events, both published and unpublished authors could sell cards for downloads of audio-books or e-books, or supplements to printed work, or use the cards as a promotional tool, giving away digital copies of sample chapters without having to worry about hosting downloads.
Website: www.discrevolt.com
Many independent artists make most of their revenue at merchandise tables after they play a live show. Audiences connect with a band or song, and are most likely to pay for music during the post-gig buzz. As bands are moving from CDs to digital downloads, they need something to hook potential customers when they can, instead of asking them to download later. Which is a challenge DiscRevolt aims to solve. The start-up describes its download cards as a cross between a gift card, a backstage pass and a baseball trading card. They're designed to be collectible items, attachable to lanyards or backpacks or rear-view mirrors. The fact that artists design their own artwork, and often make cards in limited runs, adds to the appeal.
DiscRevolt is currently in beta, and is offering artists 100 free cards if they sign up before May 15th. The website currently only supports MP3 audio files (at any bitrate), but future releases will also support other media files such as video and PDF files of liner notes, lyrics and artwork. Something to set up locally? And although musical artists are the main target group for this type of service, how about BookRevolt? At lectures or other events, both published and unpublished authors could sell cards for downloads of audio-books or e-books, or supplements to printed work, or use the cards as a promotional tool, giving away digital copies of sample chapters without having to worry about hosting downloads.
Website: www.discrevolt.com
Friday, May 11, 2007
$25,000 Contest For Small Business(Out Of Box Contest)
Submit a 500-word essay explaining your success story to the UPS Best “Out-of-the-Box” Small Business Contest.
Eligible companies must have 2006 revenues of at least $250,000, but no more than $10 million. Prizes range from $5,000 to $25,000 in cash.
Entries must be submitted online by September 1, and will be judged on originality, business implementation and business results.
More at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog.html?id=178038.
2.http://www.outofthebox.ups.com/
Eligible companies must have 2006 revenues of at least $250,000, but no more than $10 million. Prizes range from $5,000 to $25,000 in cash.
Entries must be submitted online by September 1, and will be judged on originality, business implementation and business results.
More at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog.html?id=178038.
2.http://www.outofthebox.ups.com/
Stay in Touch with Your Clients with These Tools
Maybe you are looking for new ways to stay in touch with your clients and prospects. Maybe you've tried sending out a newsletter or are considering sending a newsletter. This isn’t about deciding whether or not to send one (Although I’d strongly urge you to ensure whatever communication you’re sending is note worthy and time worthy for them to invest their eyes on, as it’s one email of hundreds some of these people get each day.)
Constant Contact:
They are currently offering a free 60 Day trial and you dont need a credit card to register. You'll discover that you can quickly create professional-looking email campaigns that grab attention and help you build successful, lasting relationships with your customers, clients, or members. It's an increditble communcation tool to also monitor and track who's reading certain parts of each email you send out! Every salesperson needs a way to continually keep their name and face in front of clients and prospects. This is one vehicle that enables you to do so, easily.
More at:http://reseller.roving.com/index.jsp.
Constant Contact:
They are currently offering a free 60 Day trial and you dont need a credit card to register. You'll discover that you can quickly create professional-looking email campaigns that grab attention and help you build successful, lasting relationships with your customers, clients, or members. It's an increditble communcation tool to also monitor and track who's reading certain parts of each email you send out! Every salesperson needs a way to continually keep their name and face in front of clients and prospects. This is one vehicle that enables you to do so, easily.
More at:http://reseller.roving.com/index.jsp.
AMAZON WEBSTORES AS E-COMMERCE SITES?
Recently, Amazon announced their Webstores. These are fixed URL websites that you can set up and sell products from, just like any website. You would supply your own URL and choose from any number of templates that Amazon offers. Amazon acts as the web host and the payment processor in this arrangement. You get a built-in shopping cart and payment gateway as well.
These stores go for about $60 per month and the per-transaction fee is 7%. That's pretty comparable to eBay stores, so it appears that Amazon might be going after frustrated eBay store owners who are looking to migrate to other venues.
One major advantage to these stores is that you get integration with Amazon. You can place anything that Amazon sells on the site and use your Amazon affiliate account to sell those products. That is great for testing products or Adwords campaigns.
Amazon also integrates their search engine and their review system into your webstore. You also get Amazon's descriptions on affiliate products you place in the webstore, although you are able to override those and put in your own.
more at:http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/home-based-businesses/4057953-1.html
These stores go for about $60 per month and the per-transaction fee is 7%. That's pretty comparable to eBay stores, so it appears that Amazon might be going after frustrated eBay store owners who are looking to migrate to other venues.
One major advantage to these stores is that you get integration with Amazon. You can place anything that Amazon sells on the site and use your Amazon affiliate account to sell those products. That is great for testing products or Adwords campaigns.
Amazon also integrates their search engine and their review system into your webstore. You also get Amazon's descriptions on affiliate products you place in the webstore, although you are able to override those and put in your own.
more at:http://www.allbusiness.com/specialty-businesses/home-based-businesses/4057953-1.html
A Daily Music Video About the News
Boston.com is proud to present "Pop-Ed," a daily original song and accompanying video written and performed by local musician Jake Brennan, focusing on news and events that take place that day. Jake will find news of interest in the morning and then start writing. Later in the afternoon, you can find his song on this page. Think of it as an op-ed with a new twist. While you're here, read Jake's blog, and check out previous Pop-Ed songs and videos. And be sure to tune into 92.9 WBOS each weeknight during the 9 p.m. hour to hear Jake's Pop-Ed song.
More at:http://www.boston.com/ae/music/poped/
More at:http://www.boston.com/ae/music/poped/
Get Free Books
Get for free, Classic literature is widely available online, as dedicated volunteers and librarians have been scanning and posting thousands of volumes on websites worldwide. Which sites are easiest to use?
1) Wikisource - Wikisource is the virtual library portion of the Wiki-empire. Recent additions to Wikisource are right up the alley of college and high school students studying literature and the humanities: "The Mayor of Casterbridge," by Thomas Hardy, "Daisy Miller," by Henry James, and "Erewhon," by Samuel Butler.
2) Online Books Page - This is more of a directory than a repository, with links to more than 25,000 online books. It offers links to books in their holographic (that is, original format and design) format, especially good for students and scholars.
3) Want a good study guide to “Brave New World?” Go to Bibliomania which offers study guides to classic literature developed by final year and postgraduate literature students from top UK and US universities.
4) Gutenberg Project is the granddaddy of all online book projects. It has continually evolved, and now permits downloads of entire CD-length collections via BitTorrent. Site data indicate that more than 3 million books were downloaded from Gutenberg in the last 30 days. Tops in the last week? “Manual of Surgery,” by Alexander Miles and Alexis Thomson, with 4,597 downloads. According to book uploader Laura Wisewell, the online edition was produced just after World War I and contains accounts of gangrene, tuberculosis and syphilis. “Read it and be grateful that you live in a time and country with antibiotics,” she says. “In this book, amputation is the answer to everything.”
Check all at:1.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page.2.http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/.3.http://www.bibliomania.com/1/frameset.html.4.http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page.5.http://homepage.mac.com/laurawisewell/gutenberg/pped.html
1) Wikisource - Wikisource is the virtual library portion of the Wiki-empire. Recent additions to Wikisource are right up the alley of college and high school students studying literature and the humanities: "The Mayor of Casterbridge," by Thomas Hardy, "Daisy Miller," by Henry James, and "Erewhon," by Samuel Butler.
2) Online Books Page - This is more of a directory than a repository, with links to more than 25,000 online books. It offers links to books in their holographic (that is, original format and design) format, especially good for students and scholars.
3) Want a good study guide to “Brave New World?” Go to Bibliomania which offers study guides to classic literature developed by final year and postgraduate literature students from top UK and US universities.
4) Gutenberg Project is the granddaddy of all online book projects. It has continually evolved, and now permits downloads of entire CD-length collections via BitTorrent. Site data indicate that more than 3 million books were downloaded from Gutenberg in the last 30 days. Tops in the last week? “Manual of Surgery,” by Alexander Miles and Alexis Thomson, with 4,597 downloads. According to book uploader Laura Wisewell, the online edition was produced just after World War I and contains accounts of gangrene, tuberculosis and syphilis. “Read it and be grateful that you live in a time and country with antibiotics,” she says. “In this book, amputation is the answer to everything.”
Check all at:1.http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page.2.http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/.3.http://www.bibliomania.com/1/frameset.html.4.http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page.5.http://homepage.mac.com/laurawisewell/gutenberg/pped.html
Boutiquecamping
Boutique Camping offers decidedly upscale camping at summer music festivals. Luxury-seeking festival-goers can choose from a variety of places to rest their weary bones, ranging from elegant tipis and bohemian bivouacs to pastel-coloured beach huts and wooden micro-cabins (a.k.a. podpads). All can be booked unfurnished, though guests are better off choosing the furnished option, adding beds, rugs, sheepskins, lanterns and iPod docking stations. Boutique Camping sites include round-the-clock staffed reception, clean toilets and proper showers, and a communal Bedouin tent for after-party lounging.
