http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs presents a compilation of blogs and news about Wharton alumni and student entrepreneurs. en-US http://backend.userland.com/rss 60 http://coolnewweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/free-ad-notebooks-for-college-students.html Thu, 08 May 2008 02:56:00 -0400 1050@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This looks like a sweet deal -- ABS Notebooks partners with universities to produce free notebooks with valuable university information. They fund the notebooks through advertising. http://www.absnotebooks.com/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/285404320/how-to-ask-for.html Wed, 07 May 2008 10:05:53 -0400 1049@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I just read Fred Wilson's blog post about the need to ask for the order. I completely agree -- if you don't ask, you don't get. However, I believe that there are different ways to ask for the same order.... http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/05/margins-how-low.html Tue, 06 May 2008 13:05:15 -0400 1048@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu How low can you go? This is a defining question for any business, particularly in e-commerce. Sales and top line revenue are always important, but what is clearly understood as highly significant by every successful entrepreneur that I have ever met is a low margin. As the VP of Sales at buySAFE, I have the opportunity to speak with many e-commerce merchants selling in all product categories, and I can see that Internet merchants are constantly under pressure to reduce their margins from every possible direction. Some of the most attractive characteristics of doing business on the web have been lack of or minimization of “brick and mortar” costs along with low barriers to entry and a nearly unlimited market reach with over 200 million online consumers. All of this should mean great margins regardless of the COGS profile of any business. As e-commerce matures though, these “advantages” are being... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/281387686/does-your-vcs-f.html Thu, 01 May 2008 06:38:49 -0400 1047@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Another great post on TheFunded.com.... When considering a term sheet from a prospective VC, it is key to understand whether they have have the means to fund follow-on rounds. Most VCs will not do cross over funding and often startups find themselves in trouble when their VCs can not provide subsequent financing. So, it is key to determine... If your VC's fund is having problems (financial, political, hiring or retention, etc..) or if your VC's fund is at the end of its lifecycle, you may ultimately experience artificial, unnecessary problems that you will have to navigate in the future while running your business. For entrepreneurs, this is a very serious issue to consider before you allow an investment, not after an investment has already taken place. Read the rest of this article at TheFunded.com: Fund Diligence Item in order to learn the three critical questions you should ask your prospective... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280810657/post-funding-ad.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:52:43 -0400 1046@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If you have ever raised venture capital, you know how important the post-funding relationship is with your venture capital investors. Your pre-money valuation and financing terms are all important needless to say, but to be candid, the post-funding relationship you have (or are likely to have based on a VC's previous track record) is probably the most important issue for you to consider as an entrepreneur. An experienced entrepreneur posted a great article on the subject on TheFunded.com, and here is an excerpt of the article... There are a lot of postings here about getting the initial term sheet and getting the VC on board. However, just like marriages, many of these courting periods can be quite different from the month to month evolving operations and business that we face a year or two down the road. Remember that often these VCs will sit on your board, and direct your... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/04/my-trip-to-augu.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:33:08 -0400 1045@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This has to be one of my favorite posts. On Saturday I flew down to Augusta, GA with two friends, David Brussin and Adam Victor, to meet up with my cousin, Turner Simkins, and his family. Turner is currently heading... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280145972/what-is-the-mos.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:55:36 -0400 1043@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu According to eMarketer, email marketing is still a very effective means of driving e-commerce. The following is an excerpt from eMarketer's article, "E-Mail Marketing Still Works"... First, the good news: permission-based e-mail is great at getting consumers to buy. Half of US adult e-mail users surveyed in April 2008 for Merkle's "View from the Inbox" study, conducted with Harris Interactive, said they had made an online purchase in the previous year as a result of permission-based marketing. In addition, e-mail was second only to customer reviews on Web sites for influencing online purchases, according to DoubleClick Performics' "Green Marketing Study," conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in February 2008. E-mail was roughly equal to search results in terms of influencing online purchases. SPAM emails are obviously a huge problem, but when consumers expect to receive an email from a merchant, they obviously open those emails and respond in a material manner.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280145973/grotech-venture.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:36:45 -0400 1042@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu TechCrunch reported last week that Grotech Ventures has led another round of financing for Collective Intellect. The following is an excerpt from TechCrunch. Collective Intellect , a service that can be used to track what people are saying around the net about certain topics, has raised an additional $6.6M in a Series B round led by Grotech Capital Group with participation by Appian Ventures, Croghan Investments, and Crawley Hatfield Capital. You can read more about the financing here >> More Money for Collective Intellect to Keep Fingers on Pulse of Internet Technorati Tags: Grotech,Collective Intellect,Venture Capital,Appian Ventures,Croghan Investments,Crawley Hatfield http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/04/how-the-online.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1041@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The ongoing recession has everyone in a state of uncomfortable uncertainty. The weak economy has consumers and merchants worried alike. But this very uncertainty represents an opportunity for smart merchants who can position themselves as precisely the TRUSTED, value-conscious, and low-hassle sellers that shoppers seek out during a downturn. While it is true that qualms about the economy cause some e-consumers to cut back on their online shopping, a recent survey also indicates that other consumers plan to shop more online because of the convenience and greater chances of finding good deals, of course, to save money on gas (see a recent survey of 200 consumers by investment firm Piper Jaffray). So the question is NOT what the macro-trend is, but rather how the smart merchant benefits from this share-shift. According to this survey, while 33% of online shoppers plan to reduce online spending on discretionary goods, 12% expect to... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280145972/what-is-the-mos.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:55:00 -0400 1044@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu According to eMarketer, email marketing is still a very effective means of driving e-commerce. The following is an excerpt from eMarketer's article, "E-Mail Marketing Still Works"... First, the good news: permission-based e-mail is great at getting consumers to buy. Half of US adult e-mail users surveyed in April 2008 for Merkle's "View from the Inbox" study, conducted with Harris Interactive, said they had made an online purchase in the previous year as a result of permission-based marketing. In addition, e-mail was second only to customer reviews on Web sites for influencing online purchases, according to DoubleClick Performics' "Green Marketing Study," conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in February 2008. E-mail was roughly equal to search results in terms of influencing online purchases. SPAM emails are obviously a huge problem, but when consumers expect to receive an email from a merchant, they obviously open those emails and respond in a material manner.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/279079222/how-smart-are-y.html Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:45:43 -0400 1040@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Think you're pretty smart? Prove it. Tomorrow night, Playcafe.com (a First Round Capital portfolio company) will be hosting Ken Jennings. Ken is the guy who won 74 games in a row (and over $3 million) on Jeopardy. But on Jeopardy... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053281/from-messes-to.html Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:55:13 -0400 1039@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu One of my favorite VC bloggers is Fred Wilson, and he wrote another great post this past week. "From Messes to Successes" is an interesting article about his experiences with "problem" portfolio companies. As you would hope would be the case with any good venture capitalist, he and his team have helped turn many of these "problems" into fabulous outcomes. Here is an excerpt from his article... When I look back at my 20+ year history of venture investing, it's certainly true that the biggest successes have been big messes at some point in their life. My most successful venture investment at Euclid, Multex, almost went bankrupt before the Internet came along and provided a cheap way to get it's service to its customers. Geocities, which was our most successful investment at Flatiron, was a total mess in mid/late 1997, about a year after we first invested. And our most... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053282/links-for-200-5.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:39:21 -0400 1038@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu EBay Sues Craigslist Founder, CEO - WSJ.com Internet giant eBay Inc. said it filed suit against Craigslist's directors for allegedly unfairly diluting its interest in the classified-listings Web site. The suit was filed Tuesday in Delaware's Court of Chancery against ... Insuring Against Fraud, Data Breaches: AIG provides Web Merchant Guard A few insurance companies provide policies for credit card fraud and data breaches, covering both a merchant's hard cost of fraudulent sales and any liability for data breaches. AIG, the publicly-traded insurance company, was one of the first. Merchants Liable For Data Breaches: Protecting customers' data a 'solemn legal responsibility' What do online merchants Art.com, Geeks.com and Bananas.com have in common? They're three in a small, but growing, list of ecommerce sites hacked for their customer's credit card data. You Don't Own What You Think: Percentages Lie - TheFunded.com You have a piece of paper or a spreadsheet that... http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/04/stay-cool.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:33:00 -0400 1037@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/276012283/links-for-20-14.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:38:34 -0400 1036@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu eBay Encourages 'Free Shipping' with New Features eBay is introducing two new features on its site to make the offer of free shipping "even more effective in attracting buyers." When sellers select standard free shipping in their listings, a new "Free Shipping" icon will appear in those listings. Infopia Launches New Search Marketing Services Infopia has launched Search Marketing, a service for small- and mid-sized merchants on the Infopia eCommerce platform. The service is provided by Infopia's industry partners and provides pay-per-click (PPC) management designed to enhance traffic and incre Is eBay Moving Toward a Free Listing Model? eBay UK... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053283/daily-roundup-9.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:35:27 -0400 1035@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Report: Paid Search Top Acquisition Tool for Retailers - Adotas In a year of dismal retail sales projections, a recent report says Americans will continue to snap up clothes, computers and cars online. A Shop.org conducted by Forrester Research found that online retail sales should climb 17% this year to $204 billion. TheFind powers commerce in Elle's content community - Comparison Shopping Engine Strategies It's been said that content, community and commerce is the holy grail to Internet success, and that's just what TheFind is now doing. The partnership effectively creates a destination shopping site on Elle.com, leveraging TheFind's competency in lifestyle goods, piping in products from merchants that match ELLE's audience. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/273963813/links-for-20-12.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:34:59 -0400 1031@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Two Carbon-Market Millionaires Take a Hit as U.N. Clamps Down Marc Stuart and Pedro Moura Costa have become multimillionaires in a booming new market designed to fight global warming. Now, their empire is under attack. Their firm, United Kingdom-based EcoSecurities Ltd., helps companies in the industrialized world m http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/272914757/on-age.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:15:39 -0400 1029@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I've been thinking a lot about age recently. As my age catches up to my rapidly graying hair, I'm realizing that I'm no longer the youngest guy in the room... Today, Business Week released their list of "Tech's Best Young... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/273041201/links-for-20-11.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:34:25 -0400 1030@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu ISPs meddled with their customers' Web traffic by Robert McMillan, IDG News Service About one percent of the Web pages being delivered on the Internet are being changed in transit, sometimes in a harmful way, according to researchers at the University of Washington. Consumer groups urge "do not track" registry - Scientific American Two consumer groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to create a "do not track list" that would allow computer users to bar advertisers from collecting information about them. The Consumer Federation of America and the Consumers Union also u Seven Tips for Making the Most... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/272031866/links-for-20-10.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:33:06 -0400 1028@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Targeting, Ad Network Spending Increase - eMarketer More than nine out of 10 US advertising agencies and advertisers buying online media plan to work with ad networks in 2008, according to Collective Media's "Ad Network Study 2008." Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that they planned to spend mor http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053284/daily-roundup-7.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:33:00 -0400 1034@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-04-17 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/271279951/links-for-200-9.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:35:02 -0400 1027@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Does Your Company Need a Chief Blogger? - Advertising Age It's a question marketers are still grappling with years after the first waves of corporate blogging flooded the web. But for better or worse, it seems corporate blogging -- and the title of chief blogger -- is beginning to hit its stride. Companies such Brands Partner With Consumers Online - eMarketer These days, online consumers and companies are collaborating on a range of activities, including R&D, marketing and after-sales support. Here are a few examples of how brands and consumers are working together online: eBay Tracks Members' Computer Usage in... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053285/daily-roundup-6.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:35:00 -0400 1033@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-04-16 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/271161214/1-800-free-411.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:24 -0400 1026@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu As a Pennsylvania resident, I was really surprised by today's announcement from portfolio company, Jingle Networks. The company, which operates the country's largest free 411 service (1-800-FREE-411), recently conducted a political poll. Now this was not your typical poll. Typical... http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/04/vol.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:32:00 -0400 1025@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 Number 5 Memories of Really Dumb Rides So How Many of You Remember the "Dodge La Femme"? So thanks goes out to Al Haas the “On the Road” columnist from the Philadelphia Inquirer for this bog entry. Although technically not dealing with fleet or remarketing, I couldn’t resist comment on his recent March 16 article entitled, “ Memories of really dumb rides ” which defines what Al considers the four dumbest rides in US history. Now the first two had launch dates before my time, but I was around for the last two, and, at any rate they all were pretty dumb: 1) The Dodge La Femme 2) The Edsel 3) The Subaru BRAT 4) Suzuki X-90 Now everyone is aware of #2, The Edsel, and while the BRAT (stood for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter…of course, we all knew that, right?) was nowhere near as well known, it probably earned its “dumb” rep not as an immediate sales fiasco (it was around for at least a half a dozen years), but because of its “jump seat welded in cargo bed,” created to avoid the 25% import tariff on imported trucks at the time. As I remember it, #4, the Suzuki X-90 was a creation of a different sort, that is, since the Suzuki Samuri SUV (which I remember sold pretty well and was well liked) got hit by Consumer Reports on its propensity to roll over during sudden steering (a bad thing), Suzuki reaction was to build this two-seat, four wheel drive coupe that was neither fish nor fowl, that had neither the Samuri’s off-road capability, nor a car’s on road ride…it fell on its sword, so to speak, only two years on the market. At any rate, the focus of this blog entry is a vehicle that Dodge launched in the 1950’s, way less well known than the Edsel but 100x more silly (or at least it seems that way now), the #1 vehicle on Al’s list, the Dodge La Femme (yep, there is even a Web site dedicated to it now, and I bet its been viewed by far more people than ever saw the car in its day...). Apparently back in the 1950’s, Chrysler Corporation for the first time noticed that women were starting to buy a lot of cars, and figured (logically?), that the best way to reach that market was to produce something special, something that seemed to feed into and propagate every stereotype you could imagine about female buyers in that day and age (or any other)…and so was created what could only be called the female stereotype caricature car, the Dodge La Femme. The 1955/56 offering was a Dodge Royal Lancer that overdosed on “pink” or as Al says, a “Royal Lancer on estrogen.” Okay, so the exterior was not pink exactly, but two tone “Sapphire White and Heather Rose” (“Heather Rose”?! that’s um, pink to you and me), with the moniker “La Femme” emblazoned in gold script on the fenders (oh yes, that would go well at the supermarket). The interior, was, of course, pink tapestry upholstery featuring rosebuds (really, I couldn’t make this up). Now, of course it gets better, as one wouldn’t think of offering this car to women without a few other signature rosebud necessities as well, as the car purchase included the same rosebud interior print on an accompanying raincoat, rain bonnet, umbrella, and, a purse – just about everything the modern little lady might want in life… I think Al says it best, “Even back in those Ozzie and Harriet heydays, women weren’t buying this brand of patronizing. During the two years the cars were offered, a grand total of 2,500 La Femmes were sold.” So what do you think women car folks, is pink still the operative color of the day for women buyers, women web sites, etc.? Do you think designer raincoats, bonnets, umbrellas and purses really do enhance the car buying experience for a women consumer? As silly as this all sounds, do things like this, in a much more subdued way, still occur in marketing to women buyers or are large corporations (if not all retailers) more in tune? In the car market? In other product marketing? Let me know what you think... http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/04/this-just-in-20.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0400 1024@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The 2007 Internet Crime Report, just released by the FBI and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, shines a spotlight on the overwhelming share of merchant non-performance as a part of overall internet fraud. The report states that over 60% of all internet fraud complaints are for merchant non-performance — compare that with a paltry 2.9% of all complaints for the much-hyped ID theft. The total dollar value of consumer losses due to fraud also increased over 20% from the year before, from $198M to $239M – faster than the rate of the underlying growth in online sales. In short, the “bad guys” are doing better than the online market as a whole! Even more interestingly, the report’s research shows that fewer than 1 in 7 losses are ever reported, so the true problem must be significantly larger than the reported numbers. According to the report, the Top Three internet user... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053286/daily-roundup-5.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:12:00 -0400 1032@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-04-14 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/269889433/links-for-200-8.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:33:49 -0400 1023@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Is Yahoo Right to Resist Microsoft? Yahoo's resistance to a takeover by Microsoft looks foolhardy to some investors and Wall Street analysts. But the push-back may prove effective in the end—at least by forcing the suitor to cough up a few more bucks a share. Executives from Yahoo (YHOO) Yahoo Gets a Deadline Microsoft (MSFT) just dropped the bomb on Yahoo (YHOO). Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Apr. 5 sent a letter giving Yahoo's board three weeks before it initiates a proxy fight, including nomination of a new slate of directors likely to approve the deal. "M Is Content King?... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/268242972/links-for-200-7.html Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:33:45 -0400 1022@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Consolidating Your Web Banter - Technology Review Many Web users drop digital breadcrumbs all over the Web: a comment left on YouTube, a status update posted on Facebook, a mundane task noted on the microblogging service Twitter, a long-form update posted on a blog. But merging these services has long be On eBay, A Little Less Conversation - washingtonpost.com Sometime in mid-May, the conversations behind each sale on eBay will become a lot more one-sided. The site will change one of its core features, the feedback system allowing buyers and sellers to judge one another, by cutting sellers out of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/267577928/links-for-200-6.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:36:15 -0400 1021@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Eyeing Prices as Search Keeps Growing - eMarketer Even as some marketers rein in spending to hedge against further economic problems, search engine marketing (SEM) is in great shape—at least for the moment. Search engine advertisers and agencies surveyed for the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO)-sponsored "2007 State of the Market" survey listed multiple reasons for the SEM spending growth, including advertiser demand, rising keyword and pay-per-click campaign costs, small-to-midsized business SEM use and increased behavioral and demographic targeting. The study was conducted by Radar Research online using an IntelliSurvey panel. Your Former Boss Can Kill Your Job Offer:... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/266895924/links-for-200-5.html Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:39:26 -0400 1020@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Reported Dollar Loss from Internet Crime Reaches All Time High The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 206,884 complaints of crimes perpetrated over the Internet during 2007. Internet auction fraud was the most widely reported complaint, comprising 35.7% of referred crime complaints. This represents a 20.5 Life on the Edge: Learning from Facebook For most business executives, Facebook remains a remote, somewhat mysterious, online frontier. Many executives harbor strong doubts that Facebook is at all relevant to "real business." After all, isn't it just a bunch of college kids sharing photos of dri Why Writing Your Own Search Engine is... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/264471910/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:32:00 -0400 1019@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Just What We Needed, Google on Speed - Google Everflux Is it just me or has Google gone into overdrive? As a professional full-time online marketer I have to keep my mind firmly placed on what Google is doing. As much as I try not to because Google has probably driven more people around the bend than Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz put together. Like any professional marketer, I monitor my numerous keywords on a daily basis - especially my major targeted keyword phrases that bring in the most sales and subscribers. For years now, I have had top rankings in Google... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/266203012/links-for-200-4.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:33:31 -0400 1018@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Building His Own Start-Up Ecosystem - washingtonpost.com Eric Litman is a longtime Washington area technology guy who calls himself an "Internet entrepreneur and evangelist." Litman was one of four founders of a well-known local Internet development company in the 1990s called Proxicom. Using proceeds from the http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/265524531/links-for-200-3.html Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:34:25 -0400 1016@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Busting a Rogue Blogger Of the many blogs born last May, Patent Troll Tracker seemed as innocuous as any. Its focus: the obscure but controversial subject of "patent trolls," a derogatory term used to describe businesses that make money by purchasing patents and then suing big companies for infringement. The author was clearly no fan of the practice, but his or her identity was a mystery. The "about me" section of the blog noted that the writer was simply "a patent lawyer trying to gather and organize information about patent litigation." Through regular, copious posts, Troll Tracker quickly drew a... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/264471910/links-for-200-2.html Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:32:32 -0400 1015@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Just What We Needed, Google on Speed - Google Everflux Is it just me or has Google gone into overdrive? As a professional full-time online marketer I have to keep my mind firmly placed on what Google is doing. As much as I try not to because Google has probably driven more people around the bend than Chrysler Beam it up: Tiny projectors to magnify cell-phone cinema - Technology Review Recognizing that it is not much fun to watch movies on a tiny cell phone, a number of companies are racing to develop gadgets that project what's playing on the... http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/04/ecommerce-summi.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:31:21 -0400 1014@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu We at buySAFE are excited about the upcoming eCommerce Summit in New Orleans starting April 22. If you are undecided about attending, ask any past attendee, or better yet, ask us! For anyone with a stake in ecommerce, this is one networking and business opportunity that is reliably interesting, important, and productive…and a lot of fun. Sponsored by our friends PeSA, Infopia and ECMTA, this year’s eCommerce Summit is going to be a happening event in New Orleans (three days of summit, one day of optional volunteering at Habitat for Humanity and all that followed by the weekend New Orleans Jazz Festival!). Hundreds of online merchants will gather up for 3 days of learning internet best-practices and networking with industry leaders and Internet thought leaders. buySAFE will be a participant as well as proud sponsor! The dates are April 22 – 24 and the venue is Morial Convention Center in... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/263845764/links-for-200-1.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:07:00 -0400 1017@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Google's Gamble Can fewer clicks on its search ads lead to more revenue for Google? That is the question investors, analysts, and the company itself are trying to answer. The debate was launched after a Mar. 26 report from researcher comScore (SCOR) showed a decline in the number of clicks from the prior month on Google's search-related ads. According to the research firm, clicks on ads declined 3% in February from the prior month and were up just 3% compared to last year. Some analysts cautioned investors against buying additional Google (GOOG) shares; Google's stock declined 3% on Mar. 27,... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/263845764/links-for-200-1.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:33:04 -0400 1013@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Google's Gamble Can fewer clicks on its search ads lead to more revenue for Google? That is the question investors, analysts, and the company itself are trying to answer. The debate was launched after a Mar. 26 report from researcher comScore (SCOR) showed a decline in t Mashup Security - Technology Review Mashups--online applications that combine data and tools from different websites--are becoming increasingly useful. Although they started out as simple consumer programs, such as a tool that placed housing listings from Craigslist onto Google Maps, mashup Responses to cybercrime to be debated by Council of Europe, NATO, EU -... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/04/classic-april-f.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:33:56 -0400 1012@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu from http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/ #71: Michigan Shark Experiment In 1981 the Herald-News in Roscommon, Michigan reported that 3 lakes in northern Michigan had been selected to host "an in-depth study into the breeding and habits of several species of fresh-water sharks." Two... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/262529788/links-for-2008.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:38:06 -0400 1011@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Wiring Money Turns Wireless in New Plan - WSJ.com Western Union Co., hoping to boost its share of the money-transfer market, is teaming up with RadioShack Corp. and a small wireless company to offer a service that lets people send money through their cellphones. The service is aimed at immigrants to the IAC, Diller Face More Hurdles After Court Win - WSJ.com Barry Diller's decisive courtroom victory Friday in his battle with rival media mogul John Malone for control of IAC/InterActiveCorp. settled the question of who runs the Internet company. Now, Mr. Diller faces a host of new business and... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/262311822/the-unfunded.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:00:28 -0400 1010@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Over the last several years, April Fool's Day has been moving online – and although we’ve seen online pranks from startups, bloggers, and large Internet companies, I’ve noticed relatively few from venture capitalists. (Insert sarcastic comment about VC’s lack of... http://perpetualmotion.wordpress.com/2008/04/01/saving-coffeeshop-wi-fi/ Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:46:39 -0400 1009@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/261982018/google-tisp---a.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:06:32 -0400 1008@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Google launches new services with astonishing speed, and today's announcement is no exception. The latest Google invention is designed to help budget in these challenging economic times. Starting today (4/1/08), you can sign up for Google TiSP. With Google TiSP, you'll get a speedy broadband connection for free! You can also pay extra for a faster connection. Of course, there are a few fine print details to Google's TiSP service. For example, you'll need to install TiSP yourself. So read the details carefully. Obviously, you will want to understand what rights you're giving away when you use the TiSP service.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/261709398/juan-tornoes-insight-about-batanga.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:23:00 -0400 1007@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/261151035/links-for-20-13.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:36:49 -0400 1006@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-31 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/260536979/hispanic-mpr-features-joe-and.html Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:55:00 -0400 1005@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/260017170/i-dont-know.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:33:15 -0400 1004@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I don't know. Why is it so hard for people (including both entrepreneurs and VCs) to say these three words? This past week I had two distinctly different meetings with entrepreneurs. They both were successful serial entrepreneurs. Both were exceptionally... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/259773608/must-see-video-lou-dobbs-and-under-moon.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:53:00 -0400 1003@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://coolnewweb.blogspot.com/2008/03/marc-andreessens-analysis-of-charlie.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:25:00 -0400 1002@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Here's an interesting article (part 1 of 6) from Marc Andreessen regarding 25 biases identified by Charles Munger, Warren Buffett's partner and cofounder of Munger, Tolles & Olson. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/258383733/101-five-minute.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:23:21 -0400 1001@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu At buySAFE, our web site is one of our greatest assets. It is the main avenue by which we communicate with prospective buyer and merchant customers, partners, the media, and investors. It is the main tool we have for defining buySAFE for the rest of the world. It is the vehicle we use for creating action with respect to our unique eCommerce trust and safety and advertising services. I spend a fair amount of my time thinking about how to better leverage this asset, and then working with my team to improve upon its utility. Therefore, when I ran across... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/257779146/so-you-want-to.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:26:35 -0400 1000@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I have discovered the hard way that blogging is not an easy endeavor, and this is especially true for folks that have real jobs during the day. At a minimum, it takes time, dedication, and creativity. I have often wondered how to others do such a great job with their blogs while still maintaining excellence in their day jobs. To that point, I thought this article was very interesting, and it included a number of practical tips for all of us aspiring bloggers. I hope you find this useful as well. MARK CUBAN, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/257526599/links-for-20-12.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:22:48 -0400 999@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-25 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/256279621/feed-frenzy.html Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:26:00 -0400 998@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Back in the early 90's, I co-founded a company called Infonautics that ran an online service called Homework Helper. It operated on Prodigy and AOL -- a few years before the development of the web browser. We ran our own... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/255403190/links-for-20-11.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:26:25 -0400 997@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-21 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/254785478/links-for-20-10.html Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:28:04 -0400 996@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Yahoo Backs Up Its Argument Against Microsoft Bid - Advertising Age - Digital Yahoo has already said it believes Microsoft's unsolicited takeover undervalues Yahoo's business. Now, in an investor presentation released to the public, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company explains why. My Mommy’s Online - eMarketer Slowly but surely searching, online shopping and social networking are becoming part of mothers' daily routines. Being a parent makes going online almost a necessity. Today, more than 40% of all women who go online in the US—approximately 35 million of It's prison for ID thief who used P2P software - Security- msnbc.com A man... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/254719337/hispanic-business-betting-on-love.html Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:54:00 -0400 995@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/254338216/the-technology.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:55:29 -0400 994@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If there is a lesson from former New York governor Eliot Spitzer's scandal-driven fall (aside from the most obvious one), it is this: banks are paying attention to even the smallest of your transactions. For this we can thank modern software, and post-9/11 U.S. government pressure to find evidence of money laundering and terrorist financing. Experts say that all major banks, and even most small ones, are running so-called anti-money-laundering software, which combs through as many as 50 million transactions a day looking for anything out of the ordinary. In Spitzer's case, according to newspaper reports, it was three wire... http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/03/vol.