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Posts from the ‘Business’ Category

22
Dec

The secret of success… is often failure

A vast majority of new businesses and startups will fail – so then what is an ex-entrepreneur to do? The experiences earned in running your own business can be valuable, so knowing when it call it quits and how to follow through with a backup plan could be the greatest success pulled from the ashes of a stalled out business plan.

3
Oct

Diversify to Manage Surprises

Diversifying your web holdings is a great way to avoid the disruptions caused by shifting affiliate options and bigger economic trends. Find out more about the benefits and risks of the online diversification strategy.

19
Sep

Back to work… really!

Yes, you really can make a significant amount of money with websites on autopilot. I’m thinking you could probably make even more if you put a little bit of work in to it.

28
Jun

Dot anything and the future of domain names

ICANN is talking about selling top level domains to brands, but the price and potential problems will limit participation to a few, and that means not a whole lot is going to change.

13
Jun

The personal perils of small-scale web success

Or… how I learned to stop worrying and love new hobbies Have you ever set goals for yourself? They help us keep track of where we are at and where we want to be headed. Some of them are mundane: like setting a goal of finishing the laundry, or cleaning up the dishes before anything [...]

25
Feb

Oil is headed back to unsustainable prices

A few macro indicators are pointing to a new crisis for the economy, and it looks like oil prices could lead the way to our next financial panic and contraction.

23
Feb

Venture Capital in Decline

A few years ago, VC investments were all of the rage. But now that the housing bubble has collapased and Wall Street is in retreat, what ever happened to all of those investors who dreamed of building the next big thing?

20
Jan

Google Shifts Gears – to High Speed

Google announces a few changes in the organization of the executive board – except no one is leaving and no one wants to challenge the direction in which the company is headed.

30
Dec

A Great Christmas for the Web Business

The research data and my anecdotes agree: Christmas 2010 was a great year for online business.

30
Nov

Comcast Escalates the Web Business Debate

Comcast stirs up the debate – who is going to pay for all of this extra bandwidth demand created by the growth of online media distribution?

25
Nov

Black Friday Goes Online

Black Friday sales have become something of an American holiday tradition, but as quickly as it became embedded in our shopping culture it has also transformed to an online event.

28
Oct

Pictures from the housing crash

Some pictures from the housing bubble collapse in suburban Florida. Prices have dropped in half and the properties still might not be worth it.

26
Oct

Even with this economy, search skills stay in demand

With the job market struggling, some anecdotal reports and media attention suggest a new corporate interest in hiring search engine managers and optimizers. SEO and SEM could be the buzzwords in business as big players adapt to a new, online media environment.

27
May

Get Ready for the Second Financial Panic

All signs point to a new wave of financial panic in the coming months – but its hard to say how bad it will be or exactly how the pain will manifest.

22
Feb

In 2010, they expect you to pay for news

More newspapers are planning a shift toward premium and paid subscriptions for online content – but why do they expect anything to be different now that customers have even less discretionary income available?

8
Dec

Unexpected Vacation – Why I Love Working Online

Unexpected illness and personal loss can wreak havoc on a work schedule, but working online for your own websites means you won’t need to beg permission before taking a break.

5
Nov

There’s that brick wall again

Too many plans, too many projects, and too much effort can leave you lying in bed sick. Somehow, that doesn’t stop me from trying – and finding – my limits.

24
Oct

Business Weather Forecast: COLD!

Any green shoots economists had spotted have frozen over by now. Economic news continues to disappoint and many government programs have delivered underwhelming results compared to what was initially implied.

16
Oct

A Few Ideas on Maximizing Energy and Output

Proper eating habits and a bit of exercise won’t put more hours in the day, but they can help you find the energy needed to accomplish a long list of tasks.

15
Oct

Know Your Limits? I Don’t Seem to Know Mine

There’s only so much ambition and hard work you can fit in to a 24 hour time frame. Sometimes its good to reflect on the limits of your time and where priorities are assigned. Hopefully, I can get away with a bit less sleep for a while ;)

3
Oct

Dungeons & Dragons Online – Quality Gaming with a Freemium Business Plan

The freemium business model isn’t some academic theory of a new economy, you can go play some quality online games based on that business model right now.

4
Sep

Chegg gets a bump on CNBC – Textbook rental with affiliate program makes some buzz

Seeing the CEO of an affiliate partner suddenly reminds me how important media saturation is – even offline marketing for a primarily online service.

3
Sep

Coupons and promotional offers continue moving to the web

Coupons and shoppers are headed online in a quest to find the best deals available. Since the economy is slow, more and more people are making purchase decisions based on price.

18
Aug

Forget Popcorn, the Economy is Still in Trouble

Financial cheerleaders are heralding the return of box office popcorn sales, but the stock market has been trending down quickly as consumer income falls and credit continues to dry up.  Cars are selling well, but this is almost certainly temporary and driven by huge handouts and new loans. My outlook hasn’t changed much since may [...]

16
Aug

Health Costs and the Competitive Edge in Business

Lost in all of the health care screaming is how important this issue truly is to the competitive ability of American businesses. The current system is not only unsustainable, but also a poor investment for employers and employees alike. Of course, the political types and certain investors have a lot to gain from a high cost, low return program.

16
Aug

The Media’s Dilemma – Mass Exposure vs Exclusive Distribution

Media producers are being forced into choosing between two things they once took for granted: mass coverage and control over distribution. The new economic reality of online content reshapes some fundamental relationships in the business of content publishing, and adaptation will be the key to surviving this economic re-alignment.