Boutique Camping will provide pop-up accommodation at a number of popular music festivals in England and Ireland this summer, from the Big Chill to the Secret Garden Party. They're already fully booked for The Electric Picnic, which takes place in August. The mix of available accommodation varies per location, and everything can be booked online. Pricing depends on the festival's duration, but ranges from GBP 399 for a basic podpad to GBP 1,095 for a large furnished tipi. Offering festival-goers an alternative to cramped tents in muddy fields, this should be a fun and potentially lucrative business to set up in other countries. Make sure to target wedding planners and the corporate events industry, too, and pop up for mid-summer parties, art biennales, sports events, meteor showers and any other excuse for a congenial overnight gathering. (For more inspiration, also check out Camp Kerala, a roaming tented village described as “the most elegant and romantic place to stay outside India.”)
Website: www.boutiquecamping.net
Boutique Camping will provide pop-up accommodation at a number of popular music festivals in England and Ireland this summer, from the Big Chill to the Secret Garden Party. They're already fully booked for The Electric Picnic, which takes place in August. The mix of available accommodation varies per location, and everything can be booked online. Pricing depends on the festival's duration, but ranges from GBP 399 for a basic podpad to GBP 1,095 for a large furnished tipi. Offering festival-goers an alternative to cramped tents in muddy fields, this should be a fun and potentially lucrative business to set up in other countries. Make sure to target wedding planners and the corporate events industry, too, and pop up for mid-summer parties, art biennales, sports events, meteor showers and any other excuse for a congenial overnight gathering. (For more inspiration, also check out Camp Kerala, a roaming tented village described as “the most elegant and romantic place to stay outside India.”)
Website: www.boutiquecamping.net
Thursday, May 10, 2007
SHAREDCOPY
No Install, No Downloads
Just bookmark this: +public.copy
When you are on a webpage, simply click on the bookmark & start using SharedCopy. All user comments will appear on our front page. However, if you feel queasy about such publicity,
bookmark this instead: +private.copy
You choose who to reveal the copy's link to, we'll never publish the link anywhere on the website.
No Logins, No Passwords
Anyone can start using without any registration. However, to "lock" a copy and close off comments, you'll need an account.
No Javascript
Your friend can read what you've shared, without Javascript. Click on the link you share with him, and he'll see your comments. Javascript is only required to create copies, or to comment on shared copies.
Internet? Intranet? Share it!
As long as you and your friend can both see the web page, SharedCopy helps you share comments with each other.
Perfect for collaborating, even within your own intranet.
Twitter, Basecamp, callback to any web service
SharedCopy has callback mechanism for anyone to plugout to. By default, we come with ready integration with Twitter and Basecamp.
More at:http://sharedcopy.com/
Just bookmark this: +public.copy
When you are on a webpage, simply click on the bookmark & start using SharedCopy. All user comments will appear on our front page. However, if you feel queasy about such publicity,
bookmark this instead: +private.copy
You choose who to reveal the copy's link to, we'll never publish the link anywhere on the website.
No Logins, No Passwords
Anyone can start using without any registration. However, to "lock" a copy and close off comments, you'll need an account.
No Javascript
Your friend can read what you've shared, without Javascript. Click on the link you share with him, and he'll see your comments. Javascript is only required to create copies, or to comment on shared copies.
Internet? Intranet? Share it!
As long as you and your friend can both see the web page, SharedCopy helps you share comments with each other.
Perfect for collaborating, even within your own intranet.
Twitter, Basecamp, callback to any web service
SharedCopy has callback mechanism for anyone to plugout to. By default, we come with ready integration with Twitter and Basecamp.
More at:http://sharedcopy.com/
On Start Up Finanancing
A panel discussion at MIT on the topic of raising funding for an early stage startup.
Also on the panel was Michael Greeley from IDG Ventures. Michael was representing the VC perspective .Here are some of the questions that came up in the panel. Please note that this is not legal advice and if you are raising funding, you should consult counsel on all legal matters.
1. If I raise capital from friends and family, do they have to be accredited investors?
Generally, yes. Though there are ways for pool together interests from non-accredited investors, it's usually not advisable as it can get tricky and complicated.
2. To raise VC funding, do I need to have a complete management team assembled?
Not necessarily. Many VCs do not mind considering startups that have an incomplete management team. Some will actually see gaps in the management team as a positive as that is an area that they can help with and bring value to the startup.
3. How do I negotiate the highest pre-money value for my startup?
Entrepreneurs are often overly obsesssed with the pre-money valuation of their startups. Though this is an important factor in the negotiations, it is by no means the only one. Often, non-valuation factors like corporate governance, control and preference issues end up being much more important than the valuation. Entrepreneurs should look at the deal as a whole and understand the details.
4. Do investors read business plans?
For the most part, no. A great business plan will not guarantee funding (or for that matter, even a meeting). If you find the crafting of the business plan helpful, then you should do it. But, investors do not generally require a detailed, written business plan.
5. Do I need to have formed a legal entity before approaching investors?
It's not required for investors prior to approaching them for funding, but is often a good idea because it is relatively simple and inexpensive to do.
6. How do VCs value companies?
This is an imperfect science. A common approach is that VCs will determine what the company could be worth at the time of an exit (IPO or acquisition). They then work backwards from there, determining what percentage of equity they need to own to generate the desired returns for their limited partners. Of course, they apply this approach across a portfolio of investments expecting that a small percentage will generate significant returns.
7. How do I find angel investors for my startup?
There's no single answer to this. In major markets like Boston and San Francisco, many angel investors are members of angel groups. These groups pool together expertise and resources in order to make better investment decisions. Of course, there are also private investors acting independently. Generally, you'll want to find investors that have a background in the particular idea you are pursuing -- or, an affinity for it. Angel investors often invest for reasons beyond just pure financial return. One common reason is to stay involved in the entrepreneurial process and help entrepreneurs build great companies.
8. How do I pick the "right" VC?
There are a number of considerations. First, you should verify that the VC makes investment in the stage and type of company you are building. Also, it is important to remember that you are not just picking a firm, you are picking a partner within that firm. Ideally, you'll find a partner that has made similar investments in the past and has knowledge of your market.
If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer. Please remember that I'm not a VC, and don't play one on TV. For content that is much better than this, I strongly recommend Ask The VC by Brad Feld. It's a great source for information on the VC industry and the process of raising money
Also on the panel was Michael Greeley from IDG Ventures. Michael was representing the VC perspective .Here are some of the questions that came up in the panel. Please note that this is not legal advice and if you are raising funding, you should consult counsel on all legal matters.
1. If I raise capital from friends and family, do they have to be accredited investors?
Generally, yes. Though there are ways for pool together interests from non-accredited investors, it's usually not advisable as it can get tricky and complicated.
2. To raise VC funding, do I need to have a complete management team assembled?
Not necessarily. Many VCs do not mind considering startups that have an incomplete management team. Some will actually see gaps in the management team as a positive as that is an area that they can help with and bring value to the startup.
3. How do I negotiate the highest pre-money value for my startup?
Entrepreneurs are often overly obsesssed with the pre-money valuation of their startups. Though this is an important factor in the negotiations, it is by no means the only one. Often, non-valuation factors like corporate governance, control and preference issues end up being much more important than the valuation. Entrepreneurs should look at the deal as a whole and understand the details.
4. Do investors read business plans?
For the most part, no. A great business plan will not guarantee funding (or for that matter, even a meeting). If you find the crafting of the business plan helpful, then you should do it. But, investors do not generally require a detailed, written business plan.
5. Do I need to have formed a legal entity before approaching investors?
It's not required for investors prior to approaching them for funding, but is often a good idea because it is relatively simple and inexpensive to do.
6. How do VCs value companies?
This is an imperfect science. A common approach is that VCs will determine what the company could be worth at the time of an exit (IPO or acquisition). They then work backwards from there, determining what percentage of equity they need to own to generate the desired returns for their limited partners. Of course, they apply this approach across a portfolio of investments expecting that a small percentage will generate significant returns.
7. How do I find angel investors for my startup?
There's no single answer to this. In major markets like Boston and San Francisco, many angel investors are members of angel groups. These groups pool together expertise and resources in order to make better investment decisions. Of course, there are also private investors acting independently. Generally, you'll want to find investors that have a background in the particular idea you are pursuing -- or, an affinity for it. Angel investors often invest for reasons beyond just pure financial return. One common reason is to stay involved in the entrepreneurial process and help entrepreneurs build great companies.
8. How do I pick the "right" VC?
There are a number of considerations. First, you should verify that the VC makes investment in the stage and type of company you are building. Also, it is important to remember that you are not just picking a firm, you are picking a partner within that firm. Ideally, you'll find a partner that has made similar investments in the past and has knowledge of your market.
If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer. Please remember that I'm not a VC, and don't play one on TV. For content that is much better than this, I strongly recommend Ask The VC by Brad Feld. It's a great source for information on the VC industry and the process of raising money
iDock,Flexible Office Space
iDock offers flexible office space in East Dulwich, London. We provide desk space with broadband, IT facilities, PC help and phone calls, plus all of the extras of an office. We also have spacious and well-equipped meeting rooms.
Called iDock, the scheme is loosely based on the hot-desking principle. It gives home-workers an office base that they can use as often or as little as they like, and is more professional than improvising with the kitchen table or a cramped table in the spare bedroom.
iDock is the brainchild of two East Dulwich-based IT consultants, Nick Ellis and Stephen Dunn, who both felt isolated by working entirely from home and missed the buzz and business facilities of an office environment.
“Working from home every day can feel a bit like being in solitary confinement,” explains Nick. “You miss chats around the water cooler and bouncing ideas off colleagues.
http://www.idock.biz/
Called iDock, the scheme is loosely based on the hot-desking principle. It gives home-workers an office base that they can use as often or as little as they like, and is more professional than improvising with the kitchen table or a cramped table in the spare bedroom.
iDock is the brainchild of two East Dulwich-based IT consultants, Nick Ellis and Stephen Dunn, who both felt isolated by working entirely from home and missed the buzz and business facilities of an office environment.
