December 26, 2006
Small Business Missing Still Out Because Of Katrina Oversight
Small Business: John Kerry, D-Mass., is calling for hearings on the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program, saying only about one-fifth of the $10 billion in loans had reached affected areas; wants "aggressive contracting oversight" of work slated for small firms.
Plus the Democrat majority in Congress is pledging for closer inspection of how $88 billion in federal aid for Hurricane Katrina is being spent.
These and other related issues such as the purchases made by federal employees with government-issued credit cards are scheduled for heraring in early 2007.
Posted by David at 9:01 AM | TrackBack
October 15, 2006
What Now For YouTube's Entrepreneurs Chad Hurley and Steve Chen?
At a time when online sales exceeded £100bn for the first time in 2005 according to the Office of National Statistics it's not surprising that Google is racing to exploit the new craze of online video. Chad Hurley and Steve Chen (both only twenty something) agreed to sell YouTube for $1.65bn to Google. In the old new world of Web 2.0, it seems, some of the dotcom entrepreneurial ways may be making a com back.
Despite resemblance of old dot com, Mr Hurley and Mr Chen also exhibit many of the characteristics of the typical new wave of entrepreneurs rising to the top in the latest internet boom. They have anticipated and benefited from some of the profound changes the internet is bringing about, yet they do not make the unrealistic and provocative claims of the old dot com days. The mix of pragmatism and opportunism they showed in building and then quickly selling YouTube highlights an easier going and current style.
Now that YouTube is part of Google's empire, what of the future for Mr. Hurley and Mr. Chen and how can budding entrepreneurs capitalize on online video?
Mr. Hurley's vision for YouTube over the next ten years is to keep moving forward with ad models, develop new concepts and to expand ideas around empowering users with content from professional produced sources. In other words, turn the site, built mainly on d-i-y home movies into a center for mainstream entertainment.
Posted by David at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
November 2, 2005
Competition between Google and Yahoo over B2B Text Ads Warms Up
Competition for text ad budgets between Google and Yahoo could be warming up.
Following the allegation of a Google Adsense user that Google penalizes publishers that run web sites with underperforming clicks from Adsense ads, some B2B (publishers that market to businesses rather than consumers) publishers could be tempted to switch to Yahoo's text ads instead.
The publisher's allegation is that Google's method of pricing penalizes low performing sites to the detriment of higher performing ones that are owned by the same publisher. Naturally such an allegation will cause ripples, especially for B2B publishers own and pay for Google Adsense ads.
Google naturally has countered the allegation by stating that "more than conversion rate goes into determining the price of an ad and that factors such as the advertiser's bid, the quality of the ad, other competing ads, the duration of an ad campaign and other advertiser fluctuations."
I'm sure that Google has held back on all the factors that it takes into account in formulating the price publishers’ pay for Google Adsense ads.
Whether the publishers allegation is true or not, one thing it has done is to enable Yahoo to seize the initiative in saying that its system of text advertising is more transparent and that they are willing to share information with B2B publishers plus there system is more responsive.
What do you think? Do you believe Google the publisher's allegation has some truth or is he a "plant", part of a dirty trick aimed at getting B2B publishers to switch their text ads budget away from Google?
see the allegation
David
Small Business Resource
Posted by David at 6:26 PM | Comments (0)
Ken Giddens Died Three Days Ago
It's the third time this week I've read sad news, first from John Reese, then news from an internet marketer who lost his aunt but was too busy to take time to say good bye and today, news of the sad passing of Ken Giddens, who made his living from marketing on the Internet.
It does not matter if you knew Ken Giddens or not. But trust me that if you did, you would agree that he was a tender spirit who'll be remembered because of his passion for helping ordinary folks and for being true to himself.
My condolence goes out to Ken's family at their loss. I hope they'll find comfort from each other, friends and everyone who was touched by Ken's gentle soul.
I've never met ken Giddens so why am I so saddened by news of his death?
