Mar
31
2010

1 internet marketing

Jim Tobin is president of Ignite Social Media, where he works work with clients including Microsoft, Intel, Nature Made, The Body Shop, Disney and more implementing social media marketing strategies. He is also author of the book “Social Media is a Cocktail Party: Why You Already Know the Rules of Social Media Marketing.”

“What’s next in social media?” It’s among the most popular questions out there. But while most folks currently answer with “location-based services” (i.e. FoursquareFoursquare, GowallaGowalla) or “group purchasing” (i.e. Groupon, Twongo, Living Social), the real battle may be between FacebookFacebook and GoogleGoogle.

The fight between these two Internet giants to become your default social profile has been brewing for a long time, and the prize is an enormous potential revenue stream. Let’s take a closer look.

Connect It. Buzz It.

Many sites allow you to become a member using Google Friend Connectgoogle friend connect. While the benefit of doing so wasn’t always clear, it was one of the first efforts to encourage the use of Google profiles across the web. Google BuzzGoogle Buzz and its thus-far poorly executed GmailGmail integration, is another. Google WaveGoogle Wave, if widely adopted and used at its full capability (which hasn’t happened yet), would be yet another a compelling reason to use your Google profile as a way to engage with most sites.

At the same time, on many sites, including MashableMashable, you can use Facebook Connect to leave a comment. If you do, it will grab your profile picture and leave a link to your Facebook profile.

All these features are pretty basic so far, but these are just the recon teams prepping for the coming war. Right now, each company is trying various tactics to condition you to use their service as your default social profile.

Social Commerce is Coming

In April 2009, Forrester released its “Future of the Social Web,” a report that outlines five major eras of social media. The final one, set to begin in 2011, is “social commerce,” in which social networks start to become intermediaries in the buying process.

With programs like Alvenda, where you can buy flowers from within the Facebook Fan Page of 1-800-Flowers, and Payvment, where you can buy from multiple businesses on Facebook using one shopping cart, we’re seeing the early efforts of outsiders to make buying within social networks easy and natural. I believe this will continue. If the process is easy and secure, why wouldn’t users feel comfortable making purchases directly through their social interactions with companies and friends? Because of this trend, I expect Facebook and Google to start generating their own revenue streams from these transactions.

Virtual Goods Worth Billions

Add to this a genuine interest in the purchase of virtual goods (from little Facebook gifts at birthdays to just about everything in the online game Second Life), and you’ve suddenly got a $1 billion market in the U.S. alone.

In China, the market for virtual goods last year was $5 billion, and the larger social networks in China are profitable — something Facebook is reportedly still reaching toward.

Facebook, therefore, now has a genuine interest in having a very secure, very simple e-commerce platform, where you can buy whatever you want with one-click, similar to Amazon’s Kindle Store, and Apple’s App Store.

Make Checkout Portable

So Facebook has Facebook Credits. Google has Google Checkout.

While Google Checkout has always been designed to be used on other sites, in Q2 this year Facebook will roll out its Open Graph API, which will “allow any page on the web to have all the features of a Facebook Page.” If “all the features” includes the ability to make purchases (large or tiny) using Facebook credits, we’ve got something there. Plus, Facebook just announced that they might automatically connect you with certain pre-approved sites without you even clicking a button — a strong move if their goal is to become that default social profile.

Google can counter this by integrating Checkout data (your credit card, basically) with your Google Profile, allowing sites that choose Google to also have the potential for one-click buying. And both Google and Facebook are good at making these programs easy to implement, so the friction for site owners to add that functionality is very low.

Certainly AmazonAmazon.com has also had a long interest in people using its cart functionality on sites, but I’m not considering it here because it doesn’t aim to use your social profile as the hook for connecting – it is a more traditional e-commerce play.

Team Facebook? Team Google?

Suddenly, whether Facebook or Google becomes the default social profile around the web has billion-dollar ramifications. Just ask credit card companies how much can be made by taking just a small percentage of all of those transactions. And with billions at stake, it’s likely to be a real battle ahead.

The winners may be all of us, because to compel us to connect using their services, both companies will have to think about providing a lot of genuine utility. When they get creative, we get better web experiences.