“Working from home every day can feel a bit like being in solitary confinement,” explains Nick. “You miss chats around the water cooler and bouncing ideas off colleagues.
http://www.idock.biz/
How To Be More Focussed
These days our lives are busier than ever. We work more than ever. We are more stressed and exhausted than ever before. And yet we get less done and are not as happy.
Here are few simple ways to be more productive with less effort:
Clear your head. It’s impossible to gain perspective, and to know what is truly essential, if we are in the middle of an information stream. Take an hour, or half a day if possible, to shut off the information flow, and to get a larger view of your life and your job. The time you take off will be well worth it. Tell everyone that you are unavailable, shut off all communications, shut yourself in somewhere private, and take some time to think about what is important. What do you want? Where are you going? What will it take to get there? Another good way to clear your head, which is necessary for focus, is to write down everything that you need to do, all your tasks and projects and ideas. Dump the contents of your mind on paper, and then stop thinking about them for a little while.
Focus on the essential tasks. Once you’ve gotten your head cleared, you need to figure out what tasks are most essential. Ask yourself this magic question: “What task can you do that will get you the most return on your time?” Figure out the project that will get you the most recognition, win you awards, or get you the most business. Something that will pay off big. Not something you’ll forget about in a week, but something that others will remember you by. This is an essential task. Make a list of these types of tasks — they’re your most important things to do this week.
Eliminate the rest. Now look at your overall list. What’s on there that’s not essential? Can you just drop them from your schedule? Or delegate them to someone else? If not, put them on a “waiting list”. Then, as you focus on your essential tasks, check back on this waiting list every now and then. Sometimes you’ll realize that the less essential tasks weren’t really necessary at all.
Do essential tasks first. If you’ve got a list of things to do today, and one or two of them are truly essential, do those items first thing in the morning. Don’t wait until later in the day, because they’ll get pushed back as other urgent stuff comes up. Get them out of the way, and your productivity will truly soar.
Eliminate distractions. You can put essential stuff on your list all year long, but if you are constantly interrupted by email notifications, IM, cell phones, your RSS reader, gadgets and widgets, social media, forums and the like, you’ll never be productive. Turn these things off, disconnect yourself from the Internet if possible, clear your desk of all papers, clear your walls and surrounding areas, and allow yourself to truly focus.
Use simple tools. Don’t fidget with a bunch of gadgets or the latest and coolest applications. Find a simple notebook for writing things down, a simple to-do list (no frills) and the simplest application possible for doing your work. Then forget about the tools and think only of the task at hand. If you’re too worried about the tools, you’re not actually doing anything.
More at:http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/simple-productivity-10-ways-to-do-more-by-focusing-on-the-essentials.html
Here are few simple ways to be more productive with less effort:
Clear your head. It’s impossible to gain perspective, and to know what is truly essential, if we are in the middle of an information stream. Take an hour, or half a day if possible, to shut off the information flow, and to get a larger view of your life and your job. The time you take off will be well worth it. Tell everyone that you are unavailable, shut off all communications, shut yourself in somewhere private, and take some time to think about what is important. What do you want? Where are you going? What will it take to get there? Another good way to clear your head, which is necessary for focus, is to write down everything that you need to do, all your tasks and projects and ideas. Dump the contents of your mind on paper, and then stop thinking about them for a little while.
Focus on the essential tasks. Once you’ve gotten your head cleared, you need to figure out what tasks are most essential. Ask yourself this magic question: “What task can you do that will get you the most return on your time?” Figure out the project that will get you the most recognition, win you awards, or get you the most business. Something that will pay off big. Not something you’ll forget about in a week, but something that others will remember you by. This is an essential task. Make a list of these types of tasks — they’re your most important things to do this week.
Eliminate the rest. Now look at your overall list. What’s on there that’s not essential? Can you just drop them from your schedule? Or delegate them to someone else? If not, put them on a “waiting list”. Then, as you focus on your essential tasks, check back on this waiting list every now and then. Sometimes you’ll realize that the less essential tasks weren’t really necessary at all.
Do essential tasks first. If you’ve got a list of things to do today, and one or two of them are truly essential, do those items first thing in the morning. Don’t wait until later in the day, because they’ll get pushed back as other urgent stuff comes up. Get them out of the way, and your productivity will truly soar.
Eliminate distractions. You can put essential stuff on your list all year long, but if you are constantly interrupted by email notifications, IM, cell phones, your RSS reader, gadgets and widgets, social media, forums and the like, you’ll never be productive. Turn these things off, disconnect yourself from the Internet if possible, clear your desk of all papers, clear your walls and surrounding areas, and allow yourself to truly focus.
Use simple tools. Don’t fidget with a bunch of gadgets or the latest and coolest applications. Find a simple notebook for writing things down, a simple to-do list (no frills) and the simplest application possible for doing your work. Then forget about the tools and think only of the task at hand. If you’re too worried about the tools, you’re not actually doing anything.
More at:http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/simple-productivity-10-ways-to-do-more-by-focusing-on-the-essentials.html
SellSigns Helps Consumers Sell Used Cars
Dutch SellSigns helps consumers sell used cars by combining customized for sale signs and online profiles. How it works? The seller creates a profile containing the car's details, plus his/her own contact information. The website then produces two small banners that sellers can place on their own websites or blogs, as well as a PDF. The PDF can be printed and taped on a car window, and shows the car's price, mileage and year. This offline ad directs potential buyers to sellsign.nl to find more detailed information and contact the seller, using the car's license plate to locate it on the website.
More at: www.sellsigns.nl
More at: www.sellsigns.nl
LaborFair
LaborFair is an online referral community of reliable, quality workers for on-demand household labour.
Workers post profiles, photos and a minimum of two references on LaborFair.com, and indicate when they're available. Potential employers search the website to find someone who is available when they need them, and contact them directly to discuss the job. LaborFair's workers specialize in household maintenance and family care, providing services like housecleaning, gardening, small repairs, yard or garbage cleanup, moving, interior/exterior painting, childcare and eldercare.
Since good workers can land more jobs by building their online reputation, LaborFair encourages customers to post fair and honest reviews, including answers to questions like: did the worker show up on time, did he or she have the necessary equipment, were you able to communicate with the worker, and would you hire him or her again.
More: www.laborfair.com
Workers post profiles, photos and a minimum of two references on LaborFair.com, and indicate when they're available. Potential employers search the website to find someone who is available when they need them, and contact them directly to discuss the job. LaborFair's workers specialize in household maintenance and family care, providing services like housecleaning, gardening, small repairs, yard or garbage cleanup, moving, interior/exterior painting, childcare and eldercare.
Since good workers can land more jobs by building their online reputation, LaborFair encourages customers to post fair and honest reviews, including answers to questions like: did the worker show up on time, did he or she have the necessary equipment, were you able to communicate with the worker, and would you hire him or her again.
More: www.laborfair.com
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Lessons For Entreprenuers
Guy Kawasaki explore it beautifully:
Where ignorance is bliss, ‘Tis folly to be wise—“On a Distant Prospect of Eton College” by Thomas Gray
With all due respect to Thomas Gray, he missed the target when it comes to entrepreneurship: ignorance isn’t bliss, ignoring is. For example, last week I posted a “help wanted” entry soliciting “truemorists” for a site called Truemors.
In the first forty-eight hours or so there were forty-one comments on this posting. Of these responses seven (17%) condemned the idea:
1.
Did you hear that Guy is the new Perez Hilton? He must be out of his mind! Please tell me this post is a joke.
2.
Did you hear that Guy has sunk to a new low? Come on Guy… gossip is one step away from pornography.
3.
All the pitch’s you hear, and this is the kind of thing you want to attach your name and valuable reputation to…another hurtful, hateful gossip site/company?
4.
stick to tech, guy, that’s what you are. don’t cover hollywood gossip bs.
5.
I hope (think) Guy is joking. Like we really need more “gotchas” and “scooping”!! To wit…I was going to write an article about my visit(s) to Virginia Tech last week to hand out 600 “Hokie Hope” buttons to the students — the rub “the local newspaper implied that the Hokie story might be a little stale now” — amazing! Give me something fresh like Brittany rehab or anything Anna Nicole! Geeesh Guy say it ain’t so!
6.
shameless trolling. truly shameless. obvious the mentoring and art of the start mentality is falling by the wayside in one man’s quest for power (or jut technorati rankings) way to go the path of the lemming, dude yamaha
7.
I hope this is a joke?
This is fascinating. Based on an intentionally sketchy posting and without seeing how Truemors functions, 17% of the commenters wrote it off in completely negative ways. What do you think would have happened if founders listened to pre-release comments about selling used printers online (eBay), creating the tenth search engine (Google), building personal computers for hobbyists (Apple), enabling people to tell their friends that their cat rolled over (Twitter), or rating whether people are good looking .
More at:http://www.guykawasaki.com/
Where ignorance is bliss, ‘Tis folly to be wise—“On a Distant Prospect of Eton College” by Thomas Gray
With all due respect to Thomas Gray, he missed the target when it comes to entrepreneurship: ignorance isn’t bliss, ignoring is. For example, last week I posted a “help wanted” entry soliciting “truemorists” for a site called Truemors.
In the first forty-eight hours or so there were forty-one comments on this posting. Of these responses seven (17%) condemned the idea:
1.
