Bazaar” is a word that is symbolic of the beginning of commerce – the initial marketplaces.Basically, they believe that nothing is more powerful than consumer word of mouth. Customers’ opinions go a long ways, especially on the net. BazaarVoice, therefore provides a platform whereby companies can leverage customer reviews, recommendations and editorials in order to boost sales and retention. Other products include Ask and Answer, a hosted community driven Q&A platform (customs who have already purchased a product, answer questions about said product), and Syndicate Voices which uses product reviews to increase site traffic.
Word-of-mouth was a driving factor in these markets, just like it is today. Bazaars were social centers where tales would be shared of products brought in from places like the Far East and the original consumers would communicate with each other on various topics (not just shopping) as these were the original town centers. Bazaarvoice literally translated is the “voice” of the “marketplace.
More at:http://www.bazaarvoice.com/
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
With the InfoPortal and HelloInternForum one can acquire the know-how of the internship process and applying for internships in Industries
With the InfoPortal and HelloInternForum one can acquire the know-how of the internship process and applying for internships in Industries and Universities.
This website connects the internship needs of the students in professional courses to the requirements for interns and apprentices by companies, both nationally and abroad, giving them enhanced opportunities and better future prospects. This includes summer internships, projects, summer jobs, trainings and part time jobs. They provide free listing of your company's internship positions and help you select the profiles best-fitting to your requirements. It helps companies find the best possible interns and hence better prospective employees. It helps placement agencies and career groups expand their reach among students.
More at:http://www.hellointern.com/
This website connects the internship needs of the students in professional courses to the requirements for interns and apprentices by companies, both nationally and abroad, giving them enhanced opportunities and better future prospects. This includes summer internships, projects, summer jobs, trainings and part time jobs. They provide free listing of your company's internship positions and help you select the profiles best-fitting to your requirements. It helps companies find the best possible interns and hence better prospective employees. It helps placement agencies and career groups expand their reach among students.
More at:http://www.hellointern.com/
Phonecasting
Phonecasting.com is an online social network for all kind of podcasting ,it will help you find what is best in podcasting,phonecastine and videos.
Use the website’s simple tools to publish your own podcasts and phonecasting channels to publish your own content to the nets podcasting community. The service is simple; publishers give your podcast a phone number and allow your listeners to hear your podcast from any phone. You can create podcasts and phonecasts from anywhere in the world via any phone apart from uploading, sharing and monetizing your photos and video clips. The site offers extra features such as sharing your news with the Phonecasting community and the rest of the world.
More at:http://www.phonecasting.com/
Use the website’s simple tools to publish your own podcasts and phonecasting channels to publish your own content to the nets podcasting community. The service is simple; publishers give your podcast a phone number and allow your listeners to hear your podcast from any phone. You can create podcasts and phonecasts from anywhere in the world via any phone apart from uploading, sharing and monetizing your photos and video clips. The site offers extra features such as sharing your news with the Phonecasting community and the rest of the world.
More at:http://www.phonecasting.com/
War Of Products
Ten years ago, there was a dash for bagels; five years ago, it was doughnuts. Now, it is breakfast sandwiches and premium coffee.
Eager to tap what is at least a $15 billion market -- one that some think will grow in coming years -- fast-food companies have ratcheted up their breakfast offerings. Among them: Starbucks Corp. has opted for an eggs Florentine sandwich with spinach and havarti cheese; Dunkin' Brands Inc.'s Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's Corp. have locked horns over lattes, cappucinos and premium roast coffee. Wendy's International Inc. and Burger King Holdings Inc. have renditions of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches.
Others are testing less conventional items: breakfast pizza omelets at Papa John's International Inc. and guacamole and bacon burritos at Yum Brands Inc.'s Taco Bell. But some analysts worry that interest in the new items will fade, like the bagels that came before them, as soon as limited-time offers and other promotional gimmicks subside.
"Consumers are attracted by balloons, big signs and hype," said Tom Miner, an analyst with Technomic, a Chicago restaurant market-research firm. "But then they say, 'OK, I've done that,' and they either move on to the next new thing or go back to eating a cup of yogurt over the kitchen sink." Mr. Miner adds that the cycle generally lasts three years.
Breakfast currently accounts for 11% of sales at fast-food restaurants, a figure that has stayed "relatively flat" in the past several years, according to Bob Sandelman, chief executive of research firm Sandelman & Associates.
That may change this year, but Mr. Sandelman said that "past evidence suggests there's not going to be any long-term growth. It's a super-heated share battle, but it doesn't look like it'll last."
Even if much of the hype is temporary, some analysts and fast-food companies still see plenty of room to grow, at least for a while. Mintel, a market-research company in Chicago, said fast-food breakfast sales have risen nearly 44% to $14.9 billion since 2001 but only a quarter of Americans say they buy breakfast at fast-food restaurants. (Other estimates vary. Technomic puts the fast-food breakfast industry closer to $24 billion.)
Packaged Facts, a division of Market Research Group, estimates that the $65 billion breakfast industry (including traditional restaurants) will grow to $83 billion by 2015, and analysts say much of that growth could occur at fast-food chains.
"Our on-the-go society is really tailor-made for buying breakfast on the way to work," said David Morris, an analyst at Mintel. "Combine that with an underpenetrated market, and we see a strong trend that should last at least two or three years."
The competition is fierce and includes traditional fast-food joints, doughnut shops and coffee chains.
Analysts disagree on which factors will contribute to breakfast success. Some say Starbucks, which has already capitalized on CDs and movies, will be able to lure loyal customers with its new line of hot foods. Others argue that fast-food chains have a leg up because of their accessible locations and drive-throughs.
Already, breakfast promotions by McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts have proved fruitful. McDonald's said its U.S. coffee sales rose 16% after it introduced premium roast coffee last year. Dunkin' Donuts sells 2.7 million cups of coffee drinks (and tea) a day that account for two-thirds of the company's $5 billion in sales for 2006. Doughnuts, by comparison, make up 17% of sales.
Dunkin' Donuts Executive Chef Stan Frankenthaler said his company has adapted its menu in recent years to offer more variety and portability for the hurried commuter.
"Breakfast is a very personal, customized meal," Mr. Frankenthaler said. "Today I might feel like something sweet, tomorrow something salty, something light one day, heavy the other."
The company's limited-time Supreme Omelet -- bacon, mushrooms, hash-brown potatoes, scallions and cheese on a croissant -- has been popular, Mr. Frankenthaler said, because it "reminds people of a special-occasion breakfast or a weekend family brunch."
Breakfast makes up one-third of the U.S. revenue for McDonald's. The Egg McMuffin, launched three decades ago, continues to be one of the company's best sellers and has helped McDonald's secure 40% of the fast-food breakfast market, according to Sandelman.
Even so, the company is under pressure to attract and retain morning customers. More and more of the company's stores are opening earlier -- before 6 a.m. -- and the menu has expanded to include cinnamon rolls and fruit, McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said. There is speculation that McDonald's may soon introduce an all-day breakfast menu.
Wendy's said recently it has crossed its 500-store milestone as part of the "continuing expansion of its new breakfast menu." The company said it expects to expand breakfast -- which, among other things, includes a Frescuit, a biscuit with egg, cheese and bacon -- to nearly 750 U.S. and Canadian restaurants by the end of the third quarter.
Starbucks, which has already built an empire on premium coffee and pastries, is taking a slightly different approach. While its fast-food competitors are expanding breakfast options, Starbucks has fired back with a new line of lunch salads and sandwiches.
The company's breakfast sandwiches, which were introduced in 2003, account for about $35,000 annually of each store's revenue, according to Bridget Baker, a spokeswoman for the company. She wouldn't disclose annual revenue for each store, but said the company hopes its new lunch items will generate similar revenue.
But analysts say it may be easier to introduce breakfast tacos at Taco Bell or premium coffee at Dunkin' Donuts than to market lunch at Starbucks, a company that has built itself around coffee.
Customers at the Starbucks in New York's Times Square during a recent weekday lunch hour echoed that sentiment.
"Pastries at Starbucks are all right, but sandwiches and salads? That's weird," said Henry Faustino, 24 years old, who was buying his usual caramel Frappuccino. "I'm sticking to their drinks. If they made beer, I'd buy it."
Only a few customers picked up sandwiches. Most ordered iced coffees and lattes without glancing at the Black Forest ham, egg and cheese sandwiches or fruit and cheese plates. But most said they'd grab a bite to eat if they were pressed for time and already buying coffee.
James Maher, an analyst at ThinkEquity Partners, said consumers are more likely to pick up food with their morning coffee than the other way around.
"What constitutes a good cup of coffee is constantly improving," Mr. Maher said. "Consumers want premium. They're always trading up and they'll go out of their way to get the best cup of coffee."
Still, many analysts say there's no way to tell what will happen.
"What generally decides these battles are consumers' feelings for a particular product," Mr. Miner said. "Wendy's and Burger King are looking for the kind of product magic that will do what the Egg McMuffin did for McDonald's. But if they come out with just another egg-bacon-cheese combo, it's going to be tough."
Via-Uncommon Business Blog
Eager to tap what is at least a $15 billion market -- one that some think will grow in coming years -- fast-food companies have ratcheted up their breakfast offerings. Among them: Starbucks Corp. has opted for an eggs Florentine sandwich with spinach and havarti cheese; Dunkin' Brands Inc.'s Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's Corp. have locked horns over lattes, cappucinos and premium roast coffee. Wendy's International Inc. and Burger King Holdings Inc. have renditions of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches.
Others are testing less conventional items: breakfast pizza omelets at Papa John's International Inc. and guacamole and bacon burritos at Yum Brands Inc.'s Taco Bell. But some analysts worry that interest in the new items will fade, like the bagels that came before them, as soon as limited-time offers and other promotional gimmicks subside.
"Consumers are attracted by balloons, big signs and hype," said Tom Miner, an analyst with Technomic, a Chicago restaurant market-research firm. "But then they say, 'OK, I've done that,' and they either move on to the next new thing or go back to eating a cup of yogurt over the kitchen sink." Mr. Miner adds that the cycle generally lasts three years.
Breakfast currently accounts for 11% of sales at fast-food restaurants, a figure that has stayed "relatively flat" in the past several years, according to Bob Sandelman, chief executive of research firm Sandelman & Associates.
That may change this year, but Mr. Sandelman said that "past evidence suggests there's not going to be any long-term growth. It's a super-heated share battle, but it doesn't look like it'll last."
Even if much of the hype is temporary, some analysts and fast-food companies still see plenty of room to grow, at least for a while. Mintel, a market-research company in Chicago, said fast-food breakfast sales have risen nearly 44% to $14.9 billion since 2001 but only a quarter of Americans say they buy breakfast at fast-food restaurants. (Other estimates vary. Technomic puts the fast-food breakfast industry closer to $24 billion.)
Packaged Facts, a division of Market Research Group, estimates that the $65 billion breakfast industry (including traditional restaurants) will grow to $83 billion by 2015, and analysts say much of that growth could occur at fast-food chains.
"Our on-the-go society is really tailor-made for buying breakfast on the way to work," said David Morris, an analyst at Mintel. "Combine that with an underpenetrated market, and we see a strong trend that should last at least two or three years."
The competition is fierce and includes traditional fast-food joints, doughnut shops and coffee chains.
Analysts disagree on which factors will contribute to breakfast success. Some say Starbucks, which has already capitalized on CDs and movies, will be able to lure loyal customers with its new line of hot foods. Others argue that fast-food chains have a leg up because of their accessible locations and drive-throughs.
Already, breakfast promotions by McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts have proved fruitful. McDonald's said its U.S. coffee sales rose 16% after it introduced premium roast coffee last year. Dunkin' Donuts sells 2.7 million cups of coffee drinks (and tea) a day that account for two-thirds of the company's $5 billion in sales for 2006. Doughnuts, by comparison, make up 17% of sales.