Get it right, make it secure, and I’m there.

Which social network do you think will ultimately triumph and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on TwitterTwitter or become a fan on Facebook

More social media resources from Mashable:

- How Facebook Can Become a Money Making Machine
- 6 Easy Ways to Score the Best Deals with Social Media
- 5 Big Twitter Trends to Follow Right Now
- 5 Ways Non-Profits Can Increase Engagement With YouTube
- 4 Tips for Reducing Social Media Stress

7 comments on “Google Finds 1 Out of 3 Mobile Searches Have Local Spin”

David @ seo-writer.com Says:

March 23rd, 2010 at 10:27 am

“non-evil world domination “? I am trying to picture James Bond trying to figure that one out.
Ryan Says:

March 23rd, 2010 at 10:53 am

I think local mobile search has come. Being a Blackberry user for a couple of years, I surprise myself how many times I do a Google search or local business. Don’t forget about Yelp which has applications for both the iPhone and the Blackberry. Yelp users are looking for a very specific local service when they search.
Ryan´s last blog ..Why You Need to Promote Your Blog
Wynne Says:

March 23rd, 2010 at 4:05 pm

It makes a lot sense. Geo location marketing and smart phones are a match made in heaven. It’s surprising that the idea didn’t take off sooner.
Wynne´s last blog ..Speed Up Your WP Blog & Get Better Search Engine Rankings With this Tool
Kirsty Says:

March 24th, 2010 at 5:10 am

Some good points here, thanks
Garrett Peterson Says:

March 24th, 2010 at 3:03 pm

Makes a lot of sense. As an a heavy Droid user, I still use my laptop for general searches, but for food, local business, locations etc – 99% are done on my mobile
Mark Aaron Murnahan Says:

March 24th, 2010 at 4:17 pm

When you look at this market, consider just how many solutions it brings to life for both consumers and businesses. The extreme usefulness pretty hard to neglect.
Mark Aaron Murnahan´s last blog ..Social Media Tactics Without Social Media Strategy Fails
Justin Sturges Says:

March 28th, 2010 at 12:11 pm

Hyperlocal niche marketing will be a major force which is just now starting to emerge. Traffic on local ads is quite strong in general. I know the smartphone (iPhone) has unlocked a treasure of local info and access for myself and see more potential every day. Yes, local has arrived. Mobile will play a big and ever growing part as more capable phones enable higher value interactions. This is a great area of opportunity and expertise with a razor focus.

foreclosure agents

We've now come full circle. Instead of trying to get people to stay in their homes, Obama is willing to pay them to leave. Please consider Program Will Pay Homeowners to Sell at a Loss.

In an effort to end the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration has been trying to keep defaulting owners in their homes. Now it will take a new approach: paying some of them to leave.

This latest program, which will allow owners to sell for less than they owe and will give them a little cash to speed them on their way, is one of the administration’s most aggressive attempts to grapple with a problem that has defied solutions.

Under the new program, the servicing bank, as with all modifications, will get $1,000. Another $1,000 can go toward a second loan, if there is one. And for the first time the government would give money to the distressed homeowners themselves. They will get $1,500 in “relocation assistance.”

Short sales are “tailor-made for fraud,” said Mr. Lawler, a former executive at the mortgage finance company Fannie Mae.

Under the new federal program, a lender will use real estate agents to determine the value of a home and thus the minimum to accept. This figure will not be shared with the owner, but if an offer comes in that is equal to or higher than this amount, the lender must take it.

Big Shell Game

Diana Olick describes the situation perfectly in Mortgage Principal Writedown Won't Save Housing.

And so it begins. Big gun lawmakers are making the move toward principal writedowns as the last resort to save the housing market.

The problem is prices. Home prices have fallen so far in the hardest hit areas, the areas where the bulk of the troubled loans are, that banks would have to write down principal 30 to 50 percent to put borrowers back in the green. Accounting rules require that banks write down the value of those loans on their books, and experts tell me that if banks really accounted for all the losses in the home loan market, they'd all be insolvent.

That's why the Obama Administration has created this kind of shell game in the first place.