Did you hear that Guy is the new Perez Hilton? He must be out of his mind! Please tell me this post is a joke.
2.
Did you hear that Guy has sunk to a new low? Come on Guy… gossip is one step away from pornography.
3.
All the pitch’s you hear, and this is the kind of thing you want to attach your name and valuable reputation to…another hurtful, hateful gossip site/company?
4.
stick to tech, guy, that’s what you are. don’t cover hollywood gossip bs.
5.
I hope (think) Guy is joking. Like we really need more “gotchas” and “scooping”!! To wit…I was going to write an article about my visit(s) to Virginia Tech last week to hand out 600 “Hokie Hope” buttons to the students — the rub “the local newspaper implied that the Hokie story might be a little stale now” — amazing! Give me something fresh like Brittany rehab or anything Anna Nicole! Geeesh Guy say it ain’t so!
6.
shameless trolling. truly shameless. obvious the mentoring and art of the start mentality is falling by the wayside in one man’s quest for power (or jut technorati rankings) way to go the path of the lemming, dude yamaha
7.
I hope this is a joke?
This is fascinating. Based on an intentionally sketchy posting and without seeing how Truemors functions, 17% of the commenters wrote it off in completely negative ways. What do you think would have happened if founders listened to pre-release comments about selling used printers online (eBay), creating the tenth search engine (Google), building personal computers for hobbyists (Apple), enabling people to tell their friends that their cat rolled over (Twitter), or rating whether people are good looking .
More at:http://www.guykawasaki.com/
Get XM Satelite Radio Receiver &Car Kit Combo
You can now (for a limited time...don't know how long) grab the AudioVox Xpress - XMCK10 XM Satellite Radio Receiver & Car Kit Combo - XMCK10A for just $5.99 with FREE SHIPPING.
Yep, it's not a typo. Just go to this link at BUY.COM and snag yourself a steller deal on XM radio. The listed price is around $90, but you get $54 instant savings and another $30 rebate, making it just $5.99. Plus, free shipping. Try finding that lower anywhere else. You will still have to pay the fee for the monthly XM service, but you can't have it all, right? Here are the product specs. Go get it deal-hunters.
More at:http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202139750&adid=17662
Yep, it's not a typo. Just go to this link at BUY.COM and snag yourself a steller deal on XM radio. The listed price is around $90, but you get $54 instant savings and another $30 rebate, making it just $5.99. Plus, free shipping. Try finding that lower anywhere else. You will still have to pay the fee for the monthly XM service, but you can't have it all, right? Here are the product specs. Go get it deal-hunters.
More at:http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=202139750&adid=17662
HEDGEfolios.com
HEDGEfolios combines fundamental and technical analysis without requiring you to run complex screens or interpret confusing stock charts. They do the analysis and give you the results in an easy to search and sort database.
You'll find tools to evaluate over 3,000 stocks and ETFs to determine whether they fit your investing requirements. If you are looking for large caps or small caps, value or growth, income or diversification, you'll find the information here. In addition to helping you with the "what" component, HEDGEfolios provides weekly up or down signals to give you ideas for the "when" of portfolio decisions.
Read market commentary, how to use the site, and other information.
Analyze HEDGEfolios stocks, market statistics and performance.
My Folio watches up to 100 of your favorite stocks for quick reference.
Evaluate individual stocks and build folios based upon fundamental characteristics.
Manage timing of investment decisions based upon Up or Down signals.
Profile an individual stock for its fundamental evaluation and timing signals.
More at:http://hedgefolios.com/
You'll find tools to evaluate over 3,000 stocks and ETFs to determine whether they fit your investing requirements. If you are looking for large caps or small caps, value or growth, income or diversification, you'll find the information here. In addition to helping you with the "what" component, HEDGEfolios provides weekly up or down signals to give you ideas for the "when" of portfolio decisions.
Read market commentary, how to use the site, and other information.
Analyze HEDGEfolios stocks, market statistics and performance.
My Folio watches up to 100 of your favorite stocks for quick reference.
Evaluate individual stocks and build folios based upon fundamental characteristics.
Manage timing of investment decisions based upon Up or Down signals.
Profile an individual stock for its fundamental evaluation and timing signals.
More at:http://hedgefolios.com/
The Screen Machine
Charles Kirk of The Kirk Report has built an excellent tool for almost any investor. “The Screen Machine” can be found in the members side of his site and for a very nominal amount per year I don’t doubt it will become a mainstay of your efforts to find excellent trade setups and help with exits.
Charles and I share a similar opinion on screening and it is quite different compared to the numerous tools you can find elsewhere on the web. Most sites allow you to screen based upon a set of fundamental variables and try to find stocks that are either lower or higher than a specific number. But which variables to choose? What values to set as the standard? The combinations are virtually endless and you can really bog yourself down with “analysis paralysis” or an overload of results that fail to narrow anything down. Some people love to use complex screeners and have developed parameters they like. I am happy for them. But for the majority of investors, screening is a giant pain in the ass.
The Kirk Report Screen Machine gives you the results of screens that Charles has built over the years. It cannot be easier as you don’t have to enter any variables, conditions or values. You just click on one of his screens and each will show you 25 stocks that fit the criteria. If this sounds like an approach that will save you time and help you focus your research, you should give it a try.
More at:http://www.thekirkreport.com/2007/04/stock_screen_ma.html
Charles and I share a similar opinion on screening and it is quite different compared to the numerous tools you can find elsewhere on the web. Most sites allow you to screen based upon a set of fundamental variables and try to find stocks that are either lower or higher than a specific number. But which variables to choose? What values to set as the standard? The combinations are virtually endless and you can really bog yourself down with “analysis paralysis” or an overload of results that fail to narrow anything down. Some people love to use complex screeners and have developed parameters they like. I am happy for them. But for the majority of investors, screening is a giant pain in the ass.
The Kirk Report Screen Machine gives you the results of screens that Charles has built over the years. It cannot be easier as you don’t have to enter any variables, conditions or values. You just click on one of his screens and each will show you 25 stocks that fit the criteria. If this sounds like an approach that will save you time and help you focus your research, you should give it a try.
More at:http://www.thekirkreport.com/2007/04/stock_screen_ma.html
Top 20 Search Engine Apart Google
There are an abundance of new search engines (100+ at last count ) - each pioneering some innovation in search technology. Here is a list of the top 20 innovations that, in our opinion, will prove disruptivein the future. These innovations are classified into four types: Query Pre-processing; Information Sources; Algorithm Improvement; Results Visualization and Post-processing.
[Some of these innovations are present in various Google properties, but are either missing or available only in limited form in the main search page, as noted below.]
A9
AOL
AURA!
blinkx
boing
bookmach.com
BOXXET
ChaCha
ClipBlast!
Clusty
collarity
CometQ
CONGOO
d e c i p h o
del.icio.us
digg
digg labs swarm
Ditto
dumbfind
exalead.
More at:http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_17_search_innovations.php
[Some of these innovations are present in various Google properties, but are either missing or available only in limited form in the main search page, as noted below.]
A9
AOL
AURA!
blinkx
boing
bookmach.com
BOXXET
ChaCha
ClipBlast!
Clusty
collarity
CometQ
CONGOO
d e c i p h o
del.icio.us
digg
digg labs swarm
Ditto
dumbfind
exalead.
More at:http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_17_search_innovations.php
Fi nd Business Partners
Find business partners and employees, network with members, and find business resources.
Entrepreneurs inventors businesses startups Want to get involved in a business?Find business and career opportunities and network with
other member.
Professionals executives board members consultants Want to advertise your business?PartnerUp’s resource directory connects PartnerUp members with the products and services that they need for their
business. Add your business and start reaching new
customers today!
Get StartedLeasing or selling commercial real estate?Posting your commercial real estate listings on PartnerUp is free and helps you find tenants or buyers for your property, while helping our members find the space they need for their
busineess.
More at:http://www.partnerup.com/
Entrepreneurs inventors businesses startups Want to get involved in a business?Find business and career opportunities and network with
other member.
Professionals executives board members consultants Want to advertise your business?PartnerUp’s resource directory connects PartnerUp members with the products and services that they need for their
business. Add your business and start reaching new
customers today!
Get StartedLeasing or selling commercial real estate?Posting your commercial real estate listings on PartnerUp is free and helps you find tenants or buyers for your property, while helping our members find the space they need for their
busineess.
More at:http://www.partnerup.com/
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Priceline
Priceline.com: The amazing travel service where you can now choose your exact flights and times for incredible travel savings or Name Your Own Price and save even more! All it takes is a little flexibility with your travel plans.
If you can fly any time of day, agree to fly on any major airline, stay in any name-brand hotel or rent from any of the top 5 U.S. rental car agencies - you can save a lot of money with priceline!.
More at:http://www.priceline.com/
If you can fly any time of day, agree to fly on any major airline, stay in any name-brand hotel or rent from any of the top 5 U.S. rental car agencies - you can save a lot of money with priceline!.
More at:http://www.priceline.com/
Managing Your Task Easily And Quickly
Manage tasks quickly and easily.
An intuitive interface makes managing tasks fun. Set due dates easily with next Friday or in 2 weeks. Extensive keyboard shortcuts make task management quicker than ever.
Get reminded, anywhere.
Receive reminders via email, SMS, and instant messenger (AIM, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Skype and Yahoo! are all supported).
Plan your time.
See what's due today and tomorrow, and the things you've missed. Prioritize, estimate your time, and postpone with ease. Set tasks to repeat every week or after 2 months.