Dunkin' Donuts Executive Chef Stan Frankenthaler said his company has adapted its menu in recent years to offer more variety and portability for the hurried commuter.
"Breakfast is a very personal, customized meal," Mr. Frankenthaler said. "Today I might feel like something sweet, tomorrow something salty, something light one day, heavy the other."
The company's limited-time Supreme Omelet -- bacon, mushrooms, hash-brown potatoes, scallions and cheese on a croissant -- has been popular, Mr. Frankenthaler said, because it "reminds people of a special-occasion breakfast or a weekend family brunch."
Breakfast makes up one-third of the U.S. revenue for McDonald's. The Egg McMuffin, launched three decades ago, continues to be one of the company's best sellers and has helped McDonald's secure 40% of the fast-food breakfast market, according to Sandelman.
Even so, the company is under pressure to attract and retain morning customers. More and more of the company's stores are opening earlier -- before 6 a.m. -- and the menu has expanded to include cinnamon rolls and fruit, McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said. There is speculation that McDonald's may soon introduce an all-day breakfast menu.
Wendy's said recently it has crossed its 500-store milestone as part of the "continuing expansion of its new breakfast menu." The company said it expects to expand breakfast -- which, among other things, includes a Frescuit, a biscuit with egg, cheese and bacon -- to nearly 750 U.S. and Canadian restaurants by the end of the third quarter.
Starbucks, which has already built an empire on premium coffee and pastries, is taking a slightly different approach. While its fast-food competitors are expanding breakfast options, Starbucks has fired back with a new line of lunch salads and sandwiches.
The company's breakfast sandwiches, which were introduced in 2003, account for about $35,000 annually of each store's revenue, according to Bridget Baker, a spokeswoman for the company. She wouldn't disclose annual revenue for each store, but said the company hopes its new lunch items will generate similar revenue.
But analysts say it may be easier to introduce breakfast tacos at Taco Bell or premium coffee at Dunkin' Donuts than to market lunch at Starbucks, a company that has built itself around coffee.
Customers at the Starbucks in New York's Times Square during a recent weekday lunch hour echoed that sentiment.
"Pastries at Starbucks are all right, but sandwiches and salads? That's weird," said Henry Faustino, 24 years old, who was buying his usual caramel Frappuccino. "I'm sticking to their drinks. If they made beer, I'd buy it."
Only a few customers picked up sandwiches. Most ordered iced coffees and lattes without glancing at the Black Forest ham, egg and cheese sandwiches or fruit and cheese plates. But most said they'd grab a bite to eat if they were pressed for time and already buying coffee.
James Maher, an analyst at ThinkEquity Partners, said consumers are more likely to pick up food with their morning coffee than the other way around.
"What constitutes a good cup of coffee is constantly improving," Mr. Maher said. "Consumers want premium. They're always trading up and they'll go out of their way to get the best cup of coffee."
Still, many analysts say there's no way to tell what will happen.
"What generally decides these battles are consumers' feelings for a particular product," Mr. Miner said. "Wendy's and Burger King are looking for the kind of product magic that will do what the Egg McMuffin did for McDonald's. But if they come out with just another egg-bacon-cheese combo, it's going to be tough."
Via-Uncommon Business Blog
Linkedzone For Professional Networking
Linkedzone.com is a place to start and grow a network by inviting people to join, exchanging business cards, promoting business and making international connections. Users start with a public profile that acts as a resume, available to other users in a search. Users can also choose to keep their information private. Linkedzone.com is currently connecting professionals from all backgrounds including Humanities, Engineering, Business, and IT. Last month, over 5,000 members joined Linkedzone.com and 50 employers have posted over 1,500 jobs. A quirky fun facet of Linkedzone.com is their “digital wallet” where users can keep track of their contacts and, I suppose, keep their electronic business cards safe. This seems like a simple enough professional networking site that doesn’t do much to separate itself from the crowd.
More at:http://www.linkedzone.com/
More at:http://www.linkedzone.com/
IRoto.com is a free social networking community made by and for people who love to play fantasy sports
IRoto.com is a free social networking community made by and for people who love to play fantasy sports.
iRoto is committed to customer service and catering to the demands of it’s members. After all, it’s your community. All suggestions and complaints are taken very seriously. We encourage all feedback, good and bad. Have a suggestion for making iRoto even better? We would love to hear it.From Fantasy Football to Celebrity Fantasy Sports, iRoto.com covers it all. Because they don’t host any fantasy sports leagues, you’re free to play at your site of choice. But you can meet, network, and speak with fantasy sports players from all the sites, in one unique community.
More at:http://www.iroto.com/
iRoto is committed to customer service and catering to the demands of it’s members. After all, it’s your community. All suggestions and complaints are taken very seriously. We encourage all feedback, good and bad. Have a suggestion for making iRoto even better? We would love to hear it.From Fantasy Football to Celebrity Fantasy Sports, iRoto.com covers it all. Because they don’t host any fantasy sports leagues, you’re free to play at your site of choice. But you can meet, network, and speak with fantasy sports players from all the sites, in one unique community.
More at:http://www.iroto.com/
Fliiby is built for digital artists, content makers and publishers. It is all about user generated content
Fliiby is built for digital artists, content makers and publishers. It is all about user generated content. Web has become somehow big and messy. At times so unorganized. Fliiby is our attempt to organize it a little bit. To put things in the right place, under the same box.
Multiupload up to 100 files at once. Different file types and extension supported. Easy describe and categorize your uploaded files, make them private or disable download for audio and videos. Manage your folders and files, edit, share or delete them. Rate on files, add comments, flag copyrighted material, download original files, and browse through system, folders and user pages. Preview your videos, audio, flash and images through pages or build in player in upload and management page.
More at:http://fliiby.com/
Multiupload up to 100 files at once. Different file types and extension supported. Easy describe and categorize your uploaded files, make them private or disable download for audio and videos. Manage your folders and files, edit, share or delete them. Rate on files, add comments, flag copyrighted material, download original files, and browse through system, folders and user pages. Preview your videos, audio, flash and images through pages or build in player in upload and management page.
More at:http://fliiby.com/
Marzar is a place for businesses to promote products and services and for individuals to gain recognition for their expertise and vision
Marzar is a place for businesses to promote products and services and for individuals to gain recognition for their expertise and vision. A trusted space to form relationships, source suppliers and take part in community events and meet ups.
Marzar is a free service for business networking, it can be a way for businesses to broadcast their services and goods to a network of other business people as well as consumers.Marzar's vision is to build an environment for business people to work, collaborate, network, socialise, research, resource, find a job or win the next big deal. Marzar is already in Beta so they have worked out some of their kinks already. The website is very clutter free and has a decent base of users already in the network.
Collaborate, Share Ideas, Access Resources, Find Business Partners, Get Expert Advice, Win New Clients.
Access to Marzar is free we only charge a small amount per month for file storage so that you can take advantage our syndication, file sharing and data storage functionality.
More at: http://marzar.com/
Marzar is a free service for business networking, it can be a way for businesses to broadcast their services and goods to a network of other business people as well as consumers.Marzar's vision is to build an environment for business people to work, collaborate, network, socialise, research, resource, find a job or win the next big deal. Marzar is already in Beta so they have worked out some of their kinks already. The website is very clutter free and has a decent base of users already in the network.
Collaborate, Share Ideas, Access Resources, Find Business Partners, Get Expert Advice, Win New Clients.
Access to Marzar is free we only charge a small amount per month for file storage so that you can take advantage our syndication, file sharing and data storage functionality.
More at: http://marzar.com/
For Secure Document Delivery And Signatures
Sertifi provides the leading Secure Document Delivery and Signature Service that provides organizations with a comprehensive platform for all its on-demand document, signature and file delivery needs. Whether you are looking to automate your contract process and close business faster by utilizing our electronic signature services or require a secure document and file delivery system to deliver, track, and secure documents and files, Sertifi can benefit your organization. Our solutions are designed to take paper processes and transform them into an expeditious low cost electronic environment. By delivering our solutions on the most robust and scaleable on-demand technology platform, Sertifi provides unparalleled security and reliability to our customers.
When utilizing the Sertifi signature automation one can send, receive and track the entire process. One only needs to log in to the secured Sertifi site, and if necessary, you can change this section of the website to maintain your company's feel by customizing and inserting logos and such, and type in the email addresses of the recipients, they will be able to sign, and you can even get multiple signitures on the same document using this service. The people needing to sing will get the link to a security encrypted website where they are able to sign the doc either electronically or manually.
More at:http://sertifi.com/
When utilizing the Sertifi signature automation one can send, receive and track the entire process. One only needs to log in to the secured Sertifi site, and if necessary, you can change this section of the website to maintain your company's feel by customizing and inserting logos and such, and type in the email addresses of the recipients, they will be able to sign, and you can even get multiple signitures on the same document using this service. The people needing to sing will get the link to a security encrypted website where they are able to sign the doc either electronically or manually.
More at:http://sertifi.com/
Monday, September 10, 2007
vTap is a mobile search engine for video results, and is now available on the iPhone and phones that support Microsoft Windows Mobile.
Veveo is officially launching its flagship product today, vTap. This product is a mobile search engine for video results, and is now available on the iPhone and phones that support Microsoft Windows Mobile.
We first covered Veveo here, when we learned of its funding to the tune of $28 million, as well as its partnership with Verizon for powering video search. You may remember that the vTap search engine operates by figuring out what you’re searching for as you type. This character-based incremental search will serve up instant results that dynamically change as you enter in more text. vTap then presents browsing options for you to view the clips. This is further refined by the fact that it’s a niche search engine that currently focuses on video vTap will soon be available for Java-enabled phones in the near future, which will include support for Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericson phones.
More at:http://www.vtap.com/
Via-Mash
We first covered Veveo here, when we learned of its funding to the tune of $28 million, as well as its partnership with Verizon for powering video search. You may remember that the vTap search engine operates by figuring out what you’re searching for as you type. This character-based incremental search will serve up instant results that dynamically change as you enter in more text. vTap then presents browsing options for you to view the clips. This is further refined by the fact that it’s a niche search engine that currently focuses on video vTap will soon be available for Java-enabled phones in the near future, which will include support for Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericson phones.
More at:http://www.vtap.com/
Via-Mash
Dime Tracker helps you manage your money by allowing you to send text messages of what you spend
We use to stuffed many receipts in our wallet right most of the time? Right. Now, how many of those have you actually copied down into an Excel file? Tracking your spending is important, but doing it by hand is inconvenient. Why not just text your expenses from your cell phone as you spend? Dime Tracker lets you save detailed reports to Excel, check up on your spending totals via your cell, and create budgets you can stick to.Sometimes you lose a receipt or just forget. Dime Tracker helps you manage your money by allowing you to send text messages of what you spend. So you decide to splurge and buy yourself some new sneakers, that´s $100, send a text that records that purchase, even take a photo of the sneakers if you want, and save this as a record in Excel. There you go, you don´t have to remember to write it down later, it is done right then and there. It is easy to create an account, choose username and password, select your mobile carrier and you are ready to go. Keep track of your expenses with DimeTracker.com.
More at:http://www.dimetracker.com/
More at:http://www.dimetracker.com/
Business Plan competition is being organised by Entrepreneurship Development Cell, IIT Roorkee in THOMSO
Samadhan is a social entrepreneurship Business Plan competition and is being organised by Entrepreneurship Development Cell, IIT Roorkee in THOMSO ,the youth cultural festival of IIT Roorkee. Samadhan aims at encouraging young and budding entrepreneurs to think of innovative plans which would have an impact on the society.
