Archive for 2006
Starting A Business with Your Spouse?
Janine Popick at Inc.com: Starting a business with the one you love might sound dreamy, but you should give it careful consideration before making the business commitment. 1. What type of personality do you each have? If both of you are “alpha” people, or strongly opinionated, be careful. If you are constantly in disagreement, it [...]
Cowardly Lion Of Wizard of Oz Earns Big Bucks on eBay
The lion costume made of real animal skin and worn in the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz sold at an auction Friday for $700,000 US ($810,495 Cdn). The sale of 900 pieces of Hollywood memorabilia was hosted live on eBay by the Profiles In History auction house. Actor Bert Lahr played the lovable [...]
Skype Releases New Beta with Smartphone Support
eBay owned VoIP software maker Skype has released the beta version of Skype 2.2. This application now allows Windows Mobile smart phones to access their VoIP services over a Wi-Fi internet connection. Earlier versions of this application only supported the Windows Pocket PC devices. Skype claims that this newly updated version works on 120 different [...]
Huge eBay Faud Case Indicts 21 Suspects
In one of the largest Internet fraud cases in US history, federal fraud charges were filed on Thursday against 21 defendants who allegedly participated in an international fraud scheme in which victims were led to believe that they were purchasing items that were listed for sale on the Internet, typically via auctions on eBay, but [...]
Potential Postal Rates Changes Could Affect eBay Sellers
Shipping issues are always on the minds of online-auction sellers. I’ve noticed several questions come up on eBay discussion boards about pending changes from the United States Postal Service (USPS). One issue involves dimensional rates in the proposed rate changes, and another involves shipping manifests generated by online-postage systems (SCAN forms). I checked in with [...]
Time Magazine’s Person Of The Year: Internet Users
Associated Press: If you use the Internet, or create content for the World Wide Web, then congratulations! You have been named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” — among many others. The annual honor for 2006 went to citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine puts it. The 2006 “Person of the Year” [...]
eNewsChannels: Foodler.com, a leading online service for ordering restaurant take out and delivery meals, announced the addition of its 130th partner restaurant in the Boston region. A wide selection of cuisines from some of the Hub’s most popular restaurants, combined with interactive menus and accurate online ordering, have all contributed to Foodler’s 220% growth rate [...]
YouTube: Cracking Down On Crime
WebProNews: Ontario police use the popular video sharing site YouTube to help catch a killer. Hamilton, Ontario police Staff Sgt. Jorge posted a one-minute long clip of a surveillance video on YouTube, in the hopes that the site’s 50 million viewers could aid in the identification of a killer. The clip features “two people of [...]
Forbes.com: For four years Jeremy Josic and his brother Daniel ran a tidy family business selling “licker licenses.” Between March 1999 and June 2003, the brothers managed to convince thousands of stay-at-home moms into stuffing envelopes for a tantalizing fee: $5 to $10 per envelope, or up to $5,000 a week. There was a catch, [...]
WinnipegFreePress.com: Betty Funk’s purses, made from used seatbelts, are so strong you can pull a truck with one, as a customer found out when a tow rope proved too short. The purses are so strong, you could whack a purse snatcher into next Tuesday. The strap won’t rip, either, if you get into a tug-of-war [...]
Postal-Overhaul Bill Aims to Stabilize Rates
The Wall Street Journal: The U. S. Postal Service generally will be barred from raising postage rates beyond the rate of inflation for the next decade under an overhaul passed by Congress. The new law — the first major changes to the service in more than three decades — aims to stabilize rates for households [...]
This weeks’ Carnival of the Capitalists is up at The Entrepreneurial Mind.
Web Biz Offers Gifts For People Who Want More Experience
CourierNewsOnline.com: A few months ago, Christina Anderson was looking for a unique birthday present for her husband, perhaps race car lessons like a friend’s husband received. That search for an out-of-the-ordinary item piqued Anderson’s interest in “experiential gifts,” where shoppers buy things to do instead of things to have. The growing trend in the $2.8 [...]
ABC News: If you’ve ever spent a frustratingly long time looking for a parking space, a new service is sure to perk up your ears. You’ll soon be able to find a spot without even having to drive around. Since you can search online to check the weather before going outside, why not find a [...]
Associated Press: Whether it be a luxury Lexus or clunker from the classifieds, the gift of a car just isn’t the same without a big bow on top of the hood. That was Lynda King’s thinking when she started King Size Bows five years ago, after she was unable to find a bow for a [...]
Google Launches Patent Search Site
CNETNews.com: Google has added another piece of search software to its arsenal, with the launch of Google Patent Search. The patent search site is designed to sift through the approximately 7 million U.S. patents by a variety of parameters including filing date, issue date, patent number and inventor. As for its newest site, software engineers [...]
Internet Video Revenues To Exceed $7 Billion In 2010
RadioInk.com: Annual US revenues from Internet video services – including homemade content, TV shows and movies – will exceed $7 billion by 2010, according to Parks Associates’ “Internet Video: Direct-to-Consumer Services.” The report also notes this growth will accompany an ongoing shift toward greater parity between the revenue sources. In 2007, approximately 85% of revenue [...]
Plan Now to Save on Skype 07 Charges
Readers who purchased either the Netgear or Belkin Skype phones should remember that free U.S. and Canada Skypeout calling is only good ’til the end of the year. Starting January ’07, you’ll have to pay $29.95 for unlimited yearly calling. Pretty cheap, if you compare that your landline or cellphone bill. Plus, if you order [...]
Elvis’ Crown Soon to Be Found on eBay
A press release from the family of Dr. Henry Weiss, who was Elvis Presley’s dentist until 1971, said the model of Presley’s teeth and the porcelain crown will be offered — along with a letter of authenticity signed by Joe Esposito, Elvis’ longtime road manager. The eBay auction will begin Jan. 8, 2007, which would [...]
Great Tips for Protecting Your eBay Purchases
So how do you protect yourself from unscrupulous eBay sellers? Cary Pfeffer, who runs the eBbay “iSold It” store on the North Side, says first of all, make sure you are doing business with a power seller. “They have a track record of meeting all of their requirements and making happy customers. If you have [...]
Teens And Media: A Full-Time Job
CNET News.com: According to a study released this week, Americans aged 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media–defined as the Internet, cell phones, television, music and video games. Because teens are known for multitasking, their usage of devices can overlap. So much technology makes teens feel they are playing [...]
San Francisco Chronicle: A bus shelter usually isn’t the kind of place where people want to breathe deeply. But that may change in San Francisco at a few of the shelters that will be infused with the scent of fresh-baked, chocolate-chip cookies. It’s the brainchild of marketers for the California Milk Processor Board, who are [...]
Pennsylvania Using Google Earth To Promote Tourism
CNET News.com: Imagine using Google Earth to get information on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address or to visit civil war trails in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell says state officials will be using Google Earth to promote tourism. The state will provide a $285,000 grant to be used for an “unprecedented” partnership among Google Earth, Carnegie [...]
Entrepreneur.com: For many consumers today, travel is more than just a change of scenery–it’s a journey with a sense of purpose, whether it’s eco-tourism, cultural immersion or adventure. Creating an experience for jet-setters can be your ticket to success in this $600 billion industry. Baby boomers are the biggest market, with the highest volume of [...]
Rising Insurance Costs Fuelling Boom In Worker Health Checks
management-issues: The soaring cost of health insurance is prompting more and more U.S bosses to carry out checks on their employers to gauge how healthy they are and whether they may be at risk of getting ill in the future. The health and wellbeing of workers is becoming an ever more pressing issue for American [...]
Velvet Underground Still Available on eBay
You still might have a chance at getting that rare acetate of the first Velvet Underground album. The Montreal man who sold his has been the victim of an eBay prankster. Warren Hill bought a copy of “The Velvet Underground and Nico” at a flea market for 75 cents. It turned out to be a [...]
eBay Express Not Living Up to Expectations
Merchants complain that eBay Express doesn’t attract sufficient shoppers and generates an inconsequential volume of sales, although eBay Inc. says it is satisfied and remains committed to the site. Express is designed to draw shoppers who dislike the complexity and risk of eBay’s core marketplace by offering a simpler, safer experience similar to the ones [...]
New eBay Scam Targets Second Chance
Many of us click onto eBay to shop, but even eBay veterans don’t know about the biggest scam on the Internet involving the giant online auction site, according to consumer reporter John Matarese. In this week’s Don’t Waste Your Money, Matarese warned that the scam is victimizing hundreds of people because it is easy to [...]
Al Lautenslager at Entrepreneur.com: Businesses, especially small businesses, continue to fight the pressures of improving their bottom line. This means they don’t have a blank checkbook to spend on marketing. Enter guerrilla marketing: Getting the word out about a business without investing in traditional or Yellow Pages advertising is the challenge at hand. Using time, [...]
Holiday Gift Ideas For The Entrepreneur
Rhonda Abrams At Gannett News Service: Are you stumped trying to find the perfect gift for the entrepreneur on your holiday gift list? If so, I’ve come up with a list of gifts entrepreneurs would love. Three to six months of a bookkeeping service. Basic contact management or database software. An appointment with a Small [...]
Sock Entrepreneur Is On The Right Foot
Business.EDP24: Frustrated that women with feet too big for Manolo Blahniks often have to resort to wearing men’s socks, Tina Rickett has set up her own business for women with feet sized eight to 11. The 51-year-old founder of the Thox company, said: “A friend told me that she always wore men’s socks because she [...]
Start A Nonprofit Organization
WikiHow.com: Have you always wanted to leave the world a better place than you found it by starting a nonprofit corporation? Here’s a simple, straightforward guide on how to successfully establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. 1. Understand what a nonprofit is: an organization whose primary objective is to support some issue or matter of private [...]
Researchers Develop Tool To Combat Internet Auction Fraud
Associated Press: Carnegie Mellon University researchers are using an old adage to develop anti-fraud software for Internet auction sites like eBay: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Sites like eBay rely on users to warn others if they have a bad experience with a seller by rating their transactions. But the CMU [...]
E-Mail Marketing for the Holidays
Gail Goodman at Entrepreneur.com: Sending holiday e-mail campaigns is an excellent way for you to stay connected with your customers, clients, investors and anyone else on your list. Here are some ideas you can incorporate into your communication mix: Remind customers about gift cards. Whether you own a retail store, e-commerce site, restaurant or spa, [...]
Biz Idea: Niche Exercise Accessories
Entrepreneur.com: Americans’ desire to lose weight and get fit isn’t slowing down. In fact, calorie-burners present a healthy opportunity for entrepreneurs. Whether they’re hitting treadmills, health clubs or the local biking path, you can bet they want equipment, apparel, multimedia products and other aftermarket accessories to help them achieve a better workout. The secret lies [...]
BruceJudson.com: Using the success of his own two start-up companies as formulas for success, author Bruce Judson offers sound, cogent advice for budding entrepreneurs. A well-known marketer himself, Judson explains how “going it alone” is different from being a typical small-business owner, the key being that the former is able to garner bigger profits despite [...]
Web Sites Fail To Reach People With Disabilities
InformationWeek: Only three of 100 Web sites tested in what researchers call the first global Web site accessibility survey met minimum accessibility standards for disabled people. Nomensa released the results of the United Nations commissioned study this week. The British agency provides assistance with Web site design, as well as consultation and training on accessibility. [...]
The Mercury: The next great business idea may be simmering on your stove. That was the case for Frank Barbalace and his business partner Steve Donze last year. The two Italian men were enjoying some pasta topped with Barbalace’s grandmom’s special pasta sauce recipe one day when the lightbulb went on: This sauce is so [...]
New Software Helps eBay Stop Fraud
Carnegie Mellon University researchers are using an old adage to develop anti-fraud software for Internet auction sites like eBay: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Sites like eBay rely on users to warn others if they have a bad experience with a seller by rating their transactions. But the CMU researchers said [...]
Skype Video Phone Connects With Loved Ones
YOU’RE going away on business and want to stay in touch with friends and family back home. Mobile phones, e-mail and instant messaging are all fine. But how much more heartening it would be if you could see your loved ones, as well as hear and swap messages with them. Well, you don’t have to [...]
PayPal Problems for Holiday Shoppers
We started hearing reports of problems with PayPal’s Recent Activity feature this morning and put in a call to PayPal. We haven’t heard back yet, but eBay posted a notice on its Systems Announcement Board: “Members are currently experiencing errors with some PayPal related aspects of eBay Checkout, such as using the PayPal payment status [...]
How To Protect Your Invention When Pitching It
Forbes: If you’ve developed a potentially marketable invention, you are faced with a dilemma. To make money from the invention, you must generally license the rights to it to another business, often a manufacturer or distributor. But in pitching the invention to potential licensees, you run the risk of disclosing so much information that the [...]
The Sweet Success of a Chocolate Business
Entrepreneur: The verdict is in: Chocolate has officially gone from sinful to unstoppable. In fact, trend-watching firm Datamonitor named chocolate “the new coffee” in a list of the top 10 trends to watch. But that’s not all: Studies have come out demonstrating the health benefits of flavanoids often contained in dark chocolate. Sales are soaring [...]
This week’s Carnival of the Capitalists is up at samaBlog.
Web Site Designed To Draw Birders
Daily Astorian: Proponents of nature-based tourism hope the debut of the Oregon Coast Birding Trail Web site will draw bird-watchers and their pocket books to area shoreline communities. The site offers a self-guided driving itinerary highlighting the prime locations for observing birds along the Oregon Coast and into Northern California. Local birders, wildlife professionals and [...]
NYTimes.com: Just when travelers thought they had run out of things to complain about at the airport, their fading laptops and cellphones have signaled yet another problem: a shortage of power outlets. Airport concourses, particularly older ones, were never known for their abundance of electrical sockets. But a convergence of factors — including new wireless [...]
Business 2.0 Magazine: Brian Prins is an affable salesman who touts the benefits of his prepaid collect-calling service in a distinct Long Island accent. He’s also an ex-con who served five years in a Pennsylvania state prison for aggravated assault and possession of stolen car parts, so when he explains that he’s simply helping families [...]
Marketing Your Business on Craigslist
Shanon Lewis at Entrepreneur.com: From e-commerce websites to furniture wholesalers, small businesses both online and off are realizing the marketing power of Craigslist. Founded in 1996, Craigslist.org gets an estimated 10 million unique visitors per day. With an online classified ads format organized by either region or city, Craigslist connects buyers and sellers in more [...]
Mark and Lisa Solomon are both lawyers. One day in September 2005, Mark was joking around and said: Lawyers should have watches marked in tenths of an hour, the way many lawyers, paralegals and law clerks bill for their time. Lisa started searching for manufacturers on the web, and worked with a graphic designer and [...]
eBay Making Small Towns More Entrepreneurial
Inc.: An estimated 750,000 Americans now make all or part of their living on eBay — and many of those online entrepreneurs hail from smaller towns, according to eBay’s “Community Counts” project, which identified the site’s most active communities. During a three-week period in November, the online marketplace tracked how many times people from each [...]