Organize the way you want to.
Are you a list lover? Create as many lists as you need. Into tagging? Use the task cloud to easily see what you have to do. Want to store notes along with your tasks? You can do that too.
Work together to get things done.
Share, send and publish tasks and lists with your contacts or the world. Remind your significant other to do their household chores.
Add tasks wherever you are.
Adding tasks is as simple as firing off an email (even from your phone). See an important date on the web? Add it to your list with Quick Add.
Take your tasks with you.
Access your tasks on your web-enabled mobile device. Print your entire list or a handy weekly planner which shows upcoming tasks. View your tasks on your calendar with Apple iCal or Google Calendar. Subscribe to feeds with Atom/RSS.
Search your tasks the smart way.
Find the tasks you want with advanced searching. Save your searches as Smart Lists, and easily see tasks that match your desired criteria.
Locate your tasks.
Use the map to see where your tasks are located in the real world. See what's nearby or on your way, and plan the best way to get things done.
More:http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
An intuitive interface makes managing tasks fun. Set due dates easily with next Friday or in 2 weeks. Extensive keyboard shortcuts make task management quicker than ever.
Get reminded, anywhere.
Receive reminders via email, SMS, and instant messenger (AIM, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Skype and Yahoo! are all supported).
Plan your time.
See what's due today and tomorrow, and the things you've missed. Prioritize, estimate your time, and postpone with ease. Set tasks to repeat every week or after 2 months.
Organize the way you want to.
Are you a list lover? Create as many lists as you need. Into tagging? Use the task cloud to easily see what you have to do. Want to store notes along with your tasks? You can do that too.
Work together to get things done.
Share, send and publish tasks and lists with your contacts or the world. Remind your significant other to do their household chores.
Add tasks wherever you are.
Adding tasks is as simple as firing off an email (even from your phone). See an important date on the web? Add it to your list with Quick Add.
Take your tasks with you.
Access your tasks on your web-enabled mobile device. Print your entire list or a handy weekly planner which shows upcoming tasks. View your tasks on your calendar with Apple iCal or Google Calendar. Subscribe to feeds with Atom/RSS.
Search your tasks the smart way.
Find the tasks you want with advanced searching. Save your searches as Smart Lists, and easily see tasks that match your desired criteria.
Locate your tasks.
Use the map to see where your tasks are located in the real world. See what's nearby or on your way, and plan the best way to get things done.
More:http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
The Little Book Of Common Sense Investing
John Bogle is the founder and retired CEO of Vanguard, and the Vanguard/Bogle investment philosophy struck such a chord with me that it was the final piece that convinced me to start investing and along with Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham are one of the three investors whose ideas and principles I truly value. So, when I saw Bogle had written a book with a title like The Little Book of Common Sense Investing, I had to give it a read.
This is the third volume in the “Little Book” series, which are intended to be introductions to specific investing philosophies . This time around, the philosophy is the Bogle philosophy, which is that the smartest investment for most stock market investors is the broad low-fee index fund. Let’s take a stroll through this little book and learn what’s within those red covers.
A Walk Through The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
This small book is divided into eighteen chapters, each ten to twenty pages long, that spells out piece by piece the ideas behind the philosophy that one should do their investing in low-cost index funds. The brief chapters are perfect bite size pieces to read during a spare moment, like eating lunch, waiting for an interview, or so forth; this is an aspect of the “Little Book” series that I quite like.
Chapter 1: A Parable
You can read this first chapter in its entirety on John Bogle’s personal site, but suffice it to say that much of the chapter focuses on a retelling of Warren Buffett’s classic tale of the Gotrocks and the Helpers. In a nutshell, the point of the tale is that individuals that you have to pay to help you make wise investment choices are actually taking money away from you instead of helping you make more money. The moral is, in Buffett’s words, that for investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases. An effective individual investor should thus look for steady investments with few middlemen - and middlemen that charge minimally for their services.
Chapter 2: Rational Exuberance
From the Gotrocks parable of the first chapter, Bogle attempts to apply the lesson of the story to stocks. He compares, over the long term, the return on investment for businesses versus the return on investment for stocks and finds that their correlation is very tight. What does that mean? Over the long haul, an investment in the stock of a business will match the success of the business itself. There may be short term twists in investor emotions, but when you buy a stock for a long haul, you’re buying into the underlying business. Thus, short term stock market investing is a completely different game than long term investing, and Bogle admits to not having an understanding of investor emotion which is required to play the short term game. I guess if you’re interested in short term individual stock picking, turn to someone like Jim Cramer.
More at:http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/04/review-the-little-book-of-common-sense-investing/
This is the third volume in the “Little Book” series, which are intended to be introductions to specific investing philosophies . This time around, the philosophy is the Bogle philosophy, which is that the smartest investment for most stock market investors is the broad low-fee index fund. Let’s take a stroll through this little book and learn what’s within those red covers.
A Walk Through The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
This small book is divided into eighteen chapters, each ten to twenty pages long, that spells out piece by piece the ideas behind the philosophy that one should do their investing in low-cost index funds. The brief chapters are perfect bite size pieces to read during a spare moment, like eating lunch, waiting for an interview, or so forth; this is an aspect of the “Little Book” series that I quite like.
Chapter 1: A Parable
You can read this first chapter in its entirety on John Bogle’s personal site, but suffice it to say that much of the chapter focuses on a retelling of Warren Buffett’s classic tale of the Gotrocks and the Helpers. In a nutshell, the point of the tale is that individuals that you have to pay to help you make wise investment choices are actually taking money away from you instead of helping you make more money. The moral is, in Buffett’s words, that for investors as a whole, returns decrease as motion increases. An effective individual investor should thus look for steady investments with few middlemen - and middlemen that charge minimally for their services.
Chapter 2: Rational Exuberance
From the Gotrocks parable of the first chapter, Bogle attempts to apply the lesson of the story to stocks. He compares, over the long term, the return on investment for businesses versus the return on investment for stocks and finds that their correlation is very tight. What does that mean? Over the long haul, an investment in the stock of a business will match the success of the business itself. There may be short term twists in investor emotions, but when you buy a stock for a long haul, you’re buying into the underlying business. Thus, short term stock market investing is a completely different game than long term investing, and Bogle admits to not having an understanding of investor emotion which is required to play the short term game. I guess if you’re interested in short term individual stock picking, turn to someone like Jim Cramer.
More at:http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/04/review-the-little-book-of-common-sense-investing/
Send Your Money To China
Now you can send money to China without getting up from your computer. iKobo Money Transfer offers a new way of sending money to China that is safer, easier and less expensive than traditional, agent-based money sending location, money orders or wire transfers.
This is how it works: First, set up your free money transfer account. Then tell us the name and address of the person to whom you will be sending money. You can send money from a credit card, a debit card or your checking or savings account. Tell us the amount you want to send, and you are done. Your money transfer to China is on the way. Your friend or family member will receive a Visa Debit card that can be used at any Visa ATM or anywhere Visa Debit cards are accepted. The recipient doesn?t have to deal with an agent, and the Visa Debit card is more secure than carrying large amounts of cash.
You can use iKobo Money Transfer any time, day or night. All you have to do is go online. Send money to China or any country where Visa is accepted. iKobo Money Transfer is more convenient than agent-based money sending locations, money orders or wire transfers, and it is less expensive, too!
More at:http://www.ikobo.com/asia/money-transfer-china.html
This is how it works: First, set up your free money transfer account. Then tell us the name and address of the person to whom you will be sending money. You can send money from a credit card, a debit card or your checking or savings account. Tell us the amount you want to send, and you are done. Your money transfer to China is on the way. Your friend or family member will receive a Visa Debit card that can be used at any Visa ATM or anywhere Visa Debit cards are accepted. The recipient doesn?t have to deal with an agent, and the Visa Debit card is more secure than carrying large amounts of cash.
You can use iKobo Money Transfer any time, day or night. All you have to do is go online. Send money to China or any country where Visa is accepted. iKobo Money Transfer is more convenient than agent-based money sending locations, money orders or wire transfers, and it is less expensive, too!
More at:http://www.ikobo.com/asia/money-transfer-china.html
Buy My Broken I-Pods
The young start-up offers consumers a very simple way to sell their broken or unused iPods: after indicating which model they'd like to sell and what condition it's in, the website gives an instant price-quote. Send it in, and payment is transferred via PayPal within 24 hours after the iPod has been received.
The company takes pride in extending the lives of dead or used iPods, and keeping them out of landfills. According to Mother Jones, electronic waste accounts for 2 percent of America's trash in landfills but 70 percent of its toxic garbage. Springwise likes the niche aspect—focusing on one very popular article, and making it easy for consumers to get money for something they'd otherwise leave in a junk drawer or throw away. One to set up locally, or extend to other products? Might not make you rich, but it can definitely be a good business on the side. Especially since iPods sales don't seem to be slowing down ;-) Related: Podswap and iRepair.
Website: www.buymybrokenipod.com
The company takes pride in extending the lives of dead or used iPods, and keeping them out of landfills. According to Mother Jones, electronic waste accounts for 2 percent of America's trash in landfills but 70 percent of its toxic garbage. Springwise likes the niche aspect—focusing on one very popular article, and making it easy for consumers to get money for something they'd otherwise leave in a junk drawer or throw away. One to set up locally, or extend to other products? Might not make you rich, but it can definitely be a good business on the side. Especially since iPods sales don't seem to be slowing down ;-) Related: Podswap and iRepair.