I stole that shell game idea from housing consultant Howard Glaser: “We're spending tens of billions of dollars on a tax credit to get people to purchase homes, we're spending federal money to keep them in their homes through the modification program, and now we're going to pay them to move out of their homes. This is not a sustainable system for the housing market. It's a shell game. Bernie Madoff could have created this system,” Glaser told me today.

F.R.A.U.D.

Let's take real estate agents who might not have had any sales for 6 months or even a year, and agents who have a vested interest (a commission) in selling a home, and let's put them in charge of figuring out what a home is worth. Good idea.

Oh…there's no chance real estate agents will sell homes to their friends for cheap or to total strangers for that matter, just to get a commission. Indeed, real estate agents have been the paragon of virtue throughout the crisis so this is the culmination of a perfect idea.

Even appraisers working directly for the bank might be tempted to make special arrangements with favored real estate agents. A final approval process at the bank would make fraud harder, but that is contrary the idea the lender must take an offer if it hits the established minimum bid. A secondary review would also slow things down.

That aside, even with the chance for fraud, lenders are losing money by doing nothing, and in many cases by letting people live in homes rent free for 18 months or longer. Perhaps dealing with fraud issues is the lesser of two evils, assuming of course the banks can afford the loan losses. Then again, what alternative is there besides pretending loans on the books are worth full value?

This is what our affordable housing program has become: Giving tax credits to new home buyers, spending taxpayer money to keep people in their homes, paying people to move out of their homes, and bankrolling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with tax dollars for unlimited losses.

Mike “Mish” Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

One of the key questions is: Will house prices fall as the government support for housing eases? From CNBC: Housing Prices May Be Heading for a Double Dip

Anyone thinking housing prices have reached a bottom had better do some recalculating. Despite Tuesday's Case Schiller report showing smaller declines in January, housing prices may already be in another free fall.

Newly revised numbers are pointing to the decline.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) adjusted figures show a housing price decline of 2 percent in December and 0.6 percent decline in January—reversing some regional price increases in 2009.

And more pricing dips are predicted.

Few people use the FHFA index anymore, but I do think prices will fall further in many areas. And I think the key housing price indexes, Case-Shiller and First American CoreLogic, have not bottomed yet - although it is possible.

Right now the Case-Shiller composite 10 index is 4.4% above the bottom of May 2009 (seasonally adjusted), and CoreLogic's index is 3.5% above the bottom of March 2009 (NSA), so it will not take much of a decline to see new post-bubble lows.

Last year I listed some of the temporary Government housing support programs (as opposed to permanent programs like tax breaks). This included:

Housing Tax Credit: Buyer must sign a contract by April 30th and close by June 30, 2010 to qualify. Real estate agents in SoCal are telling me there has been a pickup in activity lately - more than seasonal - of buyers trying to beat the deadline for the tax credit. But it is nothing like the buying spurt last November. Most economists opposed the tax credit as misdirected, expensive and ineffective at reducing the supply. Luckily the supporters have promised no extension, from the LA Times: No more extensions of tax credit for first-time home buyers

Federal Reserve MBS Purchase Program: The Federal Reserve is has purchased $1.25 trillion of agency mortgage-backed securities and about $175 billion of agency debt. This is scheduled to end tomorrow, March 31, 2010. It seems very unlike there will be a huge surge in rates as some feared, but I do expect the spread to Treasury yields to increase slightly.

Treasury MBS Purchase Program: This program ended Dec 31, 2009. The Treasury purchased approximately $220 billion of securities.

HAMP Trial Programs Extended: Although the most recent extension ended Jan 31, 2010, the Treasury has added more hoops and hurdles before the lenders can foreclosure, effectively extending the timeframe once again. Now borrowers might be eligible for a temporary unemployment reduction, principal reduction, or participate in the HAFA short sale program.

Support for Fannie and Freddie: This is ongoing.

FHA to tighten Lending Standards: In January the FHA announced slightly tighter standards, but the standards are still pretty loose.