I only saw ken Giddens in home study videos shot at "System Seminar" and Carl Galetti's Conferences, so how can I explain the reason why I feel the way I do about a stranger?
The truth is Ken exuded a genuine and real passion for the Internet, especially search engine marketing. Passion that penetrated even the thickest defenses of people who rubbish the Internet as a medium that can help ordinary people to make a living online. Clearly they haven't heard about eBay.
Unlike many Internet Marketers who would never hesitate to sell you fluff at any price, Ken appeared to be uncomfortable with selling you anything that was not going to add real and tangible benefits to your business. He was almost apologetic at asking for a sale. Something that every good marketer and copywriter know is vital.
Ken's approach to the search engines, which was an area he specialized in, was to do everything that was natural to the way search engines work, especially Google. Ken likened this naturalness to nature. If you base your search engine marketing strategy, especially, search engine optimization on the way nature is organized, you should do well with receiving high rankings and never be struck off because of spamming.
I didn't know Ken Giddens but I was touched by his gentle spirit and uniqueness. Ken Giggens wont be too far from my mind when the words, decent, unique, helping folks, and being natural to the search engines are mentioned.
Rest in peace Mr. Giddens.
Posted by David at 3:17 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2005
Internet Marketing News: Google Tests Personal Listings Service
Google is testing a new internet listing service that could eventually propel it into new markets on the web in competition with a wide range of existing internet companies, from ecommerce giants such as eBay to online listing sites.
News of Google's test caused eBay's share to fall by 4 per cent.
Known as Google Base, the service would let internet users submit information about a wide range of personal items, free of charge, to publicly searchable database maintained by Google.
The information could include things like a listing of your used car for sale or a database of protein structures, according to Google's test site. The website was not publicly available, but screen shots were posted on blog sites. While refusing to comment on future services, Google said: "We are testing new ways for content owners to easily send their content to Google.
By collecting personal listings and making them generally searchable without charging a fee, Google could pose a direct challenge to eBay, whose business is founded on the millions of listings it attracts from sellers. Ebay users pay an average of 7% of the value of sales they conduct through the auction site.
Many other companies, from online job sites to apartment rental services and Yellow Pages companies, also rely on listings and classified advertisements that could potentially fall within the range of Google Base.
Ebay and Google have appeared to be increasingly set on a collision course in recent months, as each company has moved further into territory occupied by the other. Ebay for instance has invested heavily in its own search engine, known as Magellan, to make it easier for buyers to pick their way through its massive database of items for sale.
Both companies have also rushed to add communications to their range of services, with eBay buying Skipe Internet phone service and Google creating its own instant messaging and voice service, Google Talk. Google's potential move into Ebay's markets has already led to tension between the two this year. After it emerged that the search company was looking into launching its own online payment system, Google quickly said it was not planning to a service that would directly compete with PayPal, which is owned by EBay. EBay is one of the largest advertisers on Google-pay-per-click.
By Richard Waters
FT
Posted by David at 2:46 PM | Comments (0)
September 30, 2005
News! Google Is Now The Number One Internet Index
On 09 28 2005 Google said it expanded its index of the Internet to make it three times larger than any other search engine. But in the search engine wars, relevancy is the real judge on the usefulness of a search index not the size of an index.
Google has been involved in a hotly contested debate with rival Yahoo over which search engine has the biggest search index of web pages.
Yahoo and Google previously claimed to have indexed 19.2bn and 8bn web pages respectively. Google's home page previously claimed that although it had 8bn indexed web pages it was dropping references to the number of web pages and was focusing on the relevance of results found.
Indeed, It is search relevancy that has contributed to Google being the most popular search engine among Internet users.
In a Google blog note that marked the anniversary of Google's inception in 1988, Anna Patterson, a software engineer, said the birthday was being celebrated with an expanded search index 1,000 times the size of the original index created when Larry page was at Stanford university.