The Business Plans must be mailed to samadhan.iitr@gmail.com by 23rd September. The best 10 entries will be shortlisted and will be provided mentoring by their Knowledge Partners Gensol Consultants Pvt. Ltd . for a period of 10 days . The final presentation will be held on 27th October in IIT Roorkee .
The top 2 entries would get the opportunity to make a presentation at TIECON while there are cash prizes for the top 3.
For further details you can log on to www.thomso.org.in .
The Business Plans must be mailed to samadhan.iitr@gmail.com by 23rd September. The best 10 entries will be shortlisted and will be provided mentoring by their Knowledge Partners Gensol Consultants Pvt. Ltd . for a period of 10 days . The final presentation will be held on 27th October in IIT Roorkee .
The top 2 entries would get the opportunity to make a presentation at TIECON while there are cash prizes for the top 3.
For further details you can log on to www.thomso.org.in .
VenturePrize
VenturePrize
Alberta's Business Plan Competition
The VenturePrize Program is open to new and future entrepreneurs from across Alberta. VenturePrize provides training, professional support and financial incentives to help people build or enhance viable technology-based ventures. VenturePrize is a program of TEC Edmonton, made possible through support from organizations across Alberta.
VenturePrize has two categories:
the Alberta Student Business Plan category is exclusively for students in universities and colleges
the Fast-Growth category is for individuals, teams, new companies, inventors, students or any other type of entrepreneur with high-growth, technology concepts or businesses
There are four main components to the program:
A seminar series led by university experts (October and November)
Mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs (December to March)
Feedback on all bussiness plans entered in the competition from business professionals
Over $180,000 in prizes to be shared among finalists in the two categories. Prizes include cash and in-kind support such as prototype development, marketing, legal and accounting services.
Key activities/dates:
Seminars start October 17, 2007
Business plan submission deadline in the Fast-Growth category is Feb. 28, 2008.
Final face-off and Awards Luncheon is in May 2008.
More at:http://www.tecedmonton.com/VenturePrize.cfm
Alberta's Business Plan Competition
The VenturePrize Program is open to new and future entrepreneurs from across Alberta. VenturePrize provides training, professional support and financial incentives to help people build or enhance viable technology-based ventures. VenturePrize is a program of TEC Edmonton, made possible through support from organizations across Alberta.
VenturePrize has two categories:
the Alberta Student Business Plan category is exclusively for students in universities and colleges
the Fast-Growth category is for individuals, teams, new companies, inventors, students or any other type of entrepreneur with high-growth, technology concepts or businesses
There are four main components to the program:
A seminar series led by university experts (October and November)
Mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs (December to March)
Feedback on all bussiness plans entered in the competition from business professionals
Over $180,000 in prizes to be shared among finalists in the two categories. Prizes include cash and in-kind support such as prototype development, marketing, legal and accounting services.
Key activities/dates:
Seminars start October 17, 2007
Business plan submission deadline in the Fast-Growth category is Feb. 28, 2008.
Final face-off and Awards Luncheon is in May 2008.
More at:http://www.tecedmonton.com/VenturePrize.cfm
EchoSign
The Office 2.0 conference was set up almost entirely without paper (except for some checks that paid for sponsorships). Even the contracts necessary to set up the show were signed electronically, using EchoSign. There are other companies that provide services to create legally binding signatures, such as DocuSign (review), but EchoSign has simplicity going for it.
If you want to have a document "signed" electronically, EchoSign will convert it to a PDF, send it to your designated recipient, and give you the option to have it signed via a Web form, or with a pen, via fax. For e-signatures, the service confirms when the recipient opened the document and when they "signed" it with keystrokes on their computer; this transaction is actually a legally valid signature. Still, traditionalists might want to use the fax option, in which case EchoSign sends your recipient a PDF of your file, which they then print, sign, and fax to the number printed on a special cover sheet. This fax is then routed to your EchoSign account automatically. Whichever method you use, EchoSign keeps track of all your contracts and can remind you of which ones are pending signature.
The service also puts rudimentary workflow on top of your contracts, informing you of which ones still need to be signed.
The product does not confirm that the person who signed the document is who you intend it to be. It's an electronic record-keeping and workflow service, not a notary. But electronic signatures are more legal than you probably think, and much easier to manage than paper transactions.
If you only need to manage the odd contract from time to time, you probably don't need this product, which is $12.95 a month. But if managing and tracking contracts takes up a noticeable portion of your work time, EchoSign could probably get some of it back for you. There's also a version that integrates with SalesForce.com, which is great for salespeople.
more at:http://www.echosign.com/
If you want to have a document "signed" electronically, EchoSign will convert it to a PDF, send it to your designated recipient, and give you the option to have it signed via a Web form, or with a pen, via fax. For e-signatures, the service confirms when the recipient opened the document and when they "signed" it with keystrokes on their computer; this transaction is actually a legally valid signature. Still, traditionalists might want to use the fax option, in which case EchoSign sends your recipient a PDF of your file, which they then print, sign, and fax to the number printed on a special cover sheet. This fax is then routed to your EchoSign account automatically. Whichever method you use, EchoSign keeps track of all your contracts and can remind you of which ones are pending signature.
The service also puts rudimentary workflow on top of your contracts, informing you of which ones still need to be signed.
The product does not confirm that the person who signed the document is who you intend it to be. It's an electronic record-keeping and workflow service, not a notary. But electronic signatures are more legal than you probably think, and much easier to manage than paper transactions.
If you only need to manage the odd contract from time to time, you probably don't need this product, which is $12.95 a month. But if managing and tracking contracts takes up a noticeable portion of your work time, EchoSign could probably get some of it back for you. There's also a version that integrates with SalesForce.com, which is great for salespeople.
more at:http://www.echosign.com/
The Idea Of Micropayments
The idea of micropayments — charging Web users tiny amounts of money for single pieces of online content — was essentially put to sleep toward the end of the dot-com boom.
In December 2000, Clay Shirky, an adjunct professor in New York University’s interactive telecommunications program, wrote a manifesto that people still cite whenever someone suggests resurrecting the idea. Micropayments will never work, he wrote, mainly because “users hate them.”
But wait. Amid the disdain, and without many people noticing, micropayments have arrived — just not in the way they were originally envisioned.
The 99 cents you pay for a song on iTunes is a micropayment. So are the tiny amounts that some operators of small Web sites earn whenever someone clicks on the ads on their pages. Some stock-photography companies sell pictures for as little as $1 each.
Consumers were reluctant to pay even a tenth of a cent for something they believed should be free. “There is a certain amount of anxiety involved in any decision to buy, no matter how small,” Mr. Shirky wrote in 2000.
It turns out, however, that consumers are more than willing to pay for certain types of content in certain situations. Consumers “expect to pay for music and movies, but not so much for the printed word,” said George Peabody, an analyst with Mercator Advisory Group, which serves the payments industry.
In December 2000, Clay Shirky, an adjunct professor in New York University’s interactive telecommunications program, wrote a manifesto that people still cite whenever someone suggests resurrecting the idea. Micropayments will never work, he wrote, mainly because “users hate them.”
But wait. Amid the disdain, and without many people noticing, micropayments have arrived — just not in the way they were originally envisioned.
The 99 cents you pay for a song on iTunes is a micropayment. So are the tiny amounts that some operators of small Web sites earn whenever someone clicks on the ads on their pages. Some stock-photography companies sell pictures for as little as $1 each.
Consumers were reluctant to pay even a tenth of a cent for something they believed should be free. “There is a certain amount of anxiety involved in any decision to buy, no matter how small,” Mr. Shirky wrote in 2000.
It turns out, however, that consumers are more than willing to pay for certain types of content in certain situations. Consumers “expect to pay for music and movies, but not so much for the printed word,” said George Peabody, an analyst with Mercator Advisory Group, which serves the payments industry.
Idea Storm Products
Idea Storm Products
School: Pace University
City/State: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Team members: Bill Phelps, 27
Concept: Designed to stimulate creative thinking, the card game Yamodo (yamodo.com), asks players to define and illustrate a made-up word. It captured the imagination of buyers at Barnes & Noble.com and the Discovery Channel store, which are already stocking it. Yamodo creator Phelps - a MBA student from Pace University who calls himself the company's "chief imaginator" -aims to make the game a childhood classic. "Just about anyone can tell you their favorite board game," he says. "If you ask enough questions, you'll probably discover that it has more to do with the memories that were created while playing the game itself."
more at:http://www.yamodo.com/
via-http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fsb/0708/gallery.fsb_showdown_top_six.fsb/3.html
School: Pace University
City/State: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Team members: Bill Phelps, 27
Concept: Designed to stimulate creative thinking, the card game Yamodo (yamodo.com), asks players to define and illustrate a made-up word. It captured the imagination of buyers at Barnes & Noble.com and the Discovery Channel store, which are already stocking it. Yamodo creator Phelps - a MBA student from Pace University who calls himself the company's "chief imaginator" -aims to make the game a childhood classic. "Just about anyone can tell you their favorite board game," he says. "If you ask enough questions, you'll probably discover that it has more to do with the memories that were created while playing the game itself."
more at:http://www.yamodo.com/
via-http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fsb/0708/gallery.fsb_showdown_top_six.fsb/3.html
AuthorHouse.com is a self-publishing website which does the dirty work for you and lets you publish, promote, and sell your book
AuthorHouse.com is a self-publishing website which does the dirty work for you and lets you publish, promote, and sell your book with the help of their services. To get started, choose what type of book you want to publish (paperback or hardcover), and submit your manuscript to AuthorHouse. They will then schedule a cover design conference call, after which you can view how your book will look on the site. Confirm the content and the design, and you’re already done. Afterward, your book will be available for order at more than 25,000 retail outlets worldwide, on the Internet at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and through the AuthorHouse online company book store. The site also offers tons of ways to promote and sell your book; they’ll do everything from making posters for book signings to issuing press releases to submitting your book for to be reviewed independently. Best of all, you get to determine your royalties and retain all the rights to your book.
Since 1997, AuthorHouse, the leading self-publishing company in the world, has helped more than 30,000 authors reach their book publishing goals and self publish more than 40,000 books. Publishing your book with AuthorHouse means you'll have all the services and support you need to publish, promote and sell your book”.
More at:http://www.authorhouse.com/
Since 1997, AuthorHouse, the leading self-publishing company in the world, has helped more than 30,000 authors reach their book publishing goals and self publish more than 40,000 books. Publishing your book with AuthorHouse means you'll have all the services and support you need to publish, promote and sell your book”.
More at:http://www.authorhouse.com/
Sunday, September 9, 2007
NetBooks is a software system that is meant for an entire company to run an entire company.
NetBooks is a software system that is meant for an entire company to run an entire company.
It often happens that NetBooks is compared to Quickbooks, however NetBooks replaces the need for QuickBooks and provides more. While QuickBooks was designed to address the bookkeeping problem, NetBooks was designed to solve the whole business management problem: sales, customers, vendors, production, inventory and shipping.
They raised:NetBooks Raises $6.9 Million for Small Business Management Software from CMEA Ventures and Integral Capital.
More at:http://www.netbooks.com/
It often happens that NetBooks is compared to Quickbooks, however NetBooks replaces the need for QuickBooks and provides more. While QuickBooks was designed to address the bookkeeping problem, NetBooks was designed to solve the whole business management problem: sales, customers, vendors, production, inventory and shipping.
They raised:NetBooks Raises $6.9 Million for Small Business Management Software from CMEA Ventures and Integral Capital.