Various Holiday Foreclosure Moratoria: Although this ended back in January, some lenders like Marshall & Ilsley have extended their foreclosure moratoriums:

Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (M&I) today announced it has extended its foreclosure moratorium an additional 90 days – through June 30, 2010. The initial moratorium was announced on December 18, 2008, as part of M&I's Homeowner Assistance Program. The moratorium is on all owner-occupied residential loans for customers who agree to work in good faith to reach a successful repayment agreement. The moratorium applies to applicable loans in all M&I markets.

And other lenders are clearly not been aggresive in foreclosing.

So although some key programs are ending (MBS purchase program and housing tax credit), there are still a number of temporary programs providing support for the housing market.

One frequently overlooked marketing method is face-to-face marketing. You can do this in a number of ways as the owner of a foreclosure cleanup business.

Make Office Visits: For example, you can pop by realtor offices, mortgage brokerage firms, insurance agencies and other community businesses you think can use your foreclosure cleanup services.

You don't have to make an appointment. Just drop by, introduce yourself, tell them what you do and ask if you can leave a flyer with them just in case they need (or know someone who might need - the types of services your company offers.

This is a highly effective way to get business - especially in the beginning - because it's free and you get your mug (your face) in front of people.

If you decide to use this method, be brief and to the point. If someone wants to talk, by all means, spend time with them. But, as you're not going to call to make an appointment, just pop in to leave your foreclosure cleanup business information.

Networking Meetings: Every city has small business networking meetings. The most organized, effective ones charge a fee. The fee can be anywhere from $10 to $25 or more. You can start to find out about these meetings by visiting your local Small Business Administration office, or logging onto their website.

Another way to find out about formal gatherings is to Google phrases like “networking meetings” and “your city/state.”

The most effective way to network though is to join your local Chamber of Commerce, which brings us to, in my opinion, the best way to market face-to-face. Why? Read on.

Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce: Following are a few compelling reasons you should join the local chamber of commerce when you're just starting your foreclosure cleanup business.

Less Competition: If you've ever belonged to a Chamber, you know there are usually a ton of certain professionals, usually realtors, insurance agents and mortgage brokers - as it relates to your industry (foreclosure cleaning).

This is like captured prey for you in that they're right there in front of you and you know what, you'll probably be one of the only foreclosure cleaning company owners there. Why is this?

Because most businesses that do this kind of work are not full-service foreclosure cleanup companies. They are usually man with a van, moving companies and/or other skilled professionals who offer one or two services (eg, painting, electrical).

But as a foreclosure cleanup business owner, your company can ostensibly offer all of these services - and that's what will appeal to realtors, mortgage brokers and others who may need your services.

FYI, in case you don't know, chamber members are made up of businesses from the local community. Here you will find such diverse businesses as print shops, staffing agencies, real estate agents, insurance agents, mortgage brokers, catering services, marketing and graphic design firms, banks, etc.

You never know where your next job is going to come from and joining a local chamber gives you access to your entire local business community.

Prestige:Joining the local chamber gives your business a competitive leg up in that it makes you “official”. This is invaluable when you are just starting out.

This leads to our final - and the most important - reason you should join your local chamber: referrals.

Constant Source of Business: It has been my experience that people do business with those they: a) know, b) like, and c) trust. The chamber builds all of these sentiments. How?

By being in front of the same group of people on a regular basis, you get to know them. Over time, this builds into a friendly (ie, “likeable”) relationship. Once people know and like you, getting them to trust you is the next logical step.

With the above three sentiments in place, you can really maximize your chamber membership by getting members to do business with - and refer business to - you.

Effective, affordable marketing lies in meeting people, face-to-face. Start dropping by industry offices, researching networking meetings within your geographic location and joining your local chamber. Stay in front of potential customers so when they need a service like yours, you are at the forefront of their minds.

Continued success with your foreclosure cleanup business!