Website: www.buymybrokenipod.com
Hire Your Things
New Zealand-based Hire Things, which is currently in public beta, is promoted as a low risk, cost effective marketing channel for hire and rental services, and a facilitator for 'micro-hire-businesses'. Think of it as eBay for renting goods. The company is an enterprising mash-up of two major trends: minipreneurs (consumers turning into entrepreneurs) and transumers (consumers becoming less interested in owning).
Currently Hire Things doesn't charge for item listings, photo uploads or completed bookings, but later this spring they plan to charge fees for successful bookings, beginning at 5% for bookings up to NZD 100. Hire Things plans to establish similar marketplaces in Australia, the UK and other countries. The concept should definitely appeal to consumers who'd like to tackle a backyard project but get cold feet at the idea of buying tools they'll use only once, or would like to try out a new hobby without spending hundreds of dollars on something they might not be interested in three weeks from now.
Launch a person-to-person hire network before Hire Things gets to your neck of the woods. Find 'riches in niches' by specializing in one area, like art, musical instruments, photography or sporting equipment. Target expats or people on holiday, or create specially themed rental packages. First, read up on what drives transumers and how other companies are catering to their desire not to own.
Website: www.hirethings.com
Currently Hire Things doesn't charge for item listings, photo uploads or completed bookings, but later this spring they plan to charge fees for successful bookings, beginning at 5% for bookings up to NZD 100. Hire Things plans to establish similar marketplaces in Australia, the UK and other countries. The concept should definitely appeal to consumers who'd like to tackle a backyard project but get cold feet at the idea of buying tools they'll use only once, or would like to try out a new hobby without spending hundreds of dollars on something they might not be interested in three weeks from now.
Launch a person-to-person hire network before Hire Things gets to your neck of the woods. Find 'riches in niches' by specializing in one area, like art, musical instruments, photography or sporting equipment. Target expats or people on holiday, or create specially themed rental packages. First, read up on what drives transumers and how other companies are catering to their desire not to own.
Website: www.hirethings.com
Friday, May 4, 2007
Who Will Win?,Gen-Yers Vs Boomers
In the battle of the generations, entrepreneur style, who would win–Boomers or Gen-Yers?
According to a recent study by OPEN from American Express , it’d be a close tie.
Believe it or not, both generations actually agreed on several key issues. For example, both agree the economy is strong and opening their business was a good idea.
“It’s good news for the economy when both the established generation and the generation representing the future of small business are optimistic about economic growth and their own success,” says Susan Sobbott, president of OPEN from American Express.
But there are also several instances that didn’t bridge the generation gap. About 75 percent of Gen-Yers, ranging in age from 18 to 29 years old, say that ‘having fun is a priority in my business’ compared to about 66 percent of Boomers, in the age group of 42 to 64 years old.
Passion was the driving force for 55 percent of Gen-Y business owners when they started their business, compared to only 40 percent of Boomers.
One of the largest areas the generations couldn’t agree on is risk-taking. About 72 percent of Gen-Y entrepreneurs say they like to take risks, though only 53 percent of Boomers could say the same.
More at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/entry/177752.html
According to a recent study by OPEN from American Express , it’d be a close tie.
Believe it or not, both generations actually agreed on several key issues. For example, both agree the economy is strong and opening their business was a good idea.
“It’s good news for the economy when both the established generation and the generation representing the future of small business are optimistic about economic growth and their own success,” says Susan Sobbott, president of OPEN from American Express.
But there are also several instances that didn’t bridge the generation gap. About 75 percent of Gen-Yers, ranging in age from 18 to 29 years old, say that ‘having fun is a priority in my business’ compared to about 66 percent of Boomers, in the age group of 42 to 64 years old.
Passion was the driving force for 55 percent of Gen-Y business owners when they started their business, compared to only 40 percent of Boomers.
One of the largest areas the generations couldn’t agree on is risk-taking. About 72 percent of Gen-Y entrepreneurs say they like to take risks, though only 53 percent of Boomers could say the same.
More at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/entry/177752.html
Get Your Business Publicized Free
The Internet is awash in social networking sites. More than a few of them are aimed at business networking, and some offer free press release distribution. Here are a few places you can go to get a press release for your business online with minimal effort and no expense.
1) Fast Pitch Network - These releases get seen by at least 20,000 other Fast Pitch Network members, generally small businesses and consultants.
2) Newswire Today
3) Free Press Release - This is a small service that buys a lot of Google ads. But a recent check of it seemed to show major corporations using it as another of their alternative distribution platforms. If it's good enough for CA, it's good enough for me.
4) SanePR
5) PRBuzz
6) MyFreePR
7) The Open Press
8) Pressbox - UK-based service.
9) AddPR
Most of these services offer paid add-ons, such as higher placement or search engine optimization, but you get the majority of what they can do for your for free. These services don't have the prestige of Business Wire, which is used by publicly traded companies, but the Internet is the great leveler. Even the free material listed on these sites does get scraped and seen by search engines.
1) Fast Pitch Network - These releases get seen by at least 20,000 other Fast Pitch Network members, generally small businesses and consultants.
2) Newswire Today
3) Free Press Release - This is a small service that buys a lot of Google ads. But a recent check of it seemed to show major corporations using it as another of their alternative distribution platforms. If it's good enough for CA, it's good enough for me.
4) SanePR
5) PRBuzz
6) MyFreePR
7) The Open Press
8) Pressbox - UK-based service.
9) AddPR
Most of these services offer paid add-ons, such as higher placement or search engine optimization, but you get the majority of what they can do for your for free. These services don't have the prestige of Business Wire, which is used by publicly traded companies, but the Internet is the great leveler. Even the free material listed on these sites does get scraped and seen by search engines.
How to Find Best Business
Web-based communities such as Yelp and Judy's Book have service and business listings for dozens of U.S. cities, and attempt to use the collective wisdom of their user base to make recommendations. My problem with these sites is there is nothing scientific in these ratings, the system can be gamed, these sites will come and go, and the communities reporting in may not be representative of me (or you). It's the online version of the old-fashioned newspaper reporter's “man on the street” method of gathering public opinion on a subject.
A more satisfactory measure of quality businesses and services comes from the research scientists at the National Quality Research Center at the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan. This group has developed the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a national measure of quality from the perspective of the user. ACSI measures 40 industries and companies from airlines, apparel and athletic shoes to specialty retail stores, supermarkets and wireless telephone service.
There's too much data to go into here, but some of the results may surprise you. Barnes and Noble's online service is rated higher in satisfaction by those surveyed than Amazon, although both are above the overall average for Internet retailers. Southwest Airlines is far ahead of its airline competitors in satisfaction, and Samsung leads among cellular phones.
Bonus: You may find valuable investment advice from reading the surveys. According to the ACSI website, customer satisfaction is a leading indicator of company financial performance. Stocks of companies with high ACSI scores tend to do better than those of companies with low scores.
More at:http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=28
A more satisfactory measure of quality businesses and services comes from the research scientists at the National Quality Research Center at the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan. This group has developed the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a national measure of quality from the perspective of the user. ACSI measures 40 industries and companies from airlines, apparel and athletic shoes to specialty retail stores, supermarkets and wireless telephone service.
There's too much data to go into here, but some of the results may surprise you. Barnes and Noble's online service is rated higher in satisfaction by those surveyed than Amazon, although both are above the overall average for Internet retailers. Southwest Airlines is far ahead of its airline competitors in satisfaction, and Samsung leads among cellular phones.
Bonus: You may find valuable investment advice from reading the surveys. According to the ACSI website, customer satisfaction is a leading indicator of company financial performance. Stocks of companies with high ACSI scores tend to do better than those of companies with low scores.
More at:http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=28
Travel Guru
Yapta is soon to be the among latest in the ever-growing cascade of websites promising lower rates for travelers. At Tech Crunch have and have given it a thumbs up, even though some commenters had questions. According to TC, the core of Yapta is a browser bookmarklet that lets users “bookmark” fares they find on major travel sites. At launch, 10 airline and travel sites will be supported, with more to be added. See a flight you are interested in and bookmark it. The flight and fare information is then stored in your account at Yapta.
Find a number of different flight options at different sites, and then go back to Yapta to compare them. TC said this can be helpful when you fly Southwest or Jet Blue, which do not provide flight information to other services. If the fare increases or decreases before you make a purchase, that will be reflected on Yapta. After purchase, Yapta will continue to monitor the price. If it falls, they’ll ping you and suggest you contact the airline for a refund or flight coupon. All airlines offer these on price drops but few consumers follow up. Yapta will help by reminding you.
More at:http://www.yapta.com/
Find a number of different flight options at different sites, and then go back to Yapta to compare them. TC said this can be helpful when you fly Southwest or Jet Blue, which do not provide flight information to other services. If the fare increases or decreases before you make a purchase, that will be reflected on Yapta. After purchase, Yapta will continue to monitor the price. If it falls, they’ll ping you and suggest you contact the airline for a refund or flight coupon. All airlines offer these on price drops but few consumers follow up. Yapta will help by reminding you.
More at:http://www.yapta.com/
Thursday, May 3, 2007
iConcertCal (Connecting Music Lovers)
iConcertCal is a plug-in for Apple's iTunes software. Users enter a city and state or province, and iConcertCal will scour their iTunes library to match artists they listen to, to gigs lined up for their hometown. It works with (smart) playlists, too. Create a new playlist called "iConcertCal" and add tracks by artists you'd like to see perform, or have it list only tracks that you've rated with four or five stars, limiting the concert calendar to artists you really like.