More at:http://www.netbooks.com/
How Two Friends Become Entrepreneurs
BusinessWeek chats with two young entrepreneurs who aim to 'Feed' the masses quality organic granola
How many times have you come up with an idea that causes your friends to say: "Hey, that could be a business!" How many times have you agreed with them? But how many times have you actually gone out and transformed that idea into a real business? Well, that's exactly what former models turned business partners Jason Osborn and Jason Wright ended up doing. In 2005, the pair turned the granola that they made as a snack in their New York City apartment into a three-flavor organic line they named Feed Granola.
Now sold in eight states at stores including Whole Foods Market (WFMI) and Wegmans Food Markets, Feed Granola earned $110,000 in sales in 2006, and is projected to make $2 million over the next 12 months, according to Osborn and Wright.
Recently, BusinessWeek.com's Stacy Perman spoke with Osborn and Wright about making the leap from a home kitchen hobby to a full-time company. Edited excerpts of the conversation follow.
How did you come to turn a homemade snack into a business?
Osborn: In 2003, our modeling agency put us together and we were living as roommates in the West Village. We started making granola as a healthy snack for ourselves. We would pass it out to friends, and it kind of caught on in the neighborhood. We gave it to a local restaurant to sample, and they ended up putting it on their menu. We realized that we had something special at that point, and we talked about making it into a serious product. So we took the granola to a dietician and gave her the formula. She said we had a really healthy product here and that there was a real need in the marketplace. So we put our heads together to make it a business in 2004.
Wright: And we formed a business corporation in December of 2005.
Did either of you have any prior business experience?
Osborn: After I moved to New York, I worked for an ad agency for three years. And in college I majored in business management and advertising.
Wright: I went to the University of South Carolina and majored in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management, and minored in business. But in college they don't teach you to be an entrepreneur. When I graduated I had no idea that I would have a granola company one day. But I did want to own my own business and to work for myself. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I got into modeling because it got me to travel. I was managing an Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) store and that led me to modeling, which led me to New York.
How did you initially finance Feed?
Osborn: In the beginning we financed it ourselves.
Wright: We spent about $10,000 between us from 2004 to January of 2006.
Were you still making the granola in your kitchen?
Osborn: Yes, at first we were making it in our sixth floor walk-up. And we'd go around the neighborhood offering it as samples at gyms to get feedback from people who weren't our friends. That's how we hooked up with a local natural-foods store that put us on their shelves. But at that point we'd gotten too big for our kitchen, so we partnered with a meal delivery service in the city and bartered (BusinessWeek, 7/18/07) to use their kitchen space. We'd bake our granola during the night when they weren't using it and we paid for the usage in granola. That's how we paid rent on our first facility.
Wright: We did that for a year until the end of 2005, and then we outgrew that facility and moved to a cooking company in the Bronx. We trained their staff and worked with them until August of 2006.
Since you were growing, what did you do for capital?
Osborn: We approached the U.S. Small Business Administration and applied for a small-business loan. We were approved for a $75,000 loan, and the money got us to the point where we could launch the product at Natural Products Expo East, a national trade show in Baltimore. We made a plan to spend the next 10 months working on the brand and packaging in order to launch it at the trade show. We came up with the brand name and hired a designer friend of ours to execute the vision we had put down on paper.
Did you have a business plan or did this just evolve? Did you seek advice?
Osborn: In the beginning, we were just flying by the seat of our pants. Early on we sought out SCORE and spoke to them literally via e-mail. They helped us with questions about incorporating and starting a business plan. Then we created the business plan ourselves. It was really just cursory. It laid out how we'd run the business and outlined some of our market and financial milestones. We used that plan to secure our loan from the SBA.
What was the best piece of advice you received?
Osborn: Before we actually launched at the trade show, we attended a few other trade shows and we went to the educational programs and seminars that they had on how to take a product to market. We were able to ask people firsthand how they did it. They helped explain how to go to the next level from where we were. It was very helpful to attend those seminars.
Also, going to the trade shows allowed us to introduce ourselves to markets and distributors and chains. They could see that we were a viable company and became attracted to our brand.
Were there any blunders along the way?
Osborn: Yeah, of course. I think our biggest challenge was finding a facility that fit our needs. If you are constantly growing and changing, you need a manufacturer that allows you to do so. Also, I think our lack of experience allowed us to be more innovative, but I think if we had more experience we could have answered a lot of questions that came up.
Wright: When you are a small, growing company, cash flow is always a problem. Trying to balance receivables vs. payables is always a big challenge.
Many people have an idea but not everybody turns it into a business. What would you say makes that leap possible?
Osborn: In our case, we had a very good partnership. We both bring different things to the table. But I'd also say that you have to go with your instincts and vision and guts and stay true to them. Everyone has their own opinion and advice and it's always different. I say, stay focused.
What's next?
Wright: We'd like to go national by mid-to-late 2008.
Osborn: We also want to expand our product line once we've established it as a quality product. And we want to enter into brand extensions.
More at:http://www.feedgranola.com/
How many times have you come up with an idea that causes your friends to say: "Hey, that could be a business!" How many times have you agreed with them? But how many times have you actually gone out and transformed that idea into a real business? Well, that's exactly what former models turned business partners Jason Osborn and Jason Wright ended up doing. In 2005, the pair turned the granola that they made as a snack in their New York City apartment into a three-flavor organic line they named Feed Granola.
Now sold in eight states at stores including Whole Foods Market (WFMI) and Wegmans Food Markets, Feed Granola earned $110,000 in sales in 2006, and is projected to make $2 million over the next 12 months, according to Osborn and Wright.
Recently, BusinessWeek.com's Stacy Perman spoke with Osborn and Wright about making the leap from a home kitchen hobby to a full-time company. Edited excerpts of the conversation follow.
How did you come to turn a homemade snack into a business?
Osborn: In 2003, our modeling agency put us together and we were living as roommates in the West Village. We started making granola as a healthy snack for ourselves. We would pass it out to friends, and it kind of caught on in the neighborhood. We gave it to a local restaurant to sample, and they ended up putting it on their menu. We realized that we had something special at that point, and we talked about making it into a serious product. So we took the granola to a dietician and gave her the formula. She said we had a really healthy product here and that there was a real need in the marketplace. So we put our heads together to make it a business in 2004.
Wright: And we formed a business corporation in December of 2005.
Did either of you have any prior business experience?
Osborn: After I moved to New York, I worked for an ad agency for three years. And in college I majored in business management and advertising.
Wright: I went to the University of South Carolina and majored in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management, and minored in business. But in college they don't teach you to be an entrepreneur. When I graduated I had no idea that I would have a granola company one day. But I did want to own my own business and to work for myself. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I got into modeling because it got me to travel. I was managing an Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) store and that led me to modeling, which led me to New York.
How did you initially finance Feed?
Osborn: In the beginning we financed it ourselves.
Wright: We spent about $10,000 between us from 2004 to January of 2006.
Were you still making the granola in your kitchen?
Osborn: Yes, at first we were making it in our sixth floor walk-up. And we'd go around the neighborhood offering it as samples at gyms to get feedback from people who weren't our friends. That's how we hooked up with a local natural-foods store that put us on their shelves. But at that point we'd gotten too big for our kitchen, so we partnered with a meal delivery service in the city and bartered (BusinessWeek, 7/18/07) to use their kitchen space. We'd bake our granola during the night when they weren't using it and we paid for the usage in granola. That's how we paid rent on our first facility.
Wright: We did that for a year until the end of 2005, and then we outgrew that facility and moved to a cooking company in the Bronx. We trained their staff and worked with them until August of 2006.
Since you were growing, what did you do for capital?
Osborn: We approached the U.S. Small Business Administration and applied for a small-business loan. We were approved for a $75,000 loan, and the money got us to the point where we could launch the product at Natural Products Expo East, a national trade show in Baltimore. We made a plan to spend the next 10 months working on the brand and packaging in order to launch it at the trade show. We came up with the brand name and hired a designer friend of ours to execute the vision we had put down on paper.
Did you have a business plan or did this just evolve? Did you seek advice?
Osborn: In the beginning, we were just flying by the seat of our pants. Early on we sought out SCORE and spoke to them literally via e-mail. They helped us with questions about incorporating and starting a business plan. Then we created the business plan ourselves. It was really just cursory. It laid out how we'd run the business and outlined some of our market and financial milestones. We used that plan to secure our loan from the SBA.
What was the best piece of advice you received?
Osborn: Before we actually launched at the trade show, we attended a few other trade shows and we went to the educational programs and seminars that they had on how to take a product to market. We were able to ask people firsthand how they did it. They helped explain how to go to the next level from where we were. It was very helpful to attend those seminars.
Also, going to the trade shows allowed us to introduce ourselves to markets and distributors and chains. They could see that we were a viable company and became attracted to our brand.
Were there any blunders along the way?
Osborn: Yeah, of course. I think our biggest challenge was finding a facility that fit our needs. If you are constantly growing and changing, you need a manufacturer that allows you to do so. Also, I think our lack of experience allowed us to be more innovative, but I think if we had more experience we could have answered a lot of questions that came up.
Wright: When you are a small, growing company, cash flow is always a problem. Trying to balance receivables vs. payables is always a big challenge.
Many people have an idea but not everybody turns it into a business. What would you say makes that leap possible?
Osborn: In our case, we had a very good partnership. We both bring different things to the table. But I'd also say that you have to go with your instincts and vision and guts and stay true to them. Everyone has their own opinion and advice and it's always different. I say, stay focused.
What's next?
Wright: We'd like to go national by mid-to-late 2008.
Osborn: We also want to expand our product line once we've established it as a quality product. And we want to enter into brand extensions.
More at:http://www.feedgranola.com/
Spactor is a media search engine that scans television, radio, Internet TV and podcasts to display results
Spactor is a media search engine that scans television, radio, Internet TV and podcasts to display results showing how often and when a particular term was used in a program.
Based in Germany, Spactor is built on MediaClipping’s technology that is used by businesses for PR and other purposes, giving stats on the use of certain terminology and names are used in media. Now the search functionality of MediaClipping is being offered as an engine for you to use. Type in your query and you’ll see video and audio results where your term has been used. Results can be emailed to a friend, and you can go to the original source link or play the media directly. It would be convenient if these results could also be bookmarked directly.
As video and audio search becomes increasingly necessary for online media sharing, this type of technology will become more commonplace and used for purposes outside of B2B necessities. Spactor is currently available for 75 German-speaking radio and television shows, and the company has plans for International expansion. Plugged and Vlingo are other companies that are utilizing speech recognition for search and other personal uses.
[via blognation]
Based in Germany, Spactor is built on MediaClipping’s technology that is used by businesses for PR and other purposes, giving stats on the use of certain terminology and names are used in media. Now the search functionality of MediaClipping is being offered as an engine for you to use. Type in your query and you’ll see video and audio results where your term has been used. Results can be emailed to a friend, and you can go to the original source link or play the media directly. It would be convenient if these results could also be bookmarked directly.
As video and audio search becomes increasingly necessary for online media sharing, this type of technology will become more commonplace and used for purposes outside of B2B necessities. Spactor is currently available for 75 German-speaking radio and television shows, and the company has plans for International expansion. Plugged and Vlingo are other companies that are utilizing speech recognition for search and other personal uses.
[via blognation]
Travellers have the potential to bring much-needed supplies to underfunded non-profit organisations around the world
Travellers have the potential to bring much-needed supplies to underfunded non-profit organisations around the world, but usually they don’t learn about those needs until it’s too late to pack for them. StuffYourRucksack hopes to solve that problem by showing travellers--before they leave on their trips—how they could help out in a particular region.
The site was recently founded by BBC presenter Kate Humble, who recognized how often travellers end up thinking, ‘If only I had known!” She explains: “How many times have you been travelling and visited a school or community or local charity that you would love to help? The school needs books, or a map or pencils; an orphanage needs children's clothes or toys. All things that, if only you'd known, you could've stuffed in your rucksack. But once you get home you forget, or you've lost the address, or worry that whatever you send will be stolen before it even gets there.”