Cassandra Black, CEO, Foreclosure Cleanup, LLC, Foreclosure Cleanup Change Order Form, and Foreclosure Cleanup Business Combo Estimate & Contract Form. and Author of How to Start a Foreclosure Cleanup Business: FREE Articles & Advice, How to Market Your Foreclosure Cleanup Business: A Step-by-Step, Shoestring Marketing Guide for Foreclosure Cleaning Business Owners, How to Start a Foreclosure Cleanup Business,Pricing Guide for Foreclosure Cleaning & Real-Estate Service Businesses: How to Price Jobs for Profit eBook

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJLpUckib0w

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2039179/rock_tops_granite_inc_rock_tops_and_marble/

Written by empfehll in: Uncategorized | Tags: foreclosure

Mar
31
2010

web internet marketing

At The Next Web Conference we always try to get speakers who can change your perspective on things. Writers seem to do a very good job at that. In the past we’ve had Kevin Kelly and Jeff Jarvis as notable examples.

This year we are proud to present Mark Earls. Before I explain who Mark is check these quotes first:

“Most marketing efforts fail to make a dent and most mergers and acquisitions activity actually reduces shareholder value.”

“Human beings are NOT individuals and don’t make decisions on their own. Human beings are herd animals. We do what we do because of other people.”

As you can see this is not someone who is afraid to go against the grain and question those ideas that we take for granted.

Social networking is empowering the individual?
Anybody can express their individuality online?
Maybe not.

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Written by empfehll in: Uncategorized | Tags: internet marketing

Mar
20
2010

why internet marketing

A few weeks ago Ken Fisher wrote a popular blog post about how ad blocking software can have devastating effects to the websites that you frequently visit. Mr. Fischer describes how ad blocking software is responsible for showing false page view data to ad networks. As a result each ad is priced at a lower rate because the number of impressions are significantly smaller. The number of page views is an extremely important metric for websites that sell advertising based on a CPM price model. So it’s only understandable that Mr. Fischer and other online publishers will hold a grudge against ad blocking software.

While I can understand Mr. Fischer’s frustration I cannot sympathize. To be completely honest I use ad blocking software every day. In fact on at least one occasion add blocking software has been responsible for a pretty embarrassing moment. So you’re probably asking yourself why does someone who feels so strongly about marketing block advertisements? It’s simple really, I hate ads.

What? You hate ads? How can you write for Marketing Pilgrim and hate ads? In my opinion marketing is fundamentally organizing people around information. Interrupting people with abrupt irrelevant commands isn’t how you organize people around information. Instead speaking to them on a unique and authentic level is more effective and genuine.

Putting philosophy aside, in my opinion ads are the worst way to monetize content. Generally speaking an increase in on-page advertisements contributes to a degraded user experience. Which can lead to lower user retention levels and decreased page views. Online advertisements are also ripe with fraud and manipulation. Historically click through rates have been at around 2% for most online advertisements. All of these factors and more contribute to the extremely low return on investment.

Online ads add to a decreasing user experience by taking attention away from the site’s primary content and placing it on the ads. This is not the actions of rogue spammers, this is the fundamental method to making any substantial revenue from ads. An excellent example of this in action, is taking a look at Google’s own recommendations for ad placement in the Adsense program. Here we see Google advises users to place ads on every available white-space on the page. This is a huge contradiction for a company that was so widely praised for starting with such a clean user interface.

Most ad platforms have large potential for fraud and manipulation. This is is an issue that not many professionals in IM discuss publicly because, quite honestly, whether they are participating in the fraud or not they still stand to profit off of ad manipulation. To a great extent Google and some of the other larger ad networks have gone to great lengths to minimize the impact of this type of fraud. However, any potential for fraud creates an uneasy market place where advertisers and publishers are continually left wondering if they are being taken advantage of. Google doesn’t help matters by keeping the exact specifics of their pricing model a secret from both advertisers and publishers. What’s even more devastating about these fraud schemes is that they can manipulate entire ad markets not just the individual ads they are targeting.

We reported back in January that the average click through rate for Google Adwords is around 2%. This means that 2% of the site visitors are clicking through on the ads. Most businesses off the Internet wouldn’t be able to survive with a 2% conversion rate. The only way to make substantial revenue from ads on the Internet is to completely dominate the market and control the flow of information. *cough* Google *cough*.