Calling itself a "digital to analogue lifestyle converter", Sonic Living is more like Tourfilter: the user needs to tell it which bands or artists to look out for. Saving users from typing everything in manually, Sonic Living lets users upload lists of artists from an iTunes library or last.fm account. Sonic Living also integrates a social aspect that iConcertCal lacks -- users can easily find other members who like the same artists, or are going to a certain show. Last.fm, the social music network, recently added an events feature, too, which also lets users see who else will be attending a concert, creating an appealing and relevant link between online and offline social interaction.
Websites: www.iconcertcal.com - www.sonicliving.com - www.last.fm
Calling itself a "digital to analogue lifestyle converter", Sonic Living is more like Tourfilter: the user needs to tell it which bands or artists to look out for. Saving users from typing everything in manually, Sonic Living lets users upload lists of artists from an iTunes library or last.fm account. Sonic Living also integrates a social aspect that iConcertCal lacks -- users can easily find other members who like the same artists, or are going to a certain show. Last.fm, the social music network, recently added an events feature, too, which also lets users see who else will be attending a concert, creating an appealing and relevant link between online and offline social interaction.
Websites: www.iconcertcal.com - www.sonicliving.com - www.last.fm
Make Personal Audio Gifts For Friends Via Voice Quilt
Voice Quilt combines high-tech and high touch to make it easy for people to create highly personal audio gifts for friends and family.
The process is simple. Customers set up an account at voicequilt.com. They purchase phone time and issue an invitation to friends and family, providing them with the toll-free phone number they need to call to record their message. Phone time costs from USD 9.95 for a MiniQuilt (3-5 Messages, ½ hr), to USD 34.95 for a Community Quilt (40-50 Messages, 3 hrs). The customer then listens to the recordings and creates a playlist. Once the playlist has been finalized, the Voice Quilt is shipped to the recipient on a CD (USD 11.95), inside a wooden keepsake box (USD 79.95 – 139.95), or downloaded from the internet (no extra cost).
Voice Quilt’s strength lies in its simplicity. One person arranges everything online, and the others just dial in whenever it suits them: it's as easy as leaving voice mail. One to set up locally!
Website: www.voicequilt.com
The process is simple. Customers set up an account at voicequilt.com. They purchase phone time and issue an invitation to friends and family, providing them with the toll-free phone number they need to call to record their message. Phone time costs from USD 9.95 for a MiniQuilt (3-5 Messages, ½ hr), to USD 34.95 for a Community Quilt (40-50 Messages, 3 hrs). The customer then listens to the recordings and creates a playlist. Once the playlist has been finalized, the Voice Quilt is shipped to the recipient on a CD (USD 11.95), inside a wooden keepsake box (USD 79.95 – 139.95), or downloaded from the internet (no extra cost).
Voice Quilt’s strength lies in its simplicity. One person arranges everything online, and the others just dial in whenever it suits them: it's as easy as leaving voice mail. One to set up locally!
Website: www.voicequilt.com
CarePilot ,Search Engine For Local Home Health Agencies And Services
CarePilot is a targeted search engine for local home health agencies and services. CarePilot allows comparisons from more than 8,000 Medicare-certified home health care providers in communities throughout the U.S.
Two overall care rankings potentially available are “quality of care,” which combines the 10 home health quality measures tracked by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with each given equal weight, into one numeric grade, and consumer ratings. The latter, potentially the most useful, was not available, at least in this area, probably reflecting the site's newness and lack of widespread use.
The site is promising information and rankings on additional health care service providers, such as nursing homes and hospitals, in coming months.
More:http://www.carepilot.com/
Two overall care rankings potentially available are “quality of care,” which combines the 10 home health quality measures tracked by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with each given equal weight, into one numeric grade, and consumer ratings. The latter, potentially the most useful, was not available, at least in this area, probably reflecting the site's newness and lack of widespread use.
The site is promising information and rankings on additional health care service providers, such as nursing homes and hospitals, in coming months.
More:http://www.carepilot.com/
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
How To Choose Which Credit Card Is Best?
If you are in the market for a new credit card, or if you want to know how your current card compares, check out Lowcards.com. It’s a great online resource to compare your current rate and rewards with other cards. It’s also a good resource for comparing offers you receive in the mail. It ranks and reviews credit cards and explains the fees and terms found in the fine print. For comprehensive info on credit cards, be sure to check out the Sound Money Tips Guide to Credit Cards. In the meantime, here are a few more reasons to pop by Lowcards.com:
The site has thoroughly researched over 200 credit card offers and the best credit card rates to give visitors to the site the top credit card deals in the nation, with the lowest interest rates.
More:http://www.lowcards.com/
The site has thoroughly researched over 200 credit card offers and the best credit card rates to give visitors to the site the top credit card deals in the nation, with the lowest interest rates.
More:http://www.lowcards.com/
New Shopping Search Engine(TheFind.com)
TheFind.com is a new shopping search engine that says it is dedicated to delivering the “most satisfying online search experience” for the time-crunched, savvy shopper.
TheFind.com provides lists of products with explanations and images ranked by leading products, brands, stores and styles on the first results page. Site marketing text promises that the engine crawls a half-million online stores to find more than 150 million products. It says the search is unbiased and “can never be bought or sold.”
More:http://www.thefind.com/main/
TheFind.com provides lists of products with explanations and images ranked by leading products, brands, stores and styles on the first results page. Site marketing text promises that the engine crawls a half-million online stores to find more than 150 million products. It says the search is unbiased and “can never be bought or sold.”
More:http://www.thefind.com/main/
Controll Your Greed (All About Stocks)
This site is devoted to investing in undervalued stocks. The focus is global and typical investments can include net working capital discounts (also known as "net nets"), book value discounts, low P/E ratios, special situations and fallen angels. The name refers to one of Warren Buffett's qualities for investment success: "You must be animated by controlled greed and fascinated by the investment process."
More:http://controlledgreed.com/
More:http://controlledgreed.com/
Google's Co-Op Custom Search
Google’s Co-Op Custom Search Engine is different. I did some random testing, plugging in phrases specific to recent posts at Tech Without Wires (within the past week). The Google Custom Search Engine brought up every single page.
Google Co-Op Custom Search Engine not only searches your site, but it also will search sites that you link to or are reading.
More:http://www.google.com/coop/cse/overview?hl=en
Google Co-Op Custom Search Engine not only searches your site, but it also will search sites that you link to or are reading.
More:http://www.google.com/coop/cse/overview?hl=en
What's Next Big Hit?
The Hit Forge is a group of entrepreneurial engineers building mass-market web properties. We are owners of our companies, share common tools and code, and have enough money to fund dozens of attempts to find the next big hit. We don't get locked into failed projects, we replace pointy-haired MBAs with modern web marketing, and we share stock so that if one of us wins, everybody wins.
We want to work with the best engineering founders, regardless of where they live or what circumstances they might have been born into. We are a strict, milestone-driven meritocracy, and accept applicants from almost anywhere in the world.
If you have a history of shipping great code and want to build a web startup, but don't have money or teammates, please apply. You don't already need to have "the idea" - we'll find it together.
More:http://www.hitforge.com/
We want to work with the best engineering founders, regardless of where they live or what circumstances they might have been born into. We are a strict, milestone-driven meritocracy, and accept applicants from almost anywhere in the world.
If you have a history of shipping great code and want to build a web startup, but don't have money or teammates, please apply. You don't already need to have "the idea" - we'll find it together.
More:http://www.hitforge.com/
20 Smart Start Ups Ideas
Asking venture capitalists for great startup ideas is a little like asking Curt Schilling what pitch he's going to throw next. When we posed the question to dozens of VCs and investors around the country, more than a few indignantly shot back, "Are you out of your mind?"
But after some friendly prodding from our reporters, a surprising number of them couldn't help but start jawing about companies they would love to build - if only the right people could be found to perfect the technologies or the business plans and make them seem possible.
The result is this list of 20 tantalizing business ideas, ranging from a host of new websites and applications to next-generation power sources and a luxury housing development. This isn't small-time thinking, either: These investors -which include some of Silicon Valley's most successful VCs as well as serial entrepreneurs like Steve Case and Howard Schultz are backing their ideas with a collective $100 million in funding to the entrepreneurs who can get them off the ground.
We don't guarantee you'll land a multimillion-dollar payday or even get your foot in the door. But with the ideas now in your hands, consider yourself halfway there.
The Ultimate iDrive
The Investors: Jonathan Fram, managing partner, and Howard Schultz, co-founder, Maveron
What they've backed: Cranium, Eos Airlines, GameLogic
What they want now: A driver's tech fantasy fully realized: an in-dash computer with a keyboard built into the steering wheel and a full-screen heads-up display projected on the windshield.
It's not fantasy at all, actually. The technology behind the system that Fram and Starbucks (Charts) founder Schultz envision - laser or cathode-ray tubes that convert pixels into projected light - was invented for jet fighters more than 30 years ago, allowing pilots to read cockpit data without taking their eyes off the sky. Commercial pilots now rely on it, and automakers have experimented with in-car displays that flash data like speed and RPM in a corner of the windshield.
Fram, a former IBM (Charts) computer design engineer, wants to invest in a startup that can take the concept to the next level, since carmakers, he says, have been too slow and risk-averse to push technology that has obvious safety implications.
A key advantage of projected displays is that they don't distract drivers' attention nearly as much as cell phones or dashboard controls. They create the illusion that they're floating 15 feet in front of the vehicle - and a GM (Charts) study has shown that eyes can refocus much faster when they're switching between the road and a projected display than when they're toggling back and forth between the road and the dashboard.