The concept is simple: local organisations around the globe can visit the site to register what they need, as can travellers who have been there and discovered the need first-hand. Travellers planning a trip can then search to see what they can bring along to help. There are no fees to be paid on either side, and a feedback section of the site allows for the exchange of tips and advice.
StuffYourRucksack is still in the process of getting off the ground, so there are no listings yet for many countries. One look at the listings that are there, though, shows how easy it could be to help. An Indian school for street children, for example, needs children’s clothing. An educational charity in Tanzania needs pencils and used mobile phones. Nice example of a grassroots initiative using the internet to help small-scale aid find its way around the world. Related: Family-to-family aid.
Website: www.stuffyourrucksack.com
Via-Springwise
The site was recently founded by BBC presenter Kate Humble, who recognized how often travellers end up thinking, ‘If only I had known!” She explains: “How many times have you been travelling and visited a school or community or local charity that you would love to help? The school needs books, or a map or pencils; an orphanage needs children's clothes or toys. All things that, if only you'd known, you could've stuffed in your rucksack. But once you get home you forget, or you've lost the address, or worry that whatever you send will be stolen before it even gets there.”
The concept is simple: local organisations around the globe can visit the site to register what they need, as can travellers who have been there and discovered the need first-hand. Travellers planning a trip can then search to see what they can bring along to help. There are no fees to be paid on either side, and a feedback section of the site allows for the exchange of tips and advice.
StuffYourRucksack is still in the process of getting off the ground, so there are no listings yet for many countries. One look at the listings that are there, though, shows how easy it could be to help. An Indian school for street children, for example, needs children’s clothing. An educational charity in Tanzania needs pencils and used mobile phones. Nice example of a grassroots initiative using the internet to help small-scale aid find its way around the world. Related: Family-to-family aid.
Website: www.stuffyourrucksack.com
Via-Springwise
Web Confrenceing Solutions
Persony provides advanced conferencing products such as the Persony Web Conferencing 2.0 solution. This web conference solution is flash, so you do not need to download it. You can conduct an online seminar, provide online training, and give a presentation with participants from any computer. Persony Web Conferencing 2.0 gives your company private labeling and hosting, have your customers assist a web conference at your site not someone else’s. Once you purchase Persony web conference software, you are done, there are no monthly fees to hassle you
Persony's patent-pending "smart-client" technology puts the intelligence of a collaborative application on the client side and uses standard Web servers to connect remote users. By leveraging the millions of Web servers and service providers in existence, Persony's solution can be deployed anywhere and at a fraction of the cost of other solutions. The smart-client approach is a disruptive technology that allows individuals and small businesses to afford applications that were once only available to larger corporations.
More at:http://www.persony.com/
Persony's patent-pending "smart-client" technology puts the intelligence of a collaborative application on the client side and uses standard Web servers to connect remote users. By leveraging the millions of Web servers and service providers in existence, Persony's solution can be deployed anywhere and at a fraction of the cost of other solutions. The smart-client approach is a disruptive technology that allows individuals and small businesses to afford applications that were once only available to larger corporations.
More at:http://www.persony.com/
Saturday, September 8, 2007
From A Simple Science Teacher To Becoming Millionaire
Five years ago, Steve Spangler was a science teacher outside Denver. These days, his educational toy company, Steve Spangler Science, employs nearly 30 people and he speaks to groups of science teachers across the country.
Mr. Spangler largely credits his blog for his success. Steve Spangler Science recorded more than $5 million in revenues last year.
"One of the secrets," says Mr. Spangler, "is to make sure you're writing headlines and content that are picked up by [content-sharing site] Digg.com and other bloggers."
He wasn't always a believer in blogs. It was after a video of Mr. Spangler demonstrating the explosive effects of dropping Mentos into Diet Coke spread across the Internet that he realized their power to help his business.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with Mr. Spangler about his blog's impact on his business.
WSJ: When did you realize it was time to update stevespanglerscience.com?
Mr. Spangler: I took the business online in 2002. Every small-business owner thinks as soon as you push the button, [customers will] come – but they don't. I remember a day in 2002 when we did $200 in sales – I was celebrating. We had some people coming to the site, but we weren't converting [into sales].
WSJ: So what did you do?
Mr. Spangler: I found a couple Web sites [that I liked] and they said "Netconcepts" on the bottom. So I contracted [the company] to redesign the Web site. I wanted to find somebody that wasn't in my industry, to not get the same old stuff. I liked what [the Netconcepts LLC founder Stephan Spencer] was saying about showing people you're the expert in that field by what you write. I found out how important it was to have more content, like our experiment library. People started visiting.
WSJ: What was your reaction when Netconcepts suggested you write a blog?
Mr. Spangler: I said, "I don't think I have anything to say." But I developed the blog. A lesson came when Insta-Snow [a powder that turns to snow when water is added] was featured as one of the month's top stupid products on Good Morning America. I thought I should refute it [in the blog], but [Mr. Spencer] said I should blog this as: "It's great to be stupid." So I said on the blog that in fact it was stupid that someone else hadn't thought of it… I watched sales skyrocket.
People didn't know my blog from anyone else's -- but they happened to pick up the headline: "It's Great to be Stupid."
WSJ: What was your next lesson about headlines?
Mr. Spangler: In Sept. 2005, I went on network television to demonstrate the Mentos Diet Coke experiment [where the candy is dropped into the bottle of soda, triggering a geyser]. I had done it before, but this time by accident the news anchor got soaked. She was wearing this beautiful St. John's outfit, and she was absolutely drenched. [The local NBC station] streamed the video, and the number of views on the site – 9news.com – hit an all time high. It went viral within a couple of weeks and ended up on VH1.
Lots of people grabbed the post from my blog. The headline was: News Anchor Gets Soaked; Mentos Experiment Sets New Record. It wasn't misleading, just tantalizing. Thank goodness I knew how to blog.
WSJ: How has your blog changed site traffic and sales?
Mr. Spangler: These days, the blog gets 15,000 to 20,000 unique visitors each day. Early on, if I got 200 or 300, I was ecstatic. I attribute 13% of overall sales online to the blog. People come in to us through the blog. They're searching on something, and the blog indexes so well on Google.
More at:http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/
Via-Startup Journal
Mr. Spangler largely credits his blog for his success. Steve Spangler Science recorded more than $5 million in revenues last year.
"One of the secrets," says Mr. Spangler, "is to make sure you're writing headlines and content that are picked up by [content-sharing site] Digg.com and other bloggers."
He wasn't always a believer in blogs. It was after a video of Mr. Spangler demonstrating the explosive effects of dropping Mentos into Diet Coke spread across the Internet that he realized their power to help his business.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with Mr. Spangler about his blog's impact on his business.
WSJ: When did you realize it was time to update stevespanglerscience.com?
Mr. Spangler: I took the business online in 2002. Every small-business owner thinks as soon as you push the button, [customers will] come – but they don't. I remember a day in 2002 when we did $200 in sales – I was celebrating. We had some people coming to the site, but we weren't converting [into sales].
WSJ: So what did you do?
Mr. Spangler: I found a couple Web sites [that I liked] and they said "Netconcepts" on the bottom. So I contracted [the company] to redesign the Web site. I wanted to find somebody that wasn't in my industry, to not get the same old stuff. I liked what [the Netconcepts LLC founder Stephan Spencer] was saying about showing people you're the expert in that field by what you write. I found out how important it was to have more content, like our experiment library. People started visiting.
WSJ: What was your reaction when Netconcepts suggested you write a blog?
Mr. Spangler: I said, "I don't think I have anything to say." But I developed the blog. A lesson came when Insta-Snow [a powder that turns to snow when water is added] was featured as one of the month's top stupid products on Good Morning America. I thought I should refute it [in the blog], but [Mr. Spencer] said I should blog this as: "It's great to be stupid." So I said on the blog that in fact it was stupid that someone else hadn't thought of it… I watched sales skyrocket.
People didn't know my blog from anyone else's -- but they happened to pick up the headline: "It's Great to be Stupid."
WSJ: What was your next lesson about headlines?
Mr. Spangler: In Sept. 2005, I went on network television to demonstrate the Mentos Diet Coke experiment [where the candy is dropped into the bottle of soda, triggering a geyser]. I had done it before, but this time by accident the news anchor got soaked. She was wearing this beautiful St. John's outfit, and she was absolutely drenched. [The local NBC station] streamed the video, and the number of views on the site – 9news.com – hit an all time high. It went viral within a couple of weeks and ended up on VH1.
Lots of people grabbed the post from my blog. The headline was: News Anchor Gets Soaked; Mentos Experiment Sets New Record. It wasn't misleading, just tantalizing. Thank goodness I knew how to blog.
WSJ: How has your blog changed site traffic and sales?
Mr. Spangler: These days, the blog gets 15,000 to 20,000 unique visitors each day. Early on, if I got 200 or 300, I was ecstatic. I attribute 13% of overall sales online to the blog. People come in to us through the blog. They're searching on something, and the blog indexes so well on Google.
More at:http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/
Via-Startup Journal
Skillance has made the job search for freelancers a lot easier by putting the freelancer directly in touch with the interested party
The UK-based startup Skillance has made the job search for freelancers a lot easier by putting the freelancer directly in touch with the interested party. How does it work? First, determine what skills you have and want to market. The site ranges from the absurd to the professional, so if your talent is juggling Chihuahuas but you can also file tax returns really well, you’re in the right place. Then, create a user account complete with a name for and description of your service and your contact information, which will allow others interested in your skills to find you in a search. If you’re looking to hire someone, browse through the “skills required” section or run a keyword search. Registration and all of the site’s services are free. With Skillance people can turn to the web to get the best deal on a service they need. For example, if you want a website designed but cannot afford to pay a company 1000's of pounds or dollars, wouldn't you rather just go to a web designer directly who can charge you a fraction of the price? The same concept can be applied on any professional skill or service you require. Companies also look for skilled professionals so they can hire them for contractual purposes and short-term periods.
more at:http://www.skillance.com/
more at:http://www.skillance.com/
BuySellMy.com is not about fluff, useless services, or anything else. This site is about helping you sell your domains and websites
BuySellMy.com is not about fluff, useless services, or anything else. This site is about helping you sell your domains and websites.
BuySellMy.com sells off a site or two and acquire others. There are either sites offering services that charge a lot per domain and don't offer many helpful services, or they charge little with no helpful services. BuySellMy.com hopes to eliminate these issues.
BuySellMy.com is easily affordable by anyone, and we offer great services such as the ability to display images/screen shots of websites, statistics showing how many views your listings are receiving, and many more. Furthermore, it is by no means limited to beginning domain name traders. Experienced traders and website developers can also take advantage of this incredible promotion, with some potentially very large additions to their portfolios.
With good ".com"s being harder and harder to acquire, this move will surely make a few hundred savvy entrepreneurs seeking TLD's very happy.
More at:http://www.buysellmy.com/
BuySellMy.com sells off a site or two and acquire others. There are either sites offering services that charge a lot per domain and don't offer many helpful services, or they charge little with no helpful services. BuySellMy.com hopes to eliminate these issues.
BuySellMy.com is easily affordable by anyone, and we offer great services such as the ability to display images/screen shots of websites, statistics showing how many views your listings are receiving, and many more. Furthermore, it is by no means limited to beginning domain name traders. Experienced traders and website developers can also take advantage of this incredible promotion, with some potentially very large additions to their portfolios.
With good ".com"s being harder and harder to acquire, this move will surely make a few hundred savvy entrepreneurs seeking TLD's very happy.