Wow Joe what do you want me to do? Not make any money? Absolutely not! But I do think that more companies and content producers need to experiment with different business models that aren’t reliant on ad dollars. The mainstream media on the internet is already starting to experiment with pay walls and different premium membership options. While I generally agree with the old saying that information should be free, I do think there is substantial room to monetize parts of the web that are currently a free-for-all. For example there are many opportunities to monetize communities and forums that provide quality content and meaningful dialogue to its users. Another potential opportunity is product development. Content developers and publishers should work to create their own products aside from their content that they can offer to their regular subscribers for premium fee.

So next time you see a drop in your ad revenue don’t blame the users, blame the ads. They got you into this mess and they aren’t going to get you out!

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Written by empfehll in: Uncategorized | Tags: internet marketing

Mar
04
2010

Franchise Business Opportunities

By Eric Savitz

Collins Stewart analyst Sandeep Aggarwal this morning lifted his rating on Amazon.com (AMZN) to Buy from Hold, setting a price target of $150. The stock closed Friday at $117.39.

“In addition to AMZN presenting an attractive entry point after being down 15% from its recent peak, we believe that, though higher competitive risk remains a concern for the Kindle franchise, the Kindle ecosystem is much bigger than what we and Street previously thought,” he writes in a research note. “In our view, the strength of core biz combined with multi-billion opportunities with Kindle and AWS [Amazon Web Services] create more significant growth opportunities for AMZN that the Street is currently estimating.”

The analyst expects 2010 Kindle shipments of 3.85 million units, generating in $2.5 billion in Kindle-related revenue and an estimated $620 million in gross profit. He also contends that AWS can generate more than $300 million in revenue in 2010, with margins “much higher” than Amazon’s core business.

Aggarwal lifted his 2010 GAAP EPS estimate to $2.91, from $2.79; for 2010 he goes to $3.98, from $3.77.

AMZN this morning is up $1.76, or 1.5%, to $119.15.

Kobe Bryant called me up a couple days ago. After a few minutes of chit chat, we got down to business.

Kobe: Nate, I saw your post on the new blog. You really think I should sit out?

Nate: Yeah. I mean, you need the rest, man. You gotta win another chip. Last year was last year. People think like Janet Jackson: “What have you done for me lately?”

Kobe: The team needs me. Pau is a wuss, Fisher got his first social security check last week and as for Andrew…ship his ass out. How can we keep pace with the West if I don’t play?

Nate: Home court is overrated. You’re the Mamba. Road or away, if you’re healthy, no team can beat the Lakers in the playoffs. Period.

Kobe: Yeah, you’re right. I’m going to heal up.

And that’s how the conversation went. Kobe sat out and instead of the Lakers losing, something strange has happened. They won. Even more surprising, they’ve looked great doing it. In Portland this past weekend, the Lakers won there for the first time in the last 10 tries. Last night, the Lakers did it again beating San Antonio 101-89.

Gasol looked like a franchise player against Duncan, netting 21 points, grabbing 19 boards, dishing eight dimes and swatting five blocks. Those are GOAT numbers right there. Lamar Odom was a beast on the glass contributing 10 rebounds in addition to his 16 points. Ron Artest was solid with 18 points and Derek Fisher shot above 50 percent en route to 13 points. Shannon Brown provided solid play as a starter in Kobe’s place, while Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar looked better off the bench than they’ve done all year.

This all begs the question: Are the Lakers better without Kobe?

To anyone who said yes, in the words of Rick James , “cocaine is a hell of a drug.” Of course the Lakers aren’t better without Kobe.

The Lakers are better without Andrew Bynum.

The Lakers these past two games looked about as good as they did last season—just a little worse offensively. Last year, they didn’t have Andrew Bynum for most of the season and won 65 games. They didn’t rely on Bynum in the playoffs and won the championship.

In the San Antonio game, Bynum didn’t play. In Portland, he didn’t play in the second half when the Lakers really started to gel. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but Pau Gasol is a better center than Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom is a better power forward than Pau Gasol.

It is crazy to think, but defensively, Bynum misses assignments and rotations constantly. His inability to play help defense negates his special ability to block shots. Even in one-on-one situations, Bynum plays poor position defense and generally ends up fouling the offensive player.