11
Aug

A glimpse of the web’s future? Riffs on August web news

Bing, Facebook, Friendfeed, and Google are all making headlines in early August 2009, but as exciting as the announcements are, the actual results are far from being seen.

3
Aug

The Perils of Popularity

At the entry level, hosting is cheap and websites don’t require a whole lot of resources to deliver content quickly and reliably. If a site crosses over into extreme popularity, that can change quickly and the costs will spike as quickly – or even quicker than – the revenue.

15
Jul

Digg and Youtube Dropping IE6 Compatibility

Despite some high profile websites dropping compatibility support for IE6, chances are most of us will be stuck designing for it a while longer unless we want to give up a large chunk of total traffic volume. Who uses IE6 and why is it such a source of frustration for designers? Learn more about the nightmare browser here…

2
Jul

Embracing Collapse and Creative Destruction in Business

When the sky is falling, running around in a panic won’t solve a thing – but building a better roof or new foundations for your business is part of the evolutionary process we should embrace.

23
May

Forget about economic recovery – adapt to the new market

The economy isn’t going to recover any time soon – and when it does recover, it probably still won’t be anything like the pre-2008 market conditions. Business trends can fluctuate over a long time horizon, and current shifts indicate a new paradigm of frugality may be here to stay for a while.

7
May

“The current days of the Internet will soon be over”

Rupert Murdoch informs investors that the new business model will attempt to hide content behind paid walls and he goes on to predict the very end of the internet as we’ve known it. Call me skeptical of his internet counter-revolution.

4
May

Web Bubble Unwound – Acquisitions Turn into IPOs and Startups

The internet economy is entering a new era of stark realities as large websites begin to dump off acquisitions and dependent domains that aren’t directly related to their business model.

30
Apr

Governments Imagine Easy Cash Online – Want Internet Money

South Park’s take on internet fame, making money online, and wealth by legislation is not just hilarious, it has some valid points that web publishers and governments should take into consideration.

25
Mar

Websites – the Victory Garden 2.0

When the going gets tough, the tough get to work. In the 1930s and 1940s, we have the victory garden – and while backyard farming is on the rise, it isn’t the only way to make money at home with a small capital investment.

23
Mar

Building Websites is the Cheapest Way to Work from Home

Want to work from home but are scared by constant stories of scams and companies that want large up front fees just to provide you with information? Invest in yourself instead, and start building websites on domains you own – it is the safest and cheapest way to start to make an income online.

13
Mar

Online Business Competition Heats Up

Online business competition is on the rise and I’ll need to actually embrace some of this social media to survive. Can an anti-social internet marketer get by in a social media world?

25
Jan

More Bubble 2.0 – Too Big to Profit

More about the internet bubble version 2.0 – this edition is focused on why companies online end up “too big to profit.” Size and scale may be great for manufacturing, but for internet advertising it is an inevitably doomed prospect.

20
Dec

No Bailout for Online Business – Get Ready to Pay the Bill

We’ve become a bailout nation and no business can fully ignore the consequences of this new political paradigm. The bad news is, unless you’ve already got a check from the government to save your business, you shouldn’t be expecting one. If anything, get ready for the bill to come due. These bailouts aren’t free you know!

20
Dec

Is Facebook Really Worth Anything in This Economy?

Putting a value on Facebook or other social media websites that don’t currently have a revenue model. How much can a non-profitable website really be worth during an economic crash?

25
Nov

Seek Opportunity but don’t Trivialize the Crash

There may be glimmers of hope here and there, but the overall outlook is still pretty bleak. I may have understated this with the last article so I’ll take a slightly more detailed look at the financial situation and where the macro economy is headed from here.

14
Nov

Why Every Business Needs a Blog

“Every business needs a blog” You’ve probably heard it so much it seems cliche – well, it may be repeated often but that’s only because it is true.

6
Nov

Google and Yahoo Cancel Advertising Deal Amid Government Fears

While a lot of advertisers and publishers had been excited about a planned joint venture between Google and Yahoo, the expansion of the advertising network is indefinitely suspended as talks break down amid fears of government intervention

3
Nov

Why do these Internet Marketers Need a Job?

Why do these SEOs and self-proclaimed marketing gurus need a job from your company? Here are some important questions human resource managers and corporate strategists should be asking before hiring someone for online advertising purposes – and some important things for the SEOs and marketing specialists to ask about themselves in order to justify their want of a job.

22
Oct

Internet Bubble 2.0 – Yahoo and Abrite

Is there a Bubble Version 2.0 popping? It probably won’t be as severe as the first internet bubble, but Yahoo and Adbrite are showing us that the coming round will be about saving costs and raising profits – not about insane investment deals and lavish executive salaries

16
Oct

Google 3rd Quarter 2008 Earnings

Google’s 3rd Quarter Earnings Report does not disappoint!

16
Oct

Tough Day for Internet Stocks – Tips to Survive the “New” Economy

Today was a bad day for internet stocks across the board – and fears are growing that the credit crunch is beginning to affect online advertising revenue. Here are some tips to avoid the fate of the big name brands that got caught up in the big stock sell off.

25
Aug

Local News can Survive Online

A lot of local newspapers are going under as they face higher advertising and business competition – but if they adapt to new technology, new business models, and new concepts of syndication – the local newspaper publishers can still grow

17
Jul

Internet grows despite slowing economy

The global economy seems to be slowing down as consumers cut costs and find new ways to save money. For a variety of reasons, the internet economy is doing just fine.