More at:http://www.buysellmy.com/
Study Matrix is an online community for aspirants
Study Matrix is an online community for aspirants. A community of everyone who dream big and desire "clear" success. Study Matrix fosters focused collaboration, providing channels to communicate and share information related to your aspirations.
It is very useful and focused for realising our dreams.Let us say, an aspirant wants to become a Doctor. He joins an aspiration network, a community on StudyMatrix.com portal, with thousands of members, who share his aspirations of becoming a Doctor. The portal allows aspirants to engage, collaborate, learn, share and compete.StudyMatrix.com provides end to end and complete solution for today"s learners. The portal has implemented several relevant modules and gadgets that help in collaboration, competition, self-expression, engagement and self-development of aspirants who intent to succeed clearly.
More at:http://www.studymatrix.com/
It is very useful and focused for realising our dreams.Let us say, an aspirant wants to become a Doctor. He joins an aspiration network, a community on StudyMatrix.com portal, with thousands of members, who share his aspirations of becoming a Doctor. The portal allows aspirants to engage, collaborate, learn, share and compete.StudyMatrix.com provides end to end and complete solution for today"s learners. The portal has implemented several relevant modules and gadgets that help in collaboration, competition, self-expression, engagement and self-development of aspirants who intent to succeed clearly.
More at:http://www.studymatrix.com/
Job Board Reviews is your guide to the online world of careers and jobs
Job Board Reviews is your guide to the online world of careers and jobs. JobBoardReviews.com is designed to help job seekers, employers, staffing & recruiting professionals find the most targeted Job Boards for their professions and positions and share their experiences with others.Employers have wasted a lot of time and money posting open positions that are never seen and never filled. Job Board Reviews offers important information about job boards. The number of resumes, number of jobs, and traffic stats are some of the statistics available in an easy to navigate format, all in one place.
More at:http://www.jobboardreviews.com/
More at:http://www.jobboardreviews.com/
11870.com is a place for people to discover, keep track, and share their views on businesses and enterprises around the world
11870.com is a place for people to discover, keep track, and share their views on businesses and enterprises around the world through reviews, pictures, and videos.
11870 team has created a service which aims to make info super easy to find. 11870 users can index, track and share their opinions on business all over the world using pictures, reviews, and videos. Once you’ve signed up and have become an official 11870 member, you’ll get your own page to keep tabs on business, which you can keep private or share with everyone. The site also includes your regular socializing functions: messaging, friends, profiles, and personal stats.
more at:http://11870.com/
11870 team has created a service which aims to make info super easy to find. 11870 users can index, track and share their opinions on business all over the world using pictures, reviews, and videos. Once you’ve signed up and have become an official 11870 member, you’ll get your own page to keep tabs on business, which you can keep private or share with everyone. The site also includes your regular socializing functions: messaging, friends, profiles, and personal stats.
more at:http://11870.com/
Friday, September 7, 2007
More Than40 Ways To Access Your PC Remotely
There are lots of reasons why you’d want to access your PC remotely, and luckily there are also plenty of ways to do so. Crossloop is one of the simplest (it’s also free), but for those willing to venture further, you’ve got lots of options.
Excuse us while we get technical for a second. This list is divided into four main sections: VNC (Virtual Network Computing), NX, remote desktop and cross-protocol. If those terms mean nothing to you, you might want to skip to the “other” section for the most straightforward applications. That said, let’s begin....
Via- Mashable
More at:http://mashable.com/2007/09/07/remote-access/#more-10013
Excuse us while we get technical for a second. This list is divided into four main sections: VNC (Virtual Network Computing), NX, remote desktop and cross-protocol. If those terms mean nothing to you, you might want to skip to the “other” section for the most straightforward applications. That said, let’s begin....
Via- Mashable
More at:http://mashable.com/2007/09/07/remote-access/#more-10013
Gossip At Work Could Benefit Companies?
Companies may actually benefit from observing the ways employees gossip at work, according to a new survey.
As it turns out, gossiping by the water cooler may not be such a bad thing after all.
On the contrary, the way news travels around the office -- both formally and informally -- may help employers determine the best modes for corporate communication at their company, new research shows.
Almost two-thirds, or 64 percent, of office workers say that people in their office gossip about company news at some point, according to a survey by Steelcase, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based office-services firm. And their sources are often pretty good -- 76 percent of respondents report that news they hear from co-workers is accurate always, usually, or some of the time.
According to Chris Congdon, manager of corporate marketing at Steelcase, every workplace has the designated people who help move information along. Congdon labels the office employees who know the scoop as the "hubs," and those who have the ability to grant access to people and information in the office as the "gatekeepers."
Knowing the communication habits of employees, and identifying the "hubs" and the "gatekeepers" of the office, can actually be useful information to managers, Congdon said. "When you know how information travels, you know the key people to tap into to get feedback -- the people who have their finger on the pulse, so to speak."
Not surprisingly, gossip is typically spread by the younger members of an organization -- only 9 percent of workers ages 18 to 24 say they keep company news quiet, compared to 48 percent of workers ages 55 to 64. According to Congden, the shift in the way news travels in the workplace is largely a result of changes in the corporate landscape as more and more baby boomers retire.
"Generation Yers are moving into the workforce in volumes and we are seeing huge changes in how corporate cultures work," Congden said. "This younger generation has very different expectations. They are looking for much more information from their organization and they want their workplace to be more nurturing."
"They are looking to move more rapidly, just like they move information more rapidly," Congden added. As long as managers don't assume that all news will be kept under wraps, the free flow of information can be a positive thing. "Wouldn't it be great if all information traveled at the rate of a rumor?"
According to the survey results, gossip is no longer just exchanged by the water cooler. In the Internet age, 10 percent of employees spread news through e-mail and on instant messenger. And 36 percent of respondents say they exchange information with co-workers in the office kitchen or break room, while 33 percent are bold enough to pass on gossip at a co-worker's desk.
For their part, companies are catching on -- with fewer meetings and more staff-wide e-mails. Eighty percent of respondents said that their company uses a consistent method of delivering news and announcements, with 59 percent who say that e-mail is the most popular mode of formal communication, according to the survey.
Via-INCMag
More at:http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/gossip.html
As it turns out, gossiping by the water cooler may not be such a bad thing after all.
On the contrary, the way news travels around the office -- both formally and informally -- may help employers determine the best modes for corporate communication at their company, new research shows.
Almost two-thirds, or 64 percent, of office workers say that people in their office gossip about company news at some point, according to a survey by Steelcase, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based office-services firm. And their sources are often pretty good -- 76 percent of respondents report that news they hear from co-workers is accurate always, usually, or some of the time.
According to Chris Congdon, manager of corporate marketing at Steelcase, every workplace has the designated people who help move information along. Congdon labels the office employees who know the scoop as the "hubs," and those who have the ability to grant access to people and information in the office as the "gatekeepers."
Knowing the communication habits of employees, and identifying the "hubs" and the "gatekeepers" of the office, can actually be useful information to managers, Congdon said. "When you know how information travels, you know the key people to tap into to get feedback -- the people who have their finger on the pulse, so to speak."
Not surprisingly, gossip is typically spread by the younger members of an organization -- only 9 percent of workers ages 18 to 24 say they keep company news quiet, compared to 48 percent of workers ages 55 to 64. According to Congden, the shift in the way news travels in the workplace is largely a result of changes in the corporate landscape as more and more baby boomers retire.
"Generation Yers are moving into the workforce in volumes and we are seeing huge changes in how corporate cultures work," Congden said. "This younger generation has very different expectations. They are looking for much more information from their organization and they want their workplace to be more nurturing."
"They are looking to move more rapidly, just like they move information more rapidly," Congden added. As long as managers don't assume that all news will be kept under wraps, the free flow of information can be a positive thing. "Wouldn't it be great if all information traveled at the rate of a rumor?"
According to the survey results, gossip is no longer just exchanged by the water cooler. In the Internet age, 10 percent of employees spread news through e-mail and on instant messenger. And 36 percent of respondents say they exchange information with co-workers in the office kitchen or break room, while 33 percent are bold enough to pass on gossip at a co-worker's desk.
For their part, companies are catching on -- with fewer meetings and more staff-wide e-mails. Eighty percent of respondents said that their company uses a consistent method of delivering news and announcements, with 59 percent who say that e-mail is the most popular mode of formal communication, according to the survey.
Via-INCMag
More at:http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200708/gossip.html
How does a poor African-American girl from Mississippi,"Oprah Winfrey" Achieved This?
How does a poor African-American girl from Mississippi, dressed in overalls made from potato sacks, become the most powerful celebrity in the world and a billionaire to boot?
She talked her way out of the ghetto, it seems.
Oprah Winfrey, who was born Oprah in 1954 (a biblical name that was mispronounced ‘Oprah’), suffered a sad childhood corroded by extreme poverty, sexual abuse and a stillbirth aged 14. She somehow survived, empathy intact, to become host of America’s favourite talk-show, as well as succeeding as an actress, producer, publisher and charity worker.
Via stints on radio and a Nashville television station, Winfrey’s chatty charms brought her to Chicago in 1984 to host WSL-TV’s ailing talk show AM Chicago. Within months of her arrival the show had rocketed to top position in the Chicago ratings charts and soon became The Oprah Winfrey Show in an expanded hour-long format.
Going national in 1986, the programme rapidly became a forum for Winfrey to tackle issues close to her heart. Here was a rare thing: a talk-show host who could genuinely relate to human problems like fluctuating weight, drug addiction and miscarriage because she, too, had endured them – and overcome them. Winfrey has that rare appeal to the everyman (and even more so to the everywoman).
In 2000 Winfrey founded O, The Oprah Magazine, which has become one of today’s leading women’s mags, and has also set up film company Harpo. Oprah made her name as an actress in Spielberg’s The Colour Purple in 1985 and 13 years later starred in Harpo’s production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Her online ‘Book Club’ has become the largest book club in the world with 700,000 members, putting even Richard and Judy in the shade. And the presenter-cum-producer-cum-actor-cum-publisher still finds time to do plenty of charity work, including for the Angel Network, which has raised more than $35m for non-profit organisations around the world.
Her achievements are staggering, especially given the impediments of an abusive background and being a black female in a white male-dominated world. Her eponymous talk show has the highest ratings in US television history and Oprah was Forbes African American of the 20th century, the world’s only black female billionaire for three years running and the greatest black philanthropist in history according to Business Week.
Keep talking Oprah!
Three Great Oprah Moments
1988: After dieting for four months a slimmed-down Oprah appeared on stage dragging 67 pounds of fat on a wagon.
1993: she interviewed Michael Jackson for 90 minutes. In the fourth most watched TV event in American history and the most watched interview ever Jackson spoke for the first time about his changing skin tone and plastic surgery.
2005: In the first episode of the 19th season all 276 members of the audience received a free Pontiac car as part of a publicity stunt. However, many had to sell or forfeit their prize when it transpired that they had to pay as much as $7k tax.
Via-http://www.ubops.com/
She talked her way out of the ghetto, it seems.
Oprah Winfrey, who was born Oprah in 1954 (a biblical name that was mispronounced ‘Oprah’), suffered a sad childhood corroded by extreme poverty, sexual abuse and a stillbirth aged 14. She somehow survived, empathy intact, to become host of America’s favourite talk-show, as well as succeeding as an actress, producer, publisher and charity worker.
Via stints on radio and a Nashville television station, Winfrey’s chatty charms brought her to Chicago in 1984 to host WSL-TV’s ailing talk show AM Chicago. Within months of her arrival the show had rocketed to top position in the Chicago ratings charts and soon became The Oprah Winfrey Show in an expanded hour-long format.