Gasol can also use his length to block shots just like Bynum, but Gasol is quick enough to stay with the centers. Pau is also a veteran, so he doesn’t fall for fancy footwork and doesn’t pick up cheap fouls. If a center gets too rough, you can always count on Pau to flop draw the offensive foul.

Odom forces power forwards to make a decision. Offensively, he can start at the top of the key and beat you off the dribble. If you help on Odom, he’s such an accomplished passer that he’ll get someone else an easy bucket. If you don’t help, and you don’t force him right, he’ll finish at the rim. Defensively his 6′10″ length bothers power forwards and once the rebound is in his hands, he pushes up the floor creating tons of transition opportunities.

Bynum’s inability to get back on offense or defense fast enough prevents the Lakers from running at full potential and that is why we have seen what appears to be a better Lakers team in recent days.

So here’s my proposal: Andrew Bynum, Adam Morrison, and Flea for Chris Bosh

In the words of the Laker faithful, “Do it, Mitch!”

Originally published at http://thetransition3.wordpress.com

By Eric Savitz

Collins Stewart analyst Sandeep Aggarwal this morning lifted his rating on Amazon.com (AMZN) to Buy from Hold, setting a price target of $150. The stock closed Friday at $117.39.

Aggarwal lifted his 2010 GAAP EPS estimate to $2.91, from $2.79; for 2010 he goes to $3.98, from $3.77.

AMZN this morning is up $1.76, or 1.5%, to $119.15.

Kobe Bryant called me up a couple days ago. After a few minutes of chit chat, we got down to business.

Kobe: Nate, I saw your post on the new blog. You really think I should sit out?

Nate: Yeah. I mean, you need the rest, man. You gotta win another chip. Last year was last year. People think like Janet Jackson: “What have you done for me lately?”

Kobe: The team needs me. Pau is a wuss, Fisher got his first social security check last week and as for Andrew…ship his ass out. How can we keep pace with the West if I don’t play?

Nate: Home court is overrated. You’re the Mamba. Road or away, if you’re healthy, no team can beat the Lakers in the playoffs. Period.

Kobe: Yeah, you’re right. I’m going to heal up.

This all begs the question: Are the Lakers better without Kobe?

To anyone who said yes, in the words of Rick James , “cocaine is a hell of a drug.” Of course the Lakers aren’t better without Kobe.

The Lakers are better without Andrew Bynum.

So here’s my proposal: Andrew Bynum, Adam Morrison, and Flea for Chris Bosh

In the words of the Laker faithful, “Do it, Mitch!”

Originally published at http://thetransition3.wordpress.com

existing franchises for sale , franchises for sale

Intute - Blog - Informs funding news

We are pleased to tell you that we now have some good news about funding for this service. JISC have just confirmed that they will provide transition funding from August 2010 to enable Informs to move towards a sustainable business …

Washington Post launches paid iPhone news app

The Washington Post, which has launched a paid news application for iPhone, is also looking at other platforms.

AMERICAblog News: Exposing the lies of Orrin Hatch and his fellow …

News and opinion about US politics from a liberal perspective.

Written by empfehll in: Uncategorized | Tags: franchise

Mar
01
2010

budgeting personal finances

If you want to take control of your life, there are certain areas that require persistent tracking. In order to track your life and make appropriate changes, you need to know what’s going on and to do that you need to track what’s going on.

Some people need to get a handle on their time (tools to track time wasted online). Others need to better control their finances (tools for tracking expenses and budgeting). There are also other resources that other people need to track. These days there are tools that help in this task of tracking life’s intricacies but many of them are too complex for the needs of the everyday person. We need something simple that we’ll actually learn and use for it to be a help.

That is why I would like to introduce you to a new start up you can use to track your life called 1DayLater. The creators of 1DayLater originally started the project to help them track their valuable time as freelancers. It turned out to be a tool simple enough that anyone can use and benefit from.

In my opinion a useful tool has two attributes : usability and benefit. Let me show you how 1DayLater fits both of those attributes when it comes to tracking life.

Signing Up & Registering Is Virtually Painless!

The easier a website makes signing up and registering the better. Obviously they should take security precautions but when they make it so complicated that you need to consult a help file or forums just to figure out how to register, they need to back off a bit. 1DayLater made the process a cinch by asking only the basics (there’s also a line for your phone number but it’s only optional).