"This way," Fram says, "you can stare straight ahead with hands on the wheel to drive and check e-mail at the same time. That's vastly safer than drivers looking down and taking one or both hands off the wheel to play with their BlackBerry." Adding voice-to-text features, he adds, would also help ensure safety. It's up to a startup team, of course, to make that a convincing case.
What they'll invest: $5 million for a deeply qualified 20-person team to deliver a prototype and a plan for pitching a commercial version to automakers within three years
Send your pitch to: jfram@maveron.com. -- S.H.
A Flyweight Database
The Investor: Tim Draper, founder and managing director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
What he's backed: Hotmail, Overture, Skype
What he wants now: A new database company. Don't yawn. Draper loves startups that can upend corporate giants with simple products and cheap technology.
Oracle (Charts), IBM, and Microsoft (Charts) have had a stranglehold on the $13.8 billion database business for more than a decade, and while newer players like MySQL are making a dent, Draper thinks there's an opening for a startup that can deliver most of the benefits of standard Big Blue products without millions of lines of code or an army of consultants and IT managers. "I'm not sure yet what this company would look like," Draper says, "but it would not have the technology baggage of the entrenched monopolists. If it can penetrate the market cleverly like we did with Hotmail and Skype, it might not take that much funding."
What he'll invest: $3 million for a working application
Send your pitch to: karen@dfj.com -- M.V.C.
The New Power Play
The Investor: Elon Musk, co-founder, PayPal
What he's backed: SpaceX, Tesla Motors
What he wants now: As Musk's two most recent investments - in a space rocket and an all-electric sports car - suggest, the 35-year-old entrepreneur likes to think big. So he's intrigued by the promise of a next-generation battery called an ultracapacitor, capable of powering everything from cars to tractors. Unlike chemical batteries, ultracapacitors store energy as an electrical field between a pair of conducting plates. Theoretically, they can be charged in less than a second rather than hours, be recharged repeatedly without sacrificing performance, and far outlast anything now on the market.
"I am convinced that the long-term solution to our energy needs lies with capacitors," Musk says. "You can't beat them for power, and they kick ass on any chemical battery."
Musk would know: He was doing Ph.D. work at Stanford on high-energy capacitors before he helped get PayPal off the ground. At least one startup, EEStor in Texas, and a larger company, Maxwell Technologies in California, are working on ultracapacitors. Yet Musk believes a university-based research group has an equal shot at a commercial breakthrough, since universities are where the most promising research is bubbling up. "The challenge is one of materials science, not money," Musk says.
The team to pull this off, he says, would need expertise in materials science, applied physics, and manufacturing. Musk wants to see a prototype that can power something small, like a boom box. "Make one and show me that it works," Musk says. "Then tell me what's wrong with it and how it can be fixed."
What he'll invest: $4 million over two years for a working prototype
Send your pitch to: mbb@spacex.com. -- M.V.C.
A Better Energizer
The Investors: Samir Kaul and Vinod Khosla, partners, Khosla Ventures
What they've backed: BCI, Codon Devices, iSkoot
What they want now: Khosla, a legendary Silicon Valley VC whose winners have included Juniper Networks and Redback Networks, and Kaul are looking for an engineering team to build a lithium-ion battery with five times the life of anything found in cell phones, PDAs, or cameras. Matsushita and Sanyo are pushing the limits on lithium-ion cells, as are a couple of promising startups. But as with ultracapacitors, Khosla and Kaul think the right inventor will come from an academic lab. "We see research that proves it's attainable," Kaul says. "This is not a flying car. If it was, I'd ask for 20 times."
What they'll invest: $2 million for a 10- to 15-person team to show proof of concept
Send your pitch to: cj@khoslaventures.com. -- S.H.
More:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/09/01/8384349/index.htm?postversion=2006102617
But after some friendly prodding from our reporters, a surprising number of them couldn't help but start jawing about companies they would love to build - if only the right people could be found to perfect the technologies or the business plans and make them seem possible.
The result is this list of 20 tantalizing business ideas, ranging from a host of new websites and applications to next-generation power sources and a luxury housing development. This isn't small-time thinking, either: These investors -which include some of Silicon Valley's most successful VCs as well as serial entrepreneurs like Steve Case and Howard Schultz are backing their ideas with a collective $100 million in funding to the entrepreneurs who can get them off the ground.
We don't guarantee you'll land a multimillion-dollar payday or even get your foot in the door. But with the ideas now in your hands, consider yourself halfway there.
The Ultimate iDrive
The Investors: Jonathan Fram, managing partner, and Howard Schultz, co-founder, Maveron
What they've backed: Cranium, Eos Airlines, GameLogic
What they want now: A driver's tech fantasy fully realized: an in-dash computer with a keyboard built into the steering wheel and a full-screen heads-up display projected on the windshield.
It's not fantasy at all, actually. The technology behind the system that Fram and Starbucks (Charts) founder Schultz envision - laser or cathode-ray tubes that convert pixels into projected light - was invented for jet fighters more than 30 years ago, allowing pilots to read cockpit data without taking their eyes off the sky. Commercial pilots now rely on it, and automakers have experimented with in-car displays that flash data like speed and RPM in a corner of the windshield.
Fram, a former IBM (Charts) computer design engineer, wants to invest in a startup that can take the concept to the next level, since carmakers, he says, have been too slow and risk-averse to push technology that has obvious safety implications.
A key advantage of projected displays is that they don't distract drivers' attention nearly as much as cell phones or dashboard controls. They create the illusion that they're floating 15 feet in front of the vehicle - and a GM (Charts) study has shown that eyes can refocus much faster when they're switching between the road and a projected display than when they're toggling back and forth between the road and the dashboard.
"This way," Fram says, "you can stare straight ahead with hands on the wheel to drive and check e-mail at the same time. That's vastly safer than drivers looking down and taking one or both hands off the wheel to play with their BlackBerry." Adding voice-to-text features, he adds, would also help ensure safety. It's up to a startup team, of course, to make that a convincing case.
What they'll invest: $5 million for a deeply qualified 20-person team to deliver a prototype and a plan for pitching a commercial version to automakers within three years
Send your pitch to: jfram@maveron.com. -- S.H.
A Flyweight Database
The Investor: Tim Draper, founder and managing director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
What he's backed: Hotmail, Overture, Skype
What he wants now: A new database company. Don't yawn. Draper loves startups that can upend corporate giants with simple products and cheap technology.
Oracle (Charts), IBM, and Microsoft (Charts) have had a stranglehold on the $13.8 billion database business for more than a decade, and while newer players like MySQL are making a dent, Draper thinks there's an opening for a startup that can deliver most of the benefits of standard Big Blue products without millions of lines of code or an army of consultants and IT managers. "I'm not sure yet what this company would look like," Draper says, "but it would not have the technology baggage of the entrenched monopolists. If it can penetrate the market cleverly like we did with Hotmail and Skype, it might not take that much funding."
What he'll invest: $3 million for a working application
Send your pitch to: karen@dfj.com -- M.V.C.
The New Power Play
The Investor: Elon Musk, co-founder, PayPal
What he's backed: SpaceX, Tesla Motors
What he wants now: As Musk's two most recent investments - in a space rocket and an all-electric sports car - suggest, the 35-year-old entrepreneur likes to think big. So he's intrigued by the promise of a next-generation battery called an ultracapacitor, capable of powering everything from cars to tractors. Unlike chemical batteries, ultracapacitors store energy as an electrical field between a pair of conducting plates. Theoretically, they can be charged in less than a second rather than hours, be recharged repeatedly without sacrificing performance, and far outlast anything now on the market.
"I am convinced that the long-term solution to our energy needs lies with capacitors," Musk says. "You can't beat them for power, and they kick ass on any chemical battery."
Musk would know: He was doing Ph.D. work at Stanford on high-energy capacitors before he helped get PayPal off the ground. At least one startup, EEStor in Texas, and a larger company, Maxwell Technologies in California, are working on ultracapacitors. Yet Musk believes a university-based research group has an equal shot at a commercial breakthrough, since universities are where the most promising research is bubbling up. "The challenge is one of materials science, not money," Musk says.
The team to pull this off, he says, would need expertise in materials science, applied physics, and manufacturing. Musk wants to see a prototype that can power something small, like a boom box. "Make one and show me that it works," Musk says. "Then tell me what's wrong with it and how it can be fixed."
What he'll invest: $4 million over two years for a working prototype
Send your pitch to: mbb@spacex.com. -- M.V.C.
A Better Energizer
The Investors: Samir Kaul and Vinod Khosla, partners, Khosla Ventures
What they've backed: BCI, Codon Devices, iSkoot
What they want now: Khosla, a legendary Silicon Valley VC whose winners have included Juniper Networks and Redback Networks, and Kaul are looking for an engineering team to build a lithium-ion battery with five times the life of anything found in cell phones, PDAs, or cameras. Matsushita and Sanyo are pushing the limits on lithium-ion cells, as are a couple of promising startups. But as with ultracapacitors, Khosla and Kaul think the right inventor will come from an academic lab. "We see research that proves it's attainable," Kaul says. "This is not a flying car. If it was, I'd ask for 20 times."
What they'll invest: $2 million for a 10- to 15-person team to show proof of concept
Send your pitch to: cj@khoslaventures.com. -- S.H.
More:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/09/01/8384349/index.htm?postversion=2006102617
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