Going national in 1986, the programme rapidly became a forum for Winfrey to tackle issues close to her heart. Here was a rare thing: a talk-show host who could genuinely relate to human problems like fluctuating weight, drug addiction and miscarriage because she, too, had endured them – and overcome them. Winfrey has that rare appeal to the everyman (and even more so to the everywoman).
In 2000 Winfrey founded O, The Oprah Magazine, which has become one of today’s leading women’s mags, and has also set up film company Harpo. Oprah made her name as an actress in Spielberg’s The Colour Purple in 1985 and 13 years later starred in Harpo’s production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved by Toni Morrison.
Her online ‘Book Club’ has become the largest book club in the world with 700,000 members, putting even Richard and Judy in the shade. And the presenter-cum-producer-cum-actor-cum-publisher still finds time to do plenty of charity work, including for the Angel Network, which has raised more than $35m for non-profit organisations around the world.
Her achievements are staggering, especially given the impediments of an abusive background and being a black female in a white male-dominated world. Her eponymous talk show has the highest ratings in US television history and Oprah was Forbes African American of the 20th century, the world’s only black female billionaire for three years running and the greatest black philanthropist in history according to Business Week.
Keep talking Oprah!
Three Great Oprah Moments
1988: After dieting for four months a slimmed-down Oprah appeared on stage dragging 67 pounds of fat on a wagon.
1993: she interviewed Michael Jackson for 90 minutes. In the fourth most watched TV event in American history and the most watched interview ever Jackson spoke for the first time about his changing skin tone and plastic surgery.
2005: In the first episode of the 19th season all 276 members of the audience received a free Pontiac car as part of a publicity stunt. However, many had to sell or forfeit their prize when it transpired that they had to pay as much as $7k tax.
Via-http://www.ubops.com/
Premium Suppliers is a directory of Chinese suppliers who have achieved international certification for systems and/or products.
Premium Suppliers was born out of frustration with other current product and supplier databases that are currently available. It is almost impossible to find any certified suppliers and products without spending hours of searching. So they have made our database of Premium Suppliers starting and ending with certified products and suppliers. No more weeding through the endless lists of unqualified factories. Now you can find all the best suppliers at your finger tips.Premium Suppliers is a directory of Chinese suppliers who have achieved international certification for systems and/or products. This means, for example, if you want to find a supplier making your product with ISO certification or UL safety certification then this would be the best place to find it. Once a suitable supplier is found the first question most buyers will have is: Is this a reputable supplier? Since there are real, unedited supplier reviews written by real buyers there are great references either for or against using a particular supplier. This advice can save buyers thousands of dollars in samples, freight etc. and months of time trying to qualify suppliers. It is also a great forum for suppliers who have spent thousands of dollars getting their facilities or products certified, but are not able to reach the buyers who are looking for them.
More at:http://www.premiumsuppliers.com/
More at:http://www.premiumsuppliers.com/
SportsFananza creates one forum for the sports fan to voice their opinion about sports
SportsFananza creates one forum for the sports fan to voice their opinion about sports. Sports fans across the country can discuss an upcoming game, the team the hate or an important upcoming rivalry game. Also, SportsFananza allows any user to post text messages anytime. For example, a sports fan could be at the game and sending a text message to the site voicing how horrible their team is playing.
Sports fans can post videos about trade rumors, upcoming drafts of players, free agency or player personnel moves made by a team's front office. Using SportsFananza.com is simple and membership is free. Once you register, you can upload and post videos discusses any sports issue on your mind for other fans, players or team management to view. You can also browse, comment and respond to other fan videos.
More at:http://www.sportsfananza.com/
Sports fans can post videos about trade rumors, upcoming drafts of players, free agency or player personnel moves made by a team's front office. Using SportsFananza.com is simple and membership is free. Once you register, you can upload and post videos discusses any sports issue on your mind for other fans, players or team management to view. You can also browse, comment and respond to other fan videos.
More at:http://www.sportsfananza.com/
FreeRateSearch.com is the first online mortgage search engine that allows home shoppers to instantly compare mortgage rates from multiple lenders
Their model is completely different than current online mortgage shopping sites that baits consumers to turn over their personal information to be sold to multiple lenders just to learn what rates are available. Even then, they don’t know whether the rate they are quoted by the loan officer is the best available rate. Since we search lender rate sheets, shoppers can be assured they are seeing what a broker would see. At FreeRateSearch.com, we don't believe consumers really want to talk to five lenders. They just want to find the best rates, and now they can do that in moments.FreeRateSearch.com allows consumers to find the best rate for their next mortgage. It’s like seeing the dealer invoice for your next mortgage. FreeRateSearch.com monitors rates for both conforming (prime credit) and non-prime loan programs from numerous lenders, and searches thousands of program variables to provide custom quotes for consumers to compare. Rates are updated daily.
More at:http://www.freeratesearch.com/
More at:http://www.freeratesearch.com/
First-Move.net takes the dating game and turns it on its head
First-Move.net takes the dating game and turns it on its head. Instead of sitting in front of your PC searching for the latest virtual (or not) partner the site allows you to create a profile but then keeps it secret from the public. Registered members can then purchase personalized 'dating cards' and hand them out to people they meet in real life. The dating cards contains a username and pass key which allows the recipient of the card access to the members profile. The cards are made from high quality plastic (credit card) style and are a stylish why to break the ice, especially for those with luck of confidence.It’s unique; anything that helps someone 'break the ice' as they say has got to be good. Better than handing out a mobile number on a screwed up post-it note that's for sure.
More at:http://www.first-move.net/
More at:http://www.first-move.net/
Focusrent.com is a marketplace exclusively dedicated to renting
Focusrent.com is a marketplace exclusively dedicated to renting. On Focusrent.com you can rent what you need, where you need and in a very easy and quick way.You’ll find a listing of ads entered by qualifies companies which operate in renting market. You can choose among more than 100 categories of items, without paying any commission or fee and without doing any registration. Viewing the listings, in fact, is completely free. Furthermore, ads are ordered according to the distance from your city, so that you can firstly view those of companies which are closer you and, this way, can better meet your needs. After having chosen the ads which appears interesting, you can contact the company, ask for more detailed information on line or leave you records in order to be contacted by the company.
More at:http://www.focusrent.com/
More at:http://www.focusrent.com/
Boys To Men Gifts has taken gift giving to a new level with their on-line experiences
Boys To Men Gifts has taken gift giving to a new level with their on-line experiences, offering the gift buyer more options for the male that has everything, like driving a Ferrari 360 Spider for the weekend or a Personal Chef to cook all his meals for the week.This site helps both the gift giver and receiver by importing unique gifts from around the world, and making it possible to purchase experiences on-line, offering clients creative male gift solutions for all ages of the male gender. They have realized that teens were among the most difficult to find gifts for, and that dressing up clothes for boys were hard to find. Men are also getting bored of the same unimaginative gifts every year. Boystomengifts.com has addressed these problems and has many more creative ideas from unusual baby shower to corporate gifts.
More at:http://www.boystomengifts.com/
More at:http://www.boystomengifts.com/
Thursday, September 6, 2007
New Vcs
Dopplr lets you share your future travel plans with a group of trusted fellow travelers whom you have chosen
Dopplr is an online travel plans private social network, in my own words. You are able to share your future travel plans with a group of trusted fellow travelers whom you have chosen.
Dopplr also reminds you of friends and colleagues who live in the cities you are planning to visit. You can use the service with your PC and mobile phone.
Currently the Dopplr service is invitation only. Once invited by an existing member you will be able to invite others to join Dopplr and share your travels.
They Raised:Not disclosed amount..
More at:http://www.dopplr.com/
Dopplr is an online travel plans private social network, in my own words. You are able to share your future travel plans with a group of trusted fellow travelers whom you have chosen.
Dopplr also reminds you of friends and colleagues who live in the cities you are planning to visit. You can use the service with your PC and mobile phone.
Currently the Dopplr service is invitation only. Once invited by an existing member you will be able to invite others to join Dopplr and share your travels.
They Raised:Not disclosed amount..
More at:http://www.dopplr.com/
For Your Budget Planning
This site offers a different service in the way that it presents its data, focusing on the future instead of the minute details of everyday. It really gets you to see easily what your budget is very quickly. There is not much to distract you on the site, so you can easily see the information that’s important to you.It’s helpful for when you want to view the money you’ll be making and spending long term. With this information, you can decide when and if you can take a vacation, or if you can afford that new jacket. Based on your income and expected monthly expenses, it tracks how your money will be flowing over time, so that you can see if you need to save up, or have a bit of cushion to play with. You can also add in your daily costs and savings to keep track of it all, and you can check out how your spending and earning patterns are going compared to others from your same demographic. It’s a useful site for if you want to really get a picture of the future of your income and expenses.
More at:http://www.budgetedge.com/
More at:http://www.budgetedge.com/
restaurantdiary.com, a booking management system that will give you your money back if your restaurant doesn't increase revenue with their online ways
restaurantdiary.com, a booking management system that will give you your money back if your restaurant doesn't increase revenue with their online system. It is a web-based 'smart booking system' that maximizes utilization of tables through a customized booking system. All of your bookings are managed through the central system, whether they are walk-in, online or phone bookings. Staff then operates the restaurant through this hub and everyone from staff, to owner and to the customer benefits. The service can even be used for outside 3rd party reservation systems and its web interface system can be integrated to a restaurant's web site. The site charges a monthly booking fee.Commission free restaurant reservation system with Full Customer Relationship Management.
More at:http://www.restaurantdiary.com/
More at:http://www.restaurantdiary.com/
ConvertTube is a service that will let you convert and download an online video by simply providing the URL.
ConvertTube is a service that will let you convert and download an online video by simply providing the URL.
The options for file conversion let you convert for Windows, Macs, Flash files, audio only, iPhone, iPod, PSP or mobile. Once the conversion is complete, you can download the file to your computer and have your way with it. The name of the service and the icon imply that the service is specifically for YouTube videos, and I think that’s the point. While this isn’t stated anywhere on the site, I tried videos from other online sources that do allow for video download, and found that only YouTube videos will be converted for this service.
Oh, did I mention the site is for sale? You can buy it direct for just under $14,000.
More at:http://converttube.com/
Via-Mash
The options for file conversion let you convert for Windows, Macs, Flash files, audio only, iPhone, iPod, PSP or mobile. Once the conversion is complete, you can download the file to your computer and have your way with it. The name of the service and the icon imply that the service is specifically for YouTube videos, and I think that’s the point. While this isn’t stated anywhere on the site, I tried videos from other online sources that do allow for video download, and found that only YouTube videos will be converted for this service.
Oh, did I mention the site is for sale? You can buy it direct for just under $14,000.
More at:http://converttube.com/
Via-Mash
Air-Savings.com is a certified organization that specializes in designing comfortable and affordable travel packages tailor-made to your requirements
With international travel taking off in a big way, there aren't that many big name sites that cater to the international travelers. Air-savings.com hopes to pick up on that and build their own client base with more international travelers.
Air-Savings.com is a certified organization that specializes in designing comfortable and affordable travel packages tailor-made to your requirements. Their services are not limited to just airfares, they also provide excellent car rentals, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, group travel, corporate travel, and a bunch of other travel related services. Air-Savings.com is a group of dedicated travel professionals, who have spent years in the travel industry. They keep up to speed with the trends in the travel industry by constantly upgrading their knowledge and technology. They offer published, as well as private airfares to India, Kenya, Dubai, and The Philippines. This site also offers car, hotel, cruise and vacation packages.
More at:http://www.air-savings.com/
Air-Savings.com is a certified organization that specializes in designing comfortable and affordable travel packages tailor-made to your requirements. Their services are not limited to just airfares, they also provide excellent car rentals, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, group travel, corporate travel, and a bunch of other travel related services. Air-Savings.com is a group of dedicated travel professionals, who have spent years in the travel industry. They keep up to speed with the trends in the travel industry by constantly upgrading their knowledge and technology. They offer published, as well as private airfares to India, Kenya, Dubai, and The Philippines. This site also offers car, hotel, cruise and vacation packages.