Signing In Is A Cinch!

Once again, going with the “easier is better” philosophy, 1DayLater hits the nail on the proverbial head with the login process! Email-password, bing! You’re in!

Track Your Life With a Log!

Once logged in you are faced with the opportunity to begin logging your life! To begin with, you can start logging your time by hitting the “start timer” button. When you stop the timer, the time is automatically entered into the “value” field which can tell what kind of measurement you are trying to log. You can also manually enter measurements into this field. You can log measurements such as time, money and mileage. Then you can tag the lot with a label in the “project/client” field and add the date and a note to finish off the log. It’s all pretty straight forward.

Glance At Your Latest Activities

As you log your life, you can get a quick look at the activities you are logging. They are sorted by date and project / client tag (which you can assign your own colors to in order to have a visual to keep them separate here and in the charts in the analysis area). Here you also have the ability to edit the logs and delete them altogether. Very handy!

A Visual Analysis Of Your Life

There is also a nifty chart showing off time spent on different projects. This could be key to getting an overall idea of where your time is going. I didn’t see charts for mileage or money so I personally hope they are also incorporated too.

The Future Of 1DayLater COULD Be In Your Hands!

All I am saying is that they are a new start up and are working hard on new features! For instance, they have released the ability to export data into a spreadsheet and are working out the bugs there. They are also working on the ability to output to invoices and mileage claims as well as some apps. As a new start up, they have been smart enough to offer a feedback forum to share what you would like to see them develop and a voting system to vote on other people’s ideas using Uservoice.

Right now 1DayLater is free but in the future there may be some features that will not be.

Let us know what you think about 1DayLater as a new start up. Also, how do you track your life?

Once You Reach Your Financial Security Goals, What's Next?

Wise budgeting, spending, and saving will help you build a retirement fund and meet your other financial goals, but what happens then? Finance blog Get Rich Slowly takes a look at what to do once you've feathered your financial nest.

Photo by pfala.

At 26 years old, entrepreneur Erica Douglass found herself in the enviable position of having a surplus of cash after selling her online business. Once she established a retirement fund and paid off debt, Douglass had to figure out what to do with the income that continued to roll in from her new business venture.

Rather than blow tons of cash on impulsive purchases just because she can, Douglass limits most spending to things that allow her to live a more fulfilled life. For instance, instead of buying a new car every year, Douglass employs a personal chef to make dishes that make living with an autoimmune illness easier.

It has been more than two years since I sold my business, and I am happier than I have ever been. I made different choices than most: We rent a house instead of owning (a savings of nearly $4,000/month in our neighborhood - more than our monthly rent payment!); we only have basic cable; we don't have a landline, credit card debt, car payments, or student loans.

I chose, instead of buying more Stuff, to live a more fulfilled life. For me, even more important than holding onto my money tightly was to learn to let it go - to give it to others in exchange for work well done, and to trust that they could do tasks well. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Though most of us aren't able to afford the luxuries of a personal chef or full-time housekeeper, Douglass makes an interesting point. If you have a surplus of cash left over after paying your bills and adding to your savings each month, maybe blowing it on a fancy dinner or a new electronic gadget isn't worth it in the long run. Instead, consider spending it on something that adds to your overall quality of life—like an accountant to do your taxes, or commercial productivity software that will help you more easily manage all your work tasks.

What would you do if you had a batch of extra cash to spend as you wanted? Would you hire a personal assistant to deal with all the chores you don't like, or blow it on something frivolous like good cognac or a box of truffles? Talk about it in the comments.

http://removeripoffreports.net

Written by empfehll in: Uncategorized | Tags: online stock trading and investments

Mar
01
2010

personal finance money management

Written by empfehll in: Uncategorized | Tags: online stock trading and investments

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Signing Up & Registering Is Virtually Painless!

Signing In Is A Cinch!

Glance At Your Latest Activities

A Visual Analysis Of Your Life

The Future Of 1DayLater COULD Be In Your Hands!

Once You Reach Your Financial Security Goals, What's Next?

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