The fact that Google has expanded its search index to become the biggest index is not so important; the ultimate judge is a search engine user who cares more about search relevancy than the size of an index.
David Davis
Small Business Resource
Posted by David at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2005
News! UK Small Businesses Can Slash Telephone Calls Using VOIP
British Telecom (BT) has drastically cut its VOIP prices to undercut Skype. Small businesses can now contact international prospects and customers in Australia, USA and other destinations paying 0.5p per minute over a BT openzone hotspot shelved.
The price cutting move by BT is clearly a strategy to limit the damage of customers switching to Skype. What this has done is to make the VOIP market red hot.
Gavin Patterson, MD of BT's Consumer division, confirmed that the price cut is an effort to prevent providers of Internet telephony tempting BT customers away with cheap calls.
Many tech companies are hurrying to get a piece of the "VOIP action", with several companies making their intentions clear towards voice over IP only this week.
DSG, owners of Currys and Dixons, has unveiled a VoIP venture, under the brand FreeTalk. FreeTalk will sell 'adapters' in DSG-owned stores providing users free UK fixed-line calls for twelve months over VoIP including cheap international calls, and as an alternative, charging a monthly subscription fee of £6.99 for the same deal.
DSG is the first company that will be selling tangible VoIP products on the UK high street.
FreeTalk will face competition from two other new entrants to VoIP, including Ebay's Skype and Vonage.
Onetel has launched Just Dial, with a £1.99 monthly subscription combined with free evening and weekend calls or £4.99 for free calls any time. Onetel will also be selling adapters for phone-fond VoIP users.
ISP PlusNet has also launched a VoIP service, PlusTalk, offering a range of calling packages with prices starting at £2.99 for a monthly subscription.
Wanadoo revealed its subscriber numbers today. The France Telecom-parented provider, which launched its internet calling package in March, has signed up 50,000 users.
The ISP said nearly half of its new broadband subscribers are choosing to use VoIP now and each of Wanadoo's VoIP users is making around 150 minutes of calls per month.
In the race to win customers Ebay's Skype has a ready customer base of ebay merchants that numbers 60 plus millions and growing. As Ebay develops its strategies to capitalise its investment in Skype the telephony industry is about the witness change that's comparable with the Internet revolution. This spells good news for small businesses.
David
Small Business Resource
Posted by David at 2:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 7, 2005
London: Yesterday’s Shock Was Followed By overwhelming Joy And Today There's Madness And Loss Of Life
Yesterday I was on a high as it was announced that the next Olympic games will be held in London. You see I live only two miles away from where the games will be held. In fact I can see the entire area; stadium and village from my house.
Like 75% of the UK population I believe the games will be good for London and that it'll be a lasting legacy for Londoners, the UK and visitors to London. It was a happy day full of joyous expectations of things to come in the future.
But while the people of the UK was expressing joy at winning its bid to host the games unknown to the masses was the sinister plot that was taking place to bomb London and turn joy into sadness.
As Prime minister Blair was sitting with leaders from the top eight countries at the G8 conference in Gleneagles, Scotland to discuss the important topics of aid for Africa and climate change, terrorist were bombing and killing innocent women and children in the streets of London.
The world has gone mad! Really mad!
We all knew it was only a matter of time before the terrorists would strike so it was not a total surprise however, the reality and bloodiness of it is shocking to the soul.
I pray for the families who have lost loved ones. I pray God will comfort them at this time.
Although the terrorist have temporarily wounded the "Lion" they should remember the history of this country, the lion has been through wars and have sharpened its resolve never to be defeated. Terrorists come and they go but a radiant spirit can never die.
Thirty-three have died and many are injured. Londoners will stop and think, they’ll cry and reflect but it'll be business as usual in London tomorrow.
That’s’ the spirit on Londoners who represent the aspirations, hope and dreams of millions of people form almost every country on God’s earth.
David
Posted by David at 5:15 PM | Comments (0)