More at:http://www.air-savings.com/
RedHotFranchises.com allows prospective entrepreneurs to browse through hundreds of the most popular, most profitable, and most interesting franchises
RedHotFranchises.com allows prospective entrepreneurs to browse through hundreds of the most popular, most profitable, and most interesting franchises easily and quickly. With a few clicks info will be speeding its way to the future business owner.Prospective business owners can get info on franchise fees, start-up costs, royalties, and even earnings claims. Visitors to the site can search by industry or investment level. The site hosts a dynamic franchise articles section, a franchise news section and even a franchise contest.RedHotFranchises.com allows leads to be filtered by investment level and geography. Leads are routed in real time and prospects are required to complete all fields resulting in a better qualified lead. Multiple feature opportunities include anchor positions, rotating banners, article sponsored links, and featured franchise section.
More at:http://www.redhotfranchises.com/
More at:http://www.redhotfranchises.com/
At LifeOnTop, they are committed to all things luxury; discerning themselves from others by providing both national and regional guides
At LifeOnTop, they are committed to all things luxury; discerning themselves from others by providing both national and regional guides. So no matter where our readers reside, LifeOnTop’s dedication to all things affluent, guarantees uncompromised refinement and piques passion for the posh. In order to provide a more targeted offering to their readers they are maintaining high standards in the content delivered by staying on target with the topics that readers really care about.
All you will find on this website is luxury.There aren’t over there many sites that offer this service. LifeOnTop.com provides tons of material for the ones that love luxury.
More at:http://www.lifeontop.com/
All you will find on this website is luxury.There aren’t over there many sites that offer this service. LifeOnTop.com provides tons of material for the ones that love luxury.
More at:http://www.lifeontop.com/
Get Paid For Your Content
Triond is a comprehensive publishing service that enables users to publish quality content of any type while maximizing its revenue-generating potential.
The Triond vision is to support quality user-generated content online by allowing authors to earn royalties for publishing their work on the Web.Triond is a middleman company that links your submitted content to buys who visit their site or the sites of their affiliates. Content creators including artists, writers, audio/video producers, etc. register an account, submit their work to triond.com and once it is approved Triond posts it on the site they deem most appropriate, either on their networks or an affiliate’s network. From then on, you will receive 50% of the monthly ad revenue generated by your content. Monthly payments will be sent by check, Western Union money transfer, or directly to your PayPal account. The coolest part of this site is the wide variety of content they accept. Accepted content includes content in any subject, any language, writing, videos, pictures, podcasts, original recorded mucis, and the list goes on.
More at:http://www.triond.com/
The Triond vision is to support quality user-generated content online by allowing authors to earn royalties for publishing their work on the Web.Triond is a middleman company that links your submitted content to buys who visit their site or the sites of their affiliates. Content creators including artists, writers, audio/video producers, etc. register an account, submit their work to triond.com and once it is approved Triond posts it on the site they deem most appropriate, either on their networks or an affiliate’s network. From then on, you will receive 50% of the monthly ad revenue generated by your content. Monthly payments will be sent by check, Western Union money transfer, or directly to your PayPal account. The coolest part of this site is the wide variety of content they accept. Accepted content includes content in any subject, any language, writing, videos, pictures, podcasts, original recorded mucis, and the list goes on.
More at:http://www.triond.com/
Pay Per Sale And Earn Cash With Blogkits.com
Blogkits.com is the best way to earn money on a blog is NOT pay-per-click, but rather pay per sale. Bloggers who sign up for Blogkits.com agree to have ads from various sectors located somewhere on their blog. If a blog reader clicks through to the ad’s site and makes a purchase, the blogger earns a 10% commission. The ads chosen for a specific blog are relevant to the intended audience and should therefore bring in some money for the blogger. To sign up Blogkits.com requires all the usual information plus a social security number.This seems like a good option for bloggers who are desperate for some extra cash however I am skeptical of how much money will actually be accumulated. Blogkits.com acts as the middleman and after stores report the commission then Blogkits.com sends the money. It is a long line of transfers. However, if a blogger gets lucky with a good ad during Christmas shopping time they could really make some big bucks.
More at:http://www.blogkits.com/
More at:http://www.blogkits.com/
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Rate Your Financial Advisor
Imagine having the ability to search for a financial advisor and to read how that advisor is rated by current and past clients. You are able to decide whether to engage an advisor or firm before you even interview them. By the same token, advisors and firms will no longer be able to make unethical recommendations, churn client accounts and, after investing the client's money, simply not service the client because they've already received payment. Moreover, you can continually monitor your advisor, watch how they are servicing their other clients and discern whether any of those clients have concerns with the advisor's services (and why).
Financialjoe is a place to rank and rate financial advisors. You simply register, post and rank the info about your advisor, and browse through other rankings. You can also read the blog and/or the forum, which has some good links. I think most of us have experienced the tough choices in investing our precious dollars and sought out the advice of a financial advisor. But usually we remain fearful and skeptical of their advice, because different investments benefit them personally in different ways. How do we know they are not steering us in the wrong direction? How do we know they are not charging us too many fees? This site helps the consumer level the playing field and hold advisors accountable. It is also a great place to find a highly ranked investor.
More at:http://financialjoe.com/
Financialjoe is a place to rank and rate financial advisors. You simply register, post and rank the info about your advisor, and browse through other rankings. You can also read the blog and/or the forum, which has some good links. I think most of us have experienced the tough choices in investing our precious dollars and sought out the advice of a financial advisor. But usually we remain fearful and skeptical of their advice, because different investments benefit them personally in different ways. How do we know they are not steering us in the wrong direction? How do we know they are not charging us too many fees? This site helps the consumer level the playing field and hold advisors accountable. It is also a great place to find a highly ranked investor.
More at:http://financialjoe.com/
Bing Bong Tables As A Big Business Opportunities
Adam Wasserman, 25, left his job with a mortgage company and sank a big chunk of his savings into a Los Angeles warehouse where he builds portable beer-pong tables that start at $99 apiece. Many of his customers are recent graduates. "When you move into a new place, you need the basics: a TV, fridge and a beer-pong table," he says.
Juan Aycart, a 27-year-old South Orange, N.J., graphic designer, recently paid $150 for a portable beer-pong table from Bing Bong Inc. of Philadelphia. "I'm not invited to parties anymore, my beer-pong table is," says Mr. Aycart.
In 2005, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch Cos. sponsored tournaments across the country in a promotion called Bud Pong. But the company abandoned the game after media reports suggested it promoted binge drinking.
Stepping into the breach were Billy Gaines and Duncan Carroll, Carnegie Mellon University grads who in 2004 developed Web site bpong.com and a multiplayer online beer-pong game. Last year they played host to the first World Series of Beer Pong. "Those who dislike parties, pong, music, girls, trash-talking, and gambling need not apply," the tournament's official Web site says. The tournament this year attracted nearly 500 pongers to Mesquite, Nev., for a four-day tournament and $20,000 in prize money raised by charging $550 entry fees. Mr. Gaines, a 26-year-old Chicago lawyer, says he and Mr. Carroll, a 26-year-old graphic designer, haven't taken profits from the tournament yet. For now, they say they are building their brand by buying tables, balls and cups and reselling them emblazoned with their tournament logo.
The World Series and local leagues and tournaments have helped increase the market for beer-pong gear. Since Penn State University grads Tom Schmidt, 29, and Matt Brady, 30, started Bing Bong three years ago, they estimate they have sold more than 10,000 beer-pong tables. The 7- or 8-foot aluminum tables are collapsible, folding up into a briefcase. They say they expect $1 million in revenue this year. They sell to college students, recent grads and bars, which "are now accepting the game," Mr. Schmidt says, as something that increases sales.
More at:http://www.bingbongtables.com/
Juan Aycart, a 27-year-old South Orange, N.J., graphic designer, recently paid $150 for a portable beer-pong table from Bing Bong Inc. of Philadelphia. "I'm not invited to parties anymore, my beer-pong table is," says Mr. Aycart.
In 2005, brewing giant Anheuser-Busch Cos. sponsored tournaments across the country in a promotion called Bud Pong. But the company abandoned the game after media reports suggested it promoted binge drinking.
Stepping into the breach were Billy Gaines and Duncan Carroll, Carnegie Mellon University grads who in 2004 developed Web site bpong.com and a multiplayer online beer-pong game. Last year they played host to the first World Series of Beer Pong. "Those who dislike parties, pong, music, girls, trash-talking, and gambling need not apply," the tournament's official Web site says. The tournament this year attracted nearly 500 pongers to Mesquite, Nev., for a four-day tournament and $20,000 in prize money raised by charging $550 entry fees. Mr. Gaines, a 26-year-old Chicago lawyer, says he and Mr. Carroll, a 26-year-old graphic designer, haven't taken profits from the tournament yet. For now, they say they are building their brand by buying tables, balls and cups and reselling them emblazoned with their tournament logo.
The World Series and local leagues and tournaments have helped increase the market for beer-pong gear. Since Penn State University grads Tom Schmidt, 29, and Matt Brady, 30, started Bing Bong three years ago, they estimate they have sold more than 10,000 beer-pong tables. The 7- or 8-foot aluminum tables are collapsible, folding up into a briefcase. They say they expect $1 million in revenue this year. They sell to college students, recent grads and bars, which "are now accepting the game," Mr. Schmidt says, as something that increases sales.
More at:http://www.bingbongtables.com/
SaleHoo to be the most informative and comprehensive wholesale directory available.
They've created SaleHoo to be the most informative and comprehensive wholesale directory available. Not only does SaleHoo have suppliers for virtually every any product or brand name you can think of, but we take particular attention to insure that our information is reliable and current, so you're not purchasing information that is three years out of date!
SaleHoo gives you access to Product suppliers you won't find anywhere else as well as clothing, electronics, everyday goods and big ticket items, super-cheap no-name brands and top-label products at unbelievable prices. And every supplier is thoroughly reviewed, so you get no nasty surprises.
More at:http://www.salehoo.com/
SaleHoo gives you access to Product suppliers you won't find anywhere else as well as clothing, electronics, everyday goods and big ticket items, super-cheap no-name brands and top-label products at unbelievable prices. And every supplier is thoroughly reviewed, so you get no nasty surprises.
More at:http://www.salehoo.com/
Manage Your Project Online
ProWorkflow was developed after the founder needed a solution for his own business. Since then we've talked to many other co's and continuously improved the tool. It's becoming a really solid solution now with a heap of flexibility built in. Companies can easily tailor the solution to their particular project and workflow requirements.
ProWorkflow uses smart screens to show assigned projects and allow staff to easily track their time. Management can easily view top-down reporting and progress. The solution is easy to use, powerful and has been designed for small to medium creative & tech business. The functionality within ProWorkflow has been developed through customer feedback; therefore the system delivers what the majority of users require within small to medium businesses. The solution is easy to implement and has a professional, intuitive interface. ProWorkflow has an affordable price of $15 per user (staff) per month on subscription (code is available).
More at:http://www.proworkflow.com/
ProWorkflow uses smart screens to show assigned projects and allow staff to easily track their time. Management can easily view top-down reporting and progress. The solution is easy to use, powerful and has been designed for small to medium creative & tech business. The functionality within ProWorkflow has been developed through customer feedback; therefore the system delivers what the majority of users require within small to medium businesses. The solution is easy to implement and has a professional, intuitive interface. ProWorkflow has an affordable price of $15 per user (staff) per month on subscription (code is available).
More at:http://www.proworkflow.com/
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