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:27:00 -0400 993@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 No. 4 Two Recent News Reports that Tell a Very Interesting Tale Both Automotive Manufacturers and Retailers are Moving to New Online Media…in a Big Way So I recently read two news stories, one in an automotive industry trade magazine about a week ago, and one from an advertising trade magazine two days ago. They both seem to give quantitative proof to what had been indicated, that is, that automotive marketing is moving online Web 2.0 in a big way, and dealer ratings, video and social media will garner the lion’s share of the growth. So clear are these messages, I reprinted each article in its entirety. The first is a synopsis of research study data of a report by The Kelsey Group , as reported in AutoRemarketing on March 10th. As compared to this year v. last year, 59% of the dealers polled said they would use video on their Web sites v. 33% last year, 43% said they would use online customer ratings and reviews v. 29% last year, and, finally, the largest jump of all, 33% said they will use social networking sites v. 15% last year. Also, 59% said they would increase online spending v. only 17% said they would do so for traditional media (while 46% will decrease traditional media, and only 8% will decrease online spending). It paints a pretty clear picture where dealer’s heads are at these days…and where retailers go, the manufacturer follows – or is it the other way around, I’m not sure… Take a look at the second article, about General Motors in Advertising Age … “ The country's third-largest advertiser is getting ready to shift fully half of its $3 billion budget into digital and one-to-one marketing within the next three years .” And, “ GM's Brent Dewar, VP-field sales, service and parts in North America, told Ad Age last December that the marketer will try to persuade its regional dealer ad groups "to shift their focus to digital vs. spot TV" starting this spring after the dealer co-ops, which spend some $500 million annually, are revamped .” So while I’m not smart enough to figure out what is “cause” and what is “effect,” the direction the automotive world is turning, at least in terms of marketing and promotion, that is, getting people in cars, is pretty clear, at least for the near term. Now I don’t know how all this specifically will effect fleet and remarketing, let alone how far and how fast the greater automotive world will actually move in this direction, but changes are clearly on the horizon, and hopefully we will do something to move move it forward in this emerging frontier… As Seen in AutoRemarketing Dealers Shift Toward Online Technology, Marketing March 10, 2008 PRINCETON, N.J. — More and more dealers plan to start using Web 2.0 technology in their advertising campaigns, and most intend to increase spending on Internet marketing in the next year, according to a recent study. A survey from The Kelsey Group indicated that 59 percent of dealers said they would utilize Internet video on their Web sites in the next 12 months, versus the 33 percent who already use the technology. Additionally, the number of dealers who implement online customer ratings and reviews is expected to rise from 29 percent to 43 percent, officials indicated.Meanwhile, 33 percent of respondents indicated they will use social networking sites, an increase from 15 percent." These findings point to a significant disruption in the auto dealer advertising space," explained Neal Polachek, chief executive officer of The Kelsey Group. "There are valuable opportunities for traditional and new media companies that tune into dealers' adoption of Web 2.0 technologies and align with dealers' online media-buying intentions," Polachek added. Dealers are also shifting the manner in which they advertise. Sixty-two percent of respondents claimed they plan to boost online media spending in the next 12 months. Only 17 percent said they will do the same for traditional media.Likewise, only 8 percent of dealers intend to cut online spending, while 46 percent will decrease traditional media spending. The Kelsey Group gathered information for the study through an online survey in February. The next study is scheduled for the fall.For more information, visit http://www.kelseygroup.com/ . As Seen in Advertising Age GM Roars Forward Into Digital Ad Channels Changes at Dedicated Media Shop Lay Groundwork for Auto Giant to Shift Spending to Encompass Multiple Online Channels By Jean Halliday Published: March 17, 2008 The country's third-largest advertiser is getting ready to shift fully half of its $3 billion budget into digital and one-to-one marketing within the next three years. And as GM goes, so goes the entire automotive industry -- the leading advertising category that pumped some $9.42 billion into the ad economy last year. The goal is to go well beyond the banner -- GM spent $197 million in online ads last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence -- to encompass gaming, search, mobile and a broad array of interactive applications, according to several executives close to the automaker. In the last few years GM has shifted several hundred million dollars from TV and print to digital and one-to-one, and that trend will accelerate, said the executives. The clearest sign yet of the automaker's plans came in the last couple of weeks with changes at its dedicated media agency GM Planworks. First Dennis Donlin, longtime general manager and president of the agency, left and was replaced a few days later by Ken Taylor. But Mr. Taylor, who was previously exec VP-group client leader at sibling Starcom USA, Chicago, has been tasked not just with leading the agency's efforts on behalf of GM, but also with reintegrating Planworks into Starcom MediaVest Group. 'No offices will close'Laura Desmond, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group for the Americas, declined to comment on specifics of the move, but said, "As GM has streamlined and got more agile, it seemed only appropriate to move from a siloed business approach to a more flexible, nimble approach that'd allow them to access all our centers of excellence." She denied this meant a total disbandment of Planworks, noting that no offices would close. The idea, according to Ms. Desmond and Betsy Lazar, GM's director-advertising and media operations (who was speaking to Automotive News), is to break down walls at Planworks -- until now a self-contained business unit for GM -- and allow it to share the resources of the entire SMG Group. That means GM will be able, for example, to tap the expertise of MediaVest's branded-entertainment division, run by Brian Terkelson. It'll also be able to take advantage of SMG's buying and planning clout, and tap MediaVest and Starcom's top researchers. Importantly, it will also allow Digitas and SMG to work closely together on digital planning and execution. SMG will work with GM, much like the way it works with Procter & Gamble or Coca-Cola, bringing a range of resources to bear. Mark LaNeve, VP-vehicle sales, service and marketing for GM in North America, declined to talk numbers, but said, "Like all major marketers, we've moved into digital media in a big way," adding, "but the other media types are still very important and will still be a big part of our mix." Online product researchBut a pattern is developing among automakers whereby TV and print are deployed for launches in order to raise awareness, while more of the continuous branding and sales activity shifts online -- as automakers and many of their dealers accept that the purchase process increasingly begins, and sometimes even effectively ends, on the internet. At a time when a slowing economy is taking a toll on advertising, the prospect of billions of dollars fleeing TV, print, newspaper, radio and outdoor is unwelcome, to say the least. The worse news for traditional media: GM's Brent Dewar, VP-field sales, service and parts in North America, told Ad Age last December that the marketer will try to persuade its regional dealer ad groups "to shift their focus to digital vs. spot TV" starting this spring after the dealer co-ops, which spend some $500 million annually, are revamped. Hyundai Motor America is doubling its online ad spending this year over 2007, according to VP-Marketing Joel Ewanick, who declined to offer specific figures. "Online is getting to the point where it may be more important than the 30-second TV spot." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/254150719/links-for-200-9.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:31:01 -0400 992@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-19 http://perpetualmotion.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/ask-first-shoot-later/ Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:29:08 -0400 991@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/251984678/links-for-200-1.html Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:25:00 -0400 990@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-15 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/251262314/links-for-200-8.html Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:25:37 -0400 989@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Do not email your pitch and other thoughts - TheFunded.com I raised $40m from top tier VCs 6 years ago and am now raising money again for another startup. While initially rusty, I quickly remembered how much of a game this is. Recently I spoke with 3 first time CEO who are raising money for the first time. Here a How Can LinkedIn Help Me Sell More? - Sales 2.0 One of the most common questions I get asked is, "How can LinkedIn help me sell more?" LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers and recruiters. And while trying to use... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246000171/links-for-200-3.html Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:29:00 -0400 988@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-013 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/250183583/daily-roundup-4.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:05:00 -0400 987@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-12 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/249372421/links-for-200-7.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:28:27 -0400 986@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-11 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/249372421/links-for-200-7.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:24:28 -0400 985@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu How Much Choice Do Consumers Want? - eMarketer Product line extensions. New and improved flavors. Mass customization. Sometimes it seems like giving consumers choices is what marketing is all about. It's part of why manufacturers and service providers put so much information online for consumers. Yet Start-Up's Web-Security Tool Is Offered Free to Consumers A start-up run by former Microsoft Corp. employees said it has made a tool to combat growing security risks on the Web. Haute Secure Inc. introduced a free online service (www.hautesecure.com) that it says will let consumers detect and stop Internet-borne TV, the Next Big Internet... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246506485/daily-roundup-2.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:48:00 -0400 984@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-10 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246629200/links-for-200-4.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 09:26:00 -0400 983@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-09 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247821815/links-for-200-6.html Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:18:04 -0500 982@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-08 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247821815/links-for-200-6.html Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:27:27 -0500 981@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Jeremy Siegel on Politicians, Prices and a Potential 'Buying Opportunity of the Decade' - Knowledge@Wharton The U.S. Presidential race has reached a critical juncture. The Republicans have a confirmed nominee in John McCain; as for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton has bounced back, while Barack Obama retains a marginal lead in terms of delegates. How the presiden Ecommerce Blogging: Who, What And When: Well-written blogs create credibility, interest Last month I talked about blogging platforms and the value blogging can bring to ecommerce sites. When a website makes the decision to begin a blog and decides upon a blogging platform, it... http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/03/warren-buffet-on-life-and-work-and.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:04:00 -0500 980@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/247529620/out-of-office-working-from-baonecci-in.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:55:00 -0500 979@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247265709/links-for-200-5.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:24:13 -0500 977@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Reorganization Doesn't Do It for Marketers - Advertising Age - News Marketers apparently can't get enough of reorganization, but they aren't getting much satisfaction from it either. Despite widespread and growing reorganization within their marketing ranks, highlighted by trends toward centralization and integration, onl How to Make the Move Up to General Manager - Advertising Age - TalentWorks For all the arguments calling for longer tenure, a majority of marketing leaders aren't intent on being career CMOs. Most aspire to trade their functional experience and take a chance on general management. In a recent Spencer Stuart study of 500 marketin... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247265709/links-for-200-5.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:24:00 -0500 978@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-07 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/246903999/new-partnership-to-offer-latinos.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:14:00 -0500 975@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246636452/daily-roundup-3.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:32:00 -0500 974@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-06 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246629200/links-for-200-4.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:26:07 -0500 973@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Microsoft's Shiny New Toy At last March's Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference in Monterey, CA, a summit that's been described as "Davos for the digerati," the calm-voiced software architect from Microsoft began his demonstration abruptly, navigating rapidly across a Kids Train for E-Commerce - eMarketer Get ready for the next generation of online buyers. Kids are shopping online, downloading digital files and making their product opinions known. This activity, which doesn't always involve an actual purchase, serves as training for kids to make purchases The Lives We Lead; The Things We Do - TheFunded.com Silicon Valley is where most everyone’s... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246506485/daily-roundup-2.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:48:00 -0500 972@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-05 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246000171/links-for-200-3.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:29:49 -0500 971@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Direct Marketers Bullish on Online Ads - eMarketer US direct marketers may reduce their media budgets this year, judging by Target Marketing's "Media Usage Forecast" report. Nearly one-quarter of respondents surveyed in January 2008 said they would reduce their media budgets compared with last year. The n Yahoo activates smart mobile bookmarks - Reuters Yahoo Inc, still fending off a $41 billion takeover bid by Microsoft Corp, unveiled a cell phone tool on Tuesday that lets users keep up with their favorite topics using dynamic bookmarks. OnePlace, to be launched in the second quarter, allows users to ma Microsoft expands... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/03/welcome-new-inv.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:01:02 -0500 970@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Still working on our generic team name :) We're hiring the best and the brightest at Invite Media, and today is no exception. I'd like to officially welcome three new team members to Invite: Mark Chadwick Toby DiPasquale Drew Sudell... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/245368431/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:26:00 -0500 976@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-04 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/245368431/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:26:12 -0500 969@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Ask.Com Not Planning to Scrap Search: Source - New York Times Online search site Ask.com is not getting rid of its specialized search technology, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, saying a blog report to that effect was incorrect. Analysts cited a report in Silicon Alley Insider on Friday as one of s Executives Must Realize and Learn the Power of Social Media Senior marketing executives in several countries agree that the use of social media for corporate, brand and product marketing is not a passing fad, according to research sponsored by TNS media intelligence/Cymfony. In fact,... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/245159718/where-do-single-latinas-hang-out_03.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:26:00 -0500 968@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/03/get-your-hands-dirty.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:50:00 -0500 967@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/245061299/where-do-single-latinas-hang-out.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:46:00 -0500 966@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244943737/daily-roundup-1.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:25:00 -0500 965@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-03 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/244872678/know-anyone.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:29:03 -0500 964@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu First Round Capital is looking for a Senior Associate possessing boundless energy and astounding intelligence based in either our San Francisco or Philadelphia office. More information here and here. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244388818/daily-roundup-f.html Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:39:00 -0500 963@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-02 http://www.natsturner.com/2008/03/quote-of-the-da.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:48:42 -0500 958@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu From Warren Buffet in the 2007 Annual Report Letter to the Shareholders: "You may recall a 2003 Silicon Valley bumper sticker that implored, “Please, God, Just One More Bubble.” Unfortunately, this wish was promptly granted, as just about all Americans... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/243771171/links-for-2008.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:26:00 -0500 962@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-01 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/243771171/links-for-2008.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:21:26 -0500 957@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244237442/daily-roundup-1.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:47:00 -0500 961@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-02-29 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/242601680/links-for-200-6.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:32:38 -0500 956@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244114434/daily-roundup-f.html Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:47:00 -0500 960@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-02-27 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/241369510/links-for-200-5.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:25:16 -0500 955@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/240917428/free-long-tail.html Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:00:27 -0500 954@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This month's issue of Wired Magazine contains a great cover story by Chris Anderson titled "Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business" I think Chris does a wonderful job describing the rise of "freeconomics" -- and is a must... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/240763369/links-for-200-4.html Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:22:45 -0500 953@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/240763369/links-for-200-4.html Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:22:00 -0500 959@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-02-25 http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/vol_24.html Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:42:00 -0500 952@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 No. 3 The Coming Ad Revolution, or Why I’m So Enthusiastic About Online Communities… Esther Dyson’s Observations Have it Right Again Esther Dyson’s predictive foresight on Internet has harkened back way over decade when she wrote the testament to the Internet age, Release 2.0: A design for living in the digital age back in 1997. She is one of the foremost authorities on the Web today, and so when I read her recent editorial published in all editions of the Wall Street Journal a week or so back (ironically, when I was just wrapping up another NADA Convention), I took note, or more so, reassurance that I am on the right track. I preprinted it, in its entirety below and want to say that I believe that the power of two way permission customer based, two way interaction and social networks will forever change the landscape of marketing communications in general, in every industry, but the changes will be most profound in the automotive industry – the industry that historically in the US, has spent the most on marketing and communications but has been the most reluctant to change in strategy in tactics (maybe a byproduct of historically having so much money to spend) on how to reach the customer. …And Next Entry, I’ll Let All Know How I’m Changing Myself, How I’m Redirecting Everything to Focus on, Learn, Create and Lead in this New “Ad Revolution" The Coming Ad Revolution By ESTHER DYSON Wall Street Journal February 11, 2008; Page A18 While the big news in the online world focuses on Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, a more profound revolution is taking place on the online social networks: The discussion about privacy is changing as users take control over their own online data. While they spread their Web presence, these users are not looking for privacy, but for recognition as individuals -- whether by friends or vendors. This will eventually change the whole world of advertising. The current online-advertising model will become less effective, even as it gets increasingly sophisticated. New players are emerging to devalue the spaces that the ad giants are currently fighting over. Companies you've never heard of called NebuAd, Project Rialto, Phorm, Frontporch and Adzilla are pitching tools to Internet service providers that will enable them to track users and show them relevant ads. This approach (called behavioral targeting and already in service by ad networks that track users through so-called tracking cookies) undercuts traditional online publishers, who employ content to lure users and to sell adjacent ads. Now, the ISPs can sell advertisers direct access to the same users. Take user number 12345, who was searching for cars yesterday, and show him a Porsche ad. It doesn't matter if he's on Yahoo or MySpace today -- he's the same number as yesterday. As an advertiser, would you prefer to reach someone reading a car review featured on Yahoo or someone who visited two car-dealer sites yesterday? His identity is still private: The ISP and behavioral-targeting networks don't know 12345's name and don't care. They just know what they think he wants. This market will get more competitive, and users will be barraged by ads to which they will pay less and less attention. Call that public space, a world of billboards and cacophony. Even though the ads will be more "relevant" than ever, users will increasingly tune them out. Now consider the new world of social networks. Facebook, unwittingly or on purpose, has been teaching people to manage their own data about themselves. Facebook's launch of the Beacon service -- which informs Facebook of members' activities (i.e., purchases) on other sites -- was a PR fiasco. But it still familiarized millions of users with the notion that they can control information about themselves online -- and determine to whom it is visible. What might seem like a horribly complex and tedious task to their elders -- categorizing "friends," managing news feeds, handling intersecting communities of contacts -- feels natural to the Facebook users of today. They want more granularity of control, not less. Each user determines who will get into his own garden, whether friends or vendors. Look at Dopplr (where I plan to become an investor), a site for travelers. I list my trips, and see how they intersect with my friends' itineraries. "Oh, we'll both be in London April 4? Let's get together!" Or, "Juan and Alice will be in town next Tuesday. Let's hold a dinner!" You can imagine or visit equivalent approaches for books (a hypothetical Amazon 2.0, new and more personalized), clothes (Glam.com and Stardoll.com), and even money management. So what's the business model? I'll "friend" British Airways, which will say, "We see you're going to Moscow next month. Why not fly through London and we'll give you 10,000 extra miles?" I'm no longer in a bucket of frequent travelers, my privacy protected. I'm an individual with specific travel plans, which I intentionally make visible to preferred vendors. British Airways, of course, will pay Dopplr a handsome sponsorship fee to be eligible to be my "friend" (just as a Nike rep might pay to sponsor a basketball game and be part of the community). Someday NetJets may show up, offering to ferry me and my friends to a conference we'll be attending together. I'm far more likely to respond to BA or NetJets within a trusted site, and for a specific offer, than I am to heed their ad while reading a newspaper article on the troubles in Russia. (As for Orbitz, my old standby: After five years, it still doesn't acknowledge my preferred airlines.) The new model creates a more trusted environment for reaching high-value, frequent purchasers, whether of airline tickets, electronics, clothes or other items. Where does that leave the less-frequent purchasers? Probably looking to their friends rather than to advertising for advice. I'm an expert on travel; my friends may look to me for hotel choices. When I'm in the mood to buy a book or a new computer, I'll check out what my friends on Facebook are doing. This does not mean that traditional online advertising will go away, just that it will become less effective. Value is being created in users' own walled gardens, which they will cultivate for themselves in real estate owned by the social networks. The new value creators are companies -- like Facebook and Dopplr -- that know how to build and support online communities. Ms. Dyson is an investor in companies including 23andMe, Eventful.com, Meetup Inc., WPP Group and Zedo. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/239282352/more-quierolatino-news.html Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:23:00 -0500 951@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/234242904/links-for-200-3.html Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:39:42 -0500 950@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/238236244/venture-capital.html Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:53:11 -0500 949@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I just came across this new website - Venture Capital Wear - and it really cracked me up. Check out their T-shirts... http://perpetualmotion.wordpress.com/2008/02/16/proceed-at-your-own-risk/ Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:36:47 -0500 948@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/237754633/newspapers-are-catching-on-to.html Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:36:00 -0500 947@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/234948872/the-emarket-for.html Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:57:27 -0500 946@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I had the opportunity to speak at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania last week about an article that Dr. Eric Clemons recently authored for the Journal of Management Information Systems, "An Empirical Investigation of Third-Party Seller Rating Systems in E-Commerce: The Case of buySAFE". My presentation was focused on marketplace economics and specifically about information asymmetry, signaling, the "Market for Lemons" concept, and buySAFE. In addition, I was able to share a few thoughts about my entrepreneurial experience with buySAFE. As always, I had a great time as the guest of Dr. Eric Clemons, and I enjoyed hearing the... http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/vol.html Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:31:00 -0500 945@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 No. 2 The More Things Change…The More They Become Different… Women, Cars, NADA 2008 Annual Convention, and CarsDiva.com I’ve been in the car business a very long time by most standards, over 22 years now. As always though, at the National Automobile Dealers Association 2008 Convention, there are dealers and other attendees who make me look like an absolute rookie. , The 91st annual NADA Convention, as in previous years, still overwhelms me with the sheer size and scale of the event.. Anybody who is anybody in the retail end of the car business attends, and no matter how high up on the ladder, seems accessible for at least these few days a year – this is the only convention I recall where all the top guys of the industry make a point of being available at their booths on the convention floor (and at meetings, and parties, etc.), to meet and greet all of the attendees that they can for the time available. The Times, They Are A Changing… So in my almost quarter decade of the business, sometimes the NADA conventions reflect a certain theme, something in the industry that represents change, that overtakes many other topics. I remember the “Asian invasion” (two of them), the issue of dealerships being public entities (that’s only a little over 15 years old, by the way, for an industry that’s been around 100 years, that would be a little surprising to most folks), the “factory dealer” controversy and the “Blue Oval” experience. I’ve lived through the “.com,” “direct-to-consumer” and march of the “silicon yuppie” late the last decade, and the “program car” era of the domestic manufacturers first buying, then selling all of the daily rental car companies. Through all this, the resiliency of the automotive dealer system, and the admirable and effective tenacity of dealers, always seems to prevail, and indeed, no matter what situation unfolds, dealers always adapt to create benefit out of chaos, advancement out of change. This year the “economy,” “green” and “emission standards” are of the highest priority, and Chinese vehicles are a hot topic. One additional event, of the highest impact was the official inauguration of the new incoming NADA Chairman, Annette Sykora. While this would seem unremarkable in most industries, this is the first time in its history that NADA has been chaired by a woman, and it’s pushing a hundred years old. The fact is women directly buy the majority of new and used vehicles, they directly spend the majority of vehicle service dollars, yet as I walk the halls of NADA, the ratio of men to women in the retailing end of the business is still probably close to 90% men to 10% women. But this represents a positive change, as when I started in the business is it was, indeed, more like 99% to 1%. Where I Think the Web Plays a Role There are many reasons for the recognition and growth of the empowerment of women in the business, but one overwhelming catalyst in particular has been a level of transparency and openness that was initiated by the Internet over the last ten years or so. When I started in the business, it was common practice for a dealer to not let his salespeople know the true invoice of a vehicle, dealer customer satisfaction numbers were a closely guarded secret, and poor treatment of women and consumers in general, was notoriously commonplace in some of the more financially successful stores. With no light shining on these facts, there was very little there to motivate a change of these old practices. About ten years ago now, the World Wide Web came along, and added a level of transparency that changed everything. Now vehicle invoices (and current consumer and factory rebates) are available to anyone who can connect up (even though for many years after this freely available information was posted, many dealers still refused to reveal individual vehicle invoice prices to salespeople…go figure). Bad “word of mouth,” and now dealer rating systems, are easily “vetted” on the Web for all to see instantaneously. And voila, the focus and treatment of women consumers that make up the vast majority of the retail automotive buying market, have improved dramatically and NADA has a woman Chairman. I don’t think any of this is coincidence or happening in a vacuum, but instead is finally ushering in a new age, where both the best and worst retailers are exposed very quickly with the visibility of virtual communities on the Web. This is taken now one step further with the advent of “social networks” that is, the formation of information exchanging virtual communities, specifically created to make available personal referral type information informally among online local and national friends. So get the convergence here… Online communities are the most rapidly expanding Web communication medium for both individuals and marketers, and are the focus of conventional media. Cars and automotive topics have always been one of the staple topics of offline communities, when people socialize and congregate. Word of mouth referral is important to every consumer, and is the most trusted and credible method by which to pick any retailer or item (as opposed to advertising or marketing, in any form). Women buy and service the majority of motor vehicles in the US, and are, as a group, the most dissatisfied and disenfranchised with the car buying and servicing process, and are grossly underrepresented on a professional basis within the retailing end of this industry. (These two facts have something to do with each other, no doubt). So put together all of the facts of the above, and the conclusion that a social/professional automotive online community focused on women and automotive topics would satisfy an unmet need and help to bridge the information gap for women (and all) consumers on how the business works, allowing for the type of industry retailing transparency that leads to greater purchase and servicing satisfaction. To be most effective, it would need a personal spokesperson, a woman in the business to act as a catalyst and bridge between consumers and the industry, to reach out to male and female industry personalities to explain their various functions and specialties, in a personal communication dialogue. It’s a sort of virtual town hall where the many knowledgeable customer focused individuals in the business (many at NADA right now,) are visible and can be a consumer resource for the advancement of all…. That’s the CarsDiva & CarsDiva.com I’m proud to have announced at this year’s NADA Convention our first automotive related online community (and the only one focused on retail consumers, the rest will be industry trade networks), CarsDiva.com, the online network “By, For & About Women and the Car Business.” I’m even prouder, by the way, to introduce the CarsDiva herself, Demetra Markopoulos, who is the best new industry insider catalyst I know to be the “Martha Stewart” meets “MotorTrend” meets “MySpace” social and professional network host. It’s no exaggeration to say that among issues of the economy, green and Chinese vehicles that 2008 marks the year of the true emergence of the recognition of women as the major consumer sector that fuels the car business at NADA. I congratulate Annette Sykora for her accomplishments and in playing a large part in moving the needle forward in this regard, and hope that CarsDiva.com can push things forward as well, to the benefit of all consumers and retailers in this industry (the one I’ve always liked the most). http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/234242904/links-for-200-3.html Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:23:56 -0500 944@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/237754634/microsoft-adcenter-we-dont-speak.html Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:34:00 -0500 943@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/233771701/bill-gates-demo.html Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:28:28 -0500 942@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Bill Gates gave a demo of Xobni (a First Round Capital portfolio company) yesterday at the Microsoft Office Developers Conference, calling it "very very cool" and "the next generation in social networking". Video below. Stay tuned next week, when Steve... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/02/quote-of-the-da.html Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:19:42 -0500 941@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu From my insurance professor today in class: "A long time ago, there was this professor of insurance here at Wharton, someone we looked up to almost as an icon. He was involved in the Supreme Court. He lectured all the... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/233022549/links-for-200-2.html Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:23:03 -0500 940@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-02-11 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/237754635/hosting-providers-gone-wild.html Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:38:00 -0500 939@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/232330166/arthur-benjamin.html Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:58:15 -0500 938@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I have been sitting here this morning working on a financial model in Excel, and after completing one, particularly complex formula, I was reminded of a video I recently saw on the web. Arthur Benjamin's mathematics skills are absolutely amazing! Check it out below! http://www.natsturner.com/2008/02/favorite-curren.html Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:39:55 -0500 937@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This is a runaway for me, Stephen Stills, "Just Roll Tape." I purchased this album on iTunes without knowing any of the album's history. I think it's important to know: "The back story goes something like this. Stills was deeply... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/231217234/amazon-producta.html Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:48:48 -0500 936@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If this post from ComparisonEngines.com is correct, Amazon is launching something big -- ProductAds. Instead of trying to capture all ecommerce transactions on the Amazon.com platform or marketplace, Amazon is now referring transactions to other non-Amazon merchants. Basically, Amazon.com is... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/231126385/how-to-lose-fan.html Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:16:14 -0500 935@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Wow. My post yesterday got a lot of attention. Techmeme for most of the day. And nice compliments from Fred, Bijan and Alley Insider. Unfortunately, I probably should have named my post "How to lose fans and (falsely) influence people".... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/230265581/microsoftyahoo.html Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:37:10 -0500 934@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Updated - See new post for more info. Back in November, Facebook launched their new SocialAds platform. Like many other folks, I decided to spend $50 to check out the platform. Like Fred, I decided to advertise for my fund... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/230156030/links-for-200-1.html Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:26:44 -0500 933@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/228776302/links-for-2008.html Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:23:35 -0500 932@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/237754636/locating-startup-san-francisco-v.html Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:31:00 -0500 931@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/227226274/microsoft-offer.html Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:50:27 -0500 930@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://www.natsturner.com/2008/01/welcoming-new-t.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:34:41 -0500 929@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Today I'd like to officially welcome three new team members to Invite Media: Gilad Buchman, Brian Clapper and Steve Sapovits. All three will be joining the engineering team and we're all extremely excited to have them on board! P.S. We're... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/226589025/why-kindle-is-a.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:06:34 -0500 928@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu When Amazon announced their Kindle last year, I bought one. I wasn't too optimistic, as I had read a lot of bad reviews. However, to my surprise, I've really enjoyed my Kindle experience. The screen is extremely readable -- and... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/226393535/links-for-200-9.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:27:13 -0500 927@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-01-31 http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/01/dont-take-your-job-too-seriously.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:08:00 -0500 926@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/226079429/googles-univers.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:02:21 -0500 925@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog entry about Google's OneBox feature -- and it's potential to impact other vertical search engines. Danny Sullivan's SearchEngineLand blog has a detailed post that shows how Google has shifted from... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/225779149/links-for-200-8.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:29:29 -0500 924@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu eBay's PayPal Unit Acquires Fraud Sciences Ltd. eBay's online payment service PayPal agreed to acquire Fraud Sciences Ltd. in a cash transaction worth approximately $169 million. Fraud Sciences is a privately-held Israeli company with expertise in online risk tools. iMedia... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/222789389/links-for-200-7.html Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:24:17 -0500 923@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu How to Reduce Web 'Purchase Anxiety' | Business & E-Business | bMighty.com From proof of privacy protection to effective testimonials to constructive follow up, here are 8 tips to make visitors feel more comfortable buying from your site EBay's Forecast... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/01/quote-of-the-da.html Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:26:26 -0500 922@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu While campaigning for the Democrats in the 1968 U.S. Presidential election, [Paul] Newman would rent a Jaguar on the weekends. When he found out that opponent Richard Nixon, who was known to his naysayers as "Tricky Dick", was renting the... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/222354160/after-the-techc.html Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:49:25 -0500 921@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I see many consumer Internet pitches these days where the basic marketing strategy is to (1) get covered by Techcrunch, (2) get tens of thousands of users from the "Techcrunch Bump", and then (3) "grow virally". While a positive Techcrunch... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/222155212/links-for-200-6.html Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:30:34 -0500 920@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu For sellers of e-commerce companies, 2007 was a very good year - InternetRetailer.com Buyers and sellers in what investment bankers Petsky Prunier describe as the Digital Content & Commerce market were active in 2007, closing 215 deals with an estimated... http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/01/vol.html Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:15:00 -0500 919@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 No. 1 IT’S WHAT I SUSPECTED… On Two Very Unrelated Events – 1) The Daily Rental Numbers were Way Down for GM & Ford Last Year; 2) Guys Never Forget Their First Cars So the year end numbers are in and it’s no surprise that Detroit is down in sales and market share significantly. What is also clear is that this is due, in no small part, to the reduction in daily rental sales that so plagued the industry for so long. Likened by Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman and product Czar, and others, as drug withdrawal, longer term this is good for the industry, but creates short and intermediate term horrors (plant closings, layoffs, share reduction, supplier bankruptcies, in short, what we see now and continue to see). In fact, just today I saw Bob Lutz in an interview at the Detroit Auto Show, where, despite the blockbuster sales of some major product lines, like the Cadillac CTS and the new Malibu, the reporter emphasized the 2007 reduction in North American sales. Lutz’s response was to remind everyone that a lot of the reduction was, indeed, the result of cutting back sales to daily rental companies. Clearly, GM was the first to bight the bullet, and consequently, they look like they are in the best shape starting out 2008 (with 2007 market share down .9 of a percentage point), Ford followed soon after but had almost double a market share reduction (1.6% points), and Chrysler last year was the only one of the big three who did not significantly cut out unprofitable daily rental program cars and thus only suffered a minimal market share decline (.1 of a percentage point). But, as they say, look at them now: Chrysler just announced a 20% reduction in daily rental sales to start off 2008, along with major employee cuts, plant closings, and product contractions. The US UAW seems okay with it, but the Canadian CAW seems up a bit upset, and their contract talks start next fall, as I recall. At any rate, unlike GM & Ford, it certainly looks like Chrysler’s major drug withdrawal pain is yet to come. …And Speaking of Pain I think for the major daily rental car companies the major financial pain of the reduction of program buy-back vehicles has yet to be felt. It’s been delayed or massaged by the “temporary fixes” of running vehicles in the fleet longer (which is becoming obvious to daily rental car customers), and using the Internet and the latest technologies to squeeze out efficiencies in the wholesale remarketing disposal process. However, these tactics can reduce but not delay the inevitable, which is a severe increase in daily rental car operating costs. If these folks can’t significantly raise daily rental prices, over the long haul (and that looks like a hard thing to do in this current economic downturn) to absorb these cost increases (that heretofore the Detroit Manufacturers absorbed in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual write downs when these units were returned and resold), a major day of financial reckoning, I think, will be at hand. I think there may be one more wrinkle that may exacerbate the upcoming major daily rental companies’ financial troubles, in addition to their increase in operating costs. As most of these companies’ fleets are entirely financed with big bank loans, and the bank lending crises catastrophe makes money scarce for even good credit risks, the large daily rental companies that depend on easy money may feel a double whammy coming…just my observations on the industry, we shall see what develops. One thing I think is a sure bet, that given the current credit situation, GM & Ford are glad they got rid of their daily rental companies when they did a few years ago to private equity buyers when those folks had the cash to buy, because those deals would be a lot tougher to pull of in the finance crunch we have today. On the Lighter Side – Guys Call Ex-Girlfriends…to Reconnect with their Old Cars! I read an article a little while ago in the Wall Street Journal, by my favorite writer, Jennifer Saranow, “ The Car That Got Away ,” which confirmed to me what I long suspected, that a lot of men, particularly those in the first generation that “came of age” with their own cars, will go to almost any lengths to find and reclaim the actual vehicles they first owned. Really, it’s true, as documented in the article, men will search online classifieds, cold call junk yards, call ex-girlfriends, hire lost-car detectives (bet most folks didn’t even know such a profession existed), and when desperate, will even beg friends in law enforcement to run serial numbers in pursuit of their old cars. To help this sincerest form of auto “love sickness” lots of lost-car discussion boards and search sites have been created on the Web (see The Lost Car Registry , or the much more specialized, 428CobraJet.org , dedicated to searching for 1968-1970 Ford Mustangs with the 428 Cobra Jet engine option). It isn’t easy though, as the government didn’t standardize the VIN (Vehicle Identification Code) system until 1981, so large database vehicle history sites, like Carfax generally don’t have data for cars built before that date. Believe it or not, it’s reported that some people resort to hiring international trackers, car “private eyes,” to scour the globe, at upwards of $440 an hour, to “find the ones that got away” (really, I’d consider that a waste if, of course, it wasn’t a car we are talking about). A “Men Only” Affliction, Sorry CarsDiva While apparently marketing researchers have determined that people tend to form preferences for things like music and clothing during adolescence and early adulthood and these preferences stick throughout their lives, when it comes to cars, this tendency has only been found to be statistically significant among men. And it’s most prevalent among war babies and baby boomers born in the US between 1936 and 1964, men beginning to drive around the time Detroit manufacturers first began building models aimed at young people – pony cars like the Mustang and muscles cars like the Pontiac GTO. This nostalgia thing now gives an explanation to something that has confused me. I have to tell you that I never understood the appeal of the retro cars like the Chrysler PT Cruiser or the Chevrolet HHR, but in view of this cultural phenomena, it make sense, as does the increased popularity and sales of the current Ford Mustang (one of the few bright spots in the Ford car sales stats today), or the push for the resurgence of the Chevy Camaro and the Dodge Charger. The statistics presented in the article are very well put together and paint a very clear picture. Last year for instance, 6.8% of self-described auto collectors said they were searching for a vehicle they once owned, compared to just 1.6% in 1985, according to CNW Market Research, Inc. And on the market price index side, it’s clear that demand is clearly outstripping supply, as the collector car industry is up 60% since 2002, and is now a $25 billion dollar a year niche – that’s no small piece of change. Alas though, one statistic proves that the odds of finding “loves labor lost” is very, very slim. In a nation with more than 244 million vehicles currently registered, and cars from 35+ years ago neither as durable nor as technologically advanced as current models, chances are most of these “object of desire” vehicles were scrapped a long time ago. The Lost Car Registry Web site has been up over five years and has 700 postings, but Keith Ingersoll, the founder, knows of only five reunions between the original vehicles and their original owners. Still, long odds would never keep a real “car guy” from continuing the search, at least the way I see it. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/219756372/links-for-200-5.html Sun, 20 Jan 2008 03:22:02 -0500 918@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu How 30 minutes a day can result in 250 inbound links First, know that the 250 links will come over time - it’s not a one time event. It is actually a pretty simple strategy and will have more benefits... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/237754637/east-coast-farewell.html Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:15:00 -0500 917@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/218733204/links-for-200-4.html Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:28:00 -0500 916@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Online shoppers worrying about privacy -- baltimoresun.com Privacy concerns stemming from online shopping rose in 2007, a new study finds, as the loss or theft of credit card information and other personal data soared to unprecedented levels. Sixty-one percent of... http://quierolatino.blogspot.com/2008/01/popularity-contest.html Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:55:00 -0500 915@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/218119784/links-for-200-3.html Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:34:34 -0500 914@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Online Privacy's Call to Arms Web surfers aren't just mad about online privacy violations. They're getting even. Consumers are speaking out publicly against companies they say have gone too far in tracking their Web surfing patterns, creating public relations nightmares.... http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-new-year-from-india.html Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:27:00 -0500 913@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/217384743/even-more-on-pr.html Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:43:57 -0500 912@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Further to my post a few weeks back about pricing, a study released yesterday from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the more wine costs, the more people enjoy it -- regardless of how it tastes!... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/217198158/the-earlier-the.html Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:29:51 -0500 911@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Most VC’s typically “pass” on a deal with a line like “you’re too early for us, but let’s stay in touch as you execute your plan and hit your milestones.” Why wouldn’t they? This non-pass pass gives the VC a... http://quierolatino.blogspot.com/2008/01/reputation-20.html Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:02:00 -0500 910@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/216912366/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:30:35 -0500 909@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Cheerleader and Taskmaster Bob Greene, co-founder of Contour Venture Partners in New York, wants you to know that venture capitalists aren't half as tough as their reputations would have you believe. "A lot of entrepreneurs think VCs are haughty or... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/01/great-report-on.html Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:23:57 -0500 908@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Fenwick & West has released a great report that details activity in venture capital. Click here to visit the report http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/01/protecting-bran.html Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:44:50 -0500 907@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Travis Brown is an occasional contributor to the buySAFE blog. One of Travis’s particular interests is the dynamics of markets for fake and counterfeit goods, and ways to leverage consumer choice to combat this huge and growing problem. Travis recently published an article on this, arguing that brand owners could better protect their products from online sales of counterfeits if they required their online channels (resellers, etc.) to become buySAFE Bonded Merchants. This would take a confusing, “grey” market and effectively split it into a “white” – safe – market and a buyer-beware “black” market. Consumers, brand owners AND honest retailers would all benefit from this clarity and safety. In the absence of a solution that scales at the rate of the problem, the situation will only get worse. Check it out below … Protecting Brand Integrity in the Online Environment: A New Approach to a Monstrous Problem It was... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/215167579/old-halfcom-com.html Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:05:15 -0500 906@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I was going through my music on my computer the other day, and I came across two old radio commercials from the Half.com days. I got a laugh out of hearing them, so I thought I'd share. Click either of... http://quierolatino.blogspot.com/2008/01/looking-for-latin-love.html Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:43:00 -0500 905@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://blog.swoda.com/2008/01/links-for-200-1.html Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:26:03 -0500 904@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu AuctionBytes Report on Online Buying Survey, Part 1 Why do people shop online? How do they find items, and what factors are important to them in making purchasing decisions? These are some of the questions we set out to explore... http://quierolatino.blogspot.com/2008/01/best-month-for-online-dating.html Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:12:00 -0500 903@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://quierolatino.blogspot.com/2008/01/blast-from-past.html Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:16:00 -0500 902@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/210373320/links-for-2008.html Thu, 03 Jan 2008 03:28:57 -0500 901@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Product Blocks Click Fraud in Real Time Click Forensics, Inc., a provider of click fraud prevention solutions, recently announced the availability of Click Forensics for Publishers. The new product allows online publishers and ad networks to automatically block sources of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/209469321/some-thoughts-o.html Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:47:58 -0500 900@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I recently returned from a family vacation, and while I tried not to do much "work", I did find that a hotel can provide an interesting ecosystem to observe some interesting pricing dynamics. Pick a Price, Any Price Despite my... http://www.natsturner.com/2007/12/ive-started-a-t.html Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:55:22 -0500 899@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I've started to use Tumblr, and it's pretty slick. Here's my tumbleblog, natsturner.tumblr.com I'll be posting a lot of quotes, photos, and whatever else catches my fancy there. I'll also be making my own pretty design too :) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/209126576/buysafe-is-hiri.html Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:30:54 -0500 898@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu As many of you know, 2007 was an amazing year for buySAFE as we accomplished more than 100% growth for each of the last four quarters. I expect buySAFE to continue to grow at an amazing pace in 2008, and so as you can imagine, that means we are looking to hire very talented people. buySAFE is specifically hiring talented software developers and sales executives, but of course, we are always interested in meeting talent across the board. http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/12/vol_31.html Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:03:00 -0500 897@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 3 No. 29 HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Thought I’d close Out this the 2007 with a Clever Car Quiz, Brought to You with the Help of My Home Town Philadelphia Library Staff & My Home Town Paper (Now Owned Locally by Brian Tierney, Publisher and Real Estate Mogul and Car Dealer, Bruce Toll, I Might Add), “The Philadelphia Inquirer”… No matter how you look at it, I think this has been kind of a rough year for everyone (unless maybe you are a property foreclosure lawyer), so I thought I’d close out the year with a this clever quiz about cars and the things people do in them. See how many you get right…answers at the bottom. 1. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, what is the record time for a dog to unwind a non-electric car window? (Hint: its faster than some people I know…) a. 9.88 seconds b. 10.01 seconds c. 11.34 seconds d. 12.9 seconds e. 16 seconds 2. A famous film and TV star is now in jail, serving inmates meals as part of his jail duties. Who? (Hint: it’s ironic that the sentence is 48 days) 3. A Philadelphia TV news anchor started a vacation last Monday, somewhat early. Who? How does this relate to our topic? (Hint: the incident did not occur in Philadelphia, but in New York City) 4. We all know it is unwise, illegal, irresponsible and lethal to drive intoxicated. But Joe Cullen, assistant coach of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, did much more than that. What did he do? 5. What famous actor and director got in so much trouble in July 2006 that the head of the Anti-Defamation League had to accept his apology? 6. In a 2006 film, an Aston Martin set a record for car stunts on film, rolling seven times in one take – and rolling into the Guinness Book of World Records. What film? (Hint: the car is a clue) 7. What do media celebs Hilary Swank, Bobby Brown, Tyler Perry and Jewel have in common? 8. The 2008 Guinness Book of World Records will include Mathew McKnight who set a car-related record near Monroeville (Pittsburgh area) in 2001. It is not a record he hopes anyone ever has to match or break. It hurt. What was it? 9. About 11,000 people a year submerge their cars in bodies of water, either by or not by design. If your car starts to sink, you should, according to the Web site Everything2, lower the windows but not try opening the doors. How come? And what is the first thing you should do? 10. What did Isadora Duncan, Albert Camus and Jayne Mansfield have in common? Answers – 1. c. This was achieved by Striker, a border collie owned and trained by Francis V. Gadassi (Hungary). The record was set on Sept. 1, 2004, in Quebec City, Canada. 2. Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer in “24.” Earlier this month, he reported to the Glendale City Jail to begin a 48-day stay for DUI arrest while under probation for another DUI. 3. Alycia Lane of Philadelphia CBS 3 started her vacation Dec. 17, instead of Dec. 23 as scheduled, because of her arrest in connection with an altercation in New York for which she was arrested. She and friends were in a cab and got out of the cab at the time. 4. Cullen drove through a late-night Wendy’s drive-through while naked. Eight days later, Cullen was arrested for a DUI. 5. Mel Gibson, who allegedly hurried anti-Semitic epithets while being arrested for a DUI infraction. 6. “Casino Royale” 7. All have said that, at one time or another, they lived in their cars for some period of time. 8, According to the Guinness Book of World Records, he flew the farthest after being hit by a car. A car going 70 m.p.h. hit McKnight and launched him about 118 feet in the air. He’s okay now… 9. Water pressure from outside makes it too hard to open the doors. Opening the windows, however, allows water inside, and once the water comes inside, opening the doors will be easier. The first thing, though, is to take off your seat belt. 10. Each took a final car ride to the other side. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/207871639/a-new-years-res.html Fri, 28 Dec 2007 23:34:15 -0500 896@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu No I haven't abandoned blogging. I've just been a little swamped lately. So, one of my New Year's resolutions is to blog more. (Hopefully I'm able to fulfill that resolution more than my prior resolutions to exercise more or eat... http://quierolatino.blogspot.com/2007/12/looking-for-host-provider.html Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:15:00 -0500 895@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/206917857/links-for-200-7.html Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:29:06 -0500 894@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2007-12-27 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/205795458/auctionbytes-co.html Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:22:00 -0500 893@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu AuctionBytes.com, one of my favorite ecommerce news sources, is conducting another survey to study online shopping behavior. The survey explores a number of areas that are important for small business ecommerce merchants to fully understand about their customers. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/205515385/links-for-200-6.html Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:29:01 -0500 892@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2007-12-24 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/205293491/auctionbytes-co.html Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:22:56 -0500 891@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu AuctionBytes.com, one of my favorite ecommerce news sources, is conducting another survey to study online shopping behavior. The survey explores a number of areas that are important for small business ecommerce merchants to fully understand about their customers. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/205515386/links-for-200-5.html Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:22:42 -0500 890@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu