Go Slightly Off the Beaten Path to Find Opportunities

You can find terrific sources of movie reviews sites other than the greatgrandfather site, Internet Movie Database, aka IMDB. Here are three other movie review websites:

• Rottentomatoes.com
• Moviereviewintelligence.com
• Metacritic.com

These sites are gathering momentum because they offer features that differ from the market leader, and you can take away a lesson in this strategy. When you are building a stronger business, understand what the competition is doing and find a way to differentiate based on an underserved market or overlooked feature that you can exploit to your advantage.

Buy a Movie and Load on Your Hard Drive

Sites offering movies for sale:

* Movielink (owned by Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner; Sony Pictures, Universal; MGM; and Paramount, a unit of Viacom)
* CinemaNow (movies from Sony, MGM and Lions Gate)

Apple, Amazon.com and other sites are working to add downloadable movies to their sites.

Though downloading movies provides easy access, the process can be cumbersome. According to Hansell in "At Last, Movies to Keep Arrive on the Internet" in The New York Times, "'a movie will need about 1 gigabyte of hard-drive space and will take an hour or two to download using a high-speed internet connection.'" Additionaly, many of the movies have limited methods by which they can be watched. Other limitations include the downloads not having some of the features offered on DVDs (deleted scenes, bonus features and filmmaker interviews). These limitations concern industry executives since chain stores and Web retailers often discount movies below wholesale costs to gain customers; these low price items are known as "loss leaders." However, even with their limitations, about 400 films can currently be send to your hard drive.

Technology Tip: Synchronization

SugarSync.com is used to replicate and synchronize files across various computers. SugarSync can also be used to backup files by having them saved to a source outside your computer. SugarSynch offers a 35 day free trial with 10 gigabytes of file storage. After the trial, the 10 gigabytes can be maintained for $25 a year. Five other storage plans exist from $50 a year for 30 gigabytes to $250 a year for 250 gigabytes.

High Price Doesn't Always Accompany High Quality

Here's an example of someone who made a false start with e-marketing, reported in "Help With Your Business, Often Free, on the Web" in The New York Times. Jennifer Gordon, a Chicago based handbag designed attempted to promote her products through an e-mailed newsletter. However, she found that incorrect e-mail lists and outdated addresses led to undeliverable e-mail. Additionally, once a newsletter was sent out, she had not means of knowing if the document was ever opened.

Google Apps for Your Domain is a free group of web-based services. Small business owners can access tools to manage their website, as well as tool such as e-mail and instant messaging.

Numerous sites can also assist you with blogging. According to Ramon Ray, the publisher of smallbiztechnology.com, suggests that small business owners create blogs to increase Web rankings. Tools on blogger.com (owned by Google) and wordpress.com provide free assistance. Also, Typepad.com provides advanced blog features for $5/month. Another useful web tool allows numerous individuals to share and edit a document, kept on a company's server (Thinkoffice.org and zoho.com.)

Build a stronger business by using powerful tools readily available on the web.

Time is Relative

A (theoretical) timetable of events around the world, gelaned from a variety of news sources:

• Every 2 seconds someone in America requires a blood donation. (American Red Cross)
• Every 6 seconds someone dies from tobacco use. (World Health Organization)
• Every 6 seconds an Australian buys an item of clothing on eBay. (The Age)
  
• Every 6 seconds someone is killed or injured on a road somewhere in the world. (Make Roads Safe)
  
• Every 15 seconds the Large Synoptic Survey telescope in Chile photographs a section of the night sky. A complete panorama of the firmament is completed every three days. (The Guardian)
  
• Every 25 seconds someone in the United States is burned or scalded in the home. (Health News Digest)
  
• Every 26 seconds a student drops out of an American public high school. (America's Promise Alliance)
  
• Every 30 seconds someone in the world commits suicide. (W.H.O.)
  
• Every 30 seconds a child with birth defects is born in China. (China Daily)
  
• Every 30 seconds someone in the world loses a limb as a consequence of diabetes. (U.S. News & World Report)
  
• Every 35 seconds a child in the United States is reported neglected or abused. (KansasCity.com)
  
• Every 45 seconds a plane takes off or lands at Heathrow Airport, London. (The Economist)
  
• Every minute 1,000 people around the world sign up fr a cellphone. (TheStar.com)
  
• Every minute 253 children are born into the world. (U.S.Census Bureau)
  
• Every 4-8 minutes violent, profane, or sexual content appears during prime time "family hour" television programming. (Parents Television Council)
• Every 8 minutes a woman in a developing country dies of complications from an unsafe abortion. (W.H.O.)
• Every 15 minutes someone in Scotland has a heart attack. (British Heart Foundation)
• Every 38 minutes Louisiana loses a football-field-sized portion of it s wetlands. (Science Daily)
• Every hour & 44 minutes there is a case of "dowry death" in India. (The Guardian)
• Every 2 hours someone in New Zealand fractures a hip. (Osteoporosis New Zealand)
• Every 10 hours a driver with a suspended license crashes in Maine. (The Morning Sentinel)
• Every Day more than 1.6 million blog posts appear online. (Technorati)
• Everyday 6,800 are infected with H.I.V. (United Nations)
• Every fortnight a language falls out of use. (The New York Times)
• Every month 300 specialist nurses leave South Africa. (W.H.O.)
• Every month the American government adds around 20,000 names to its terrorist watch lists. (A.C.L.U.)
• Every month about 130 million rides are taken on the New York City subway. (M.T.A.)
• Every year the average American eats nearly 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish. (The New York Times)
  

Help with Understanding Business Language

• Business Lingo Explained - www.begent.org/lingo.htm
• The Ridiculous Business Jargon Dictionary - www.theofficelife.com/business-jargon-dictionary-A.html
• The MBA Jargon Index - www.johnsmurf.com/jargon.htm
• Dilbert - www.dilbert.com

Is Social Media Valuable for Entrepreneurs?

It may seem like a no-brainer: these days, businesses should use social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter as part of their marketing strategy. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, in 2009 social-media adoption by businesses with fewer than 100 employees doubled to 24% from 12%. If you're not addicted to social networking yourself, you're bound to know plenty of people who are.

But social media may not be as useful as we think. A survey of 500 small-business owners found that just 22% made a profit last year from promoting their firms this way. A lot of time and energy can go into maintaining the company's presence on social sites, and rewards in sales - if they come - can be slow to arrive. Indeed, using social media "could harm you if you end up inadvertently saying something stupid, offensive or even grammatically incorrect," says Larry Chiagouris, professor of marketing at Pace University's Lubin School of Business.

In order to see benefits from this kind of marketing, you have to be patient, dedicated, and consistent. Stephen Bailey, of John Fluevog Boots & Shoes Ltd., says his company saw a 40% increase in online sales in 2009, the first full year they consistently engaged in social media marketing. There are several free services available to help companies track Web traffic from social media sites, including Hootsuite, Google Analytics, CoTweet, and Lodgy.

For some businesses, social media makes sense. Like everything else, though, it's not a silver bullet. Build a better business by using a smart marketing mix.

Making Web Site that Fit Your Phone

Companies are increasingly turning to Web communities to build their brand, provide customer service, and unveil new products. Online forums, which often allow costumers to address a problem before they have to call a service line, have saved millions of dollars in deflected calls. A unique challenge is arising for these companies, however, as more and more people choose to access the Web on their mobile phones. Web sites created for computers usually don't load as well onto phones, so many companies, including Hewlett-Packard, are discussing ways to build new Web sites specifically for wireless users. "We definitely have work to do to get our Web site mobile friendly, [and] we know our customers want it," says Lois Townsend, H-P's directory of community.

There's an upside to creating content for cellphones, however: it provides a greater opportunity to be interactive with customers. Lithium Technologies Inc., plans to create a platform this year through which companies can draw feeds from services like Facebook and Twitter onto their own sites. It will work on any phone. Phillip Soffer, Lithium's vice president of product marketing, says that "because the community is active and based on addictive behavior, it's the kind of thing that works well on mobile phones." Other companies are also seeking to bring large corporate sites to the mobile Web. Jive Software Inc., which currently powers communities for companies like Nike, is working with a program designed specifically for the iPhone. In focusing on smart-phone users, Jive is hoping to tap customers with a desire for deeper functionality.

Build a stronger business by building and cultivating an online community that's as convenient as a cell phone.

Everybody's a Movie Critic

Here are some great movie review websites that allow user input:

Rottentomatoes.com
Moviereviewintelligence.com
Metacritic.com

Prosperity Made Easy with YouTube

"Using YouTube For Prosperity" in the Wall Street Journal explains that many senior citizens are seeking to preserve their legacy through videos showcasing their famous recipes or hobbies, on YouTube.

Seniors ages 65 and older are the fastest growing segments of the online population, according to Jupiter Research. 39% of all seniors in the U.S. will regularly access the Internet by the end of 2007.

By 2010, half of the U.S. senior population is expected to be online. In response, Internet companies are launching services targeted at older online viewers.

Some grandchildren in their 20's are intimidated by the process of creating an online video so it is not surprising that grandparents are seeking their help with this process. Millie Garfield, 81, decided to feature herself in a series of videos documenting her son's pet peeves -- namely, her persistent requests for his helping opening coffee cans, rethreading dental floss, or opening tightly sealed bottles. Her son has helped her film and post the series on a blog, Mymomsblog.blogspot.com and on YouTube.

When you open your experiments up to the general public, like Google has done with YouTube and Blogspot, you find uses that you might never have imagined within your own company. When you spot trends like this, you gain the opportunity to build a stronger business.

An Easy Way to Replicate Files

SugarSync.com is used to replicate and synchronize files across various computers, and also can also help you backup files by having them saved to a source outside your computer. SugarSynch offers a 35 day free trial with 10 gigabytes of file storage. After the trial, the 10 gigabytes can be maintained for $25 a year. Five other storage plans exist, from $50 a year for 30 gigabytes to $250 a year for 250 gigabytes.

Bill Gates Asks How to Encourage Tech Careers

Bill Gates, listed as a technologist/philanthropist, asks the 25 million plus members of the business networking site LinkedIn, "How can we do more to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and technology?"

In less than 3 days, he's received close to 3,000 responses -- some very intriguing and well thought-0ut ideas have been posted.

When you build a stronger business, you cast a wide net and seek ideas from a diverse population.

The Book of All Species

According to the article "The Encyclopedia of Life, No Bookshelf Required" in the New York Times, if Scientists created the Book of All Species, a single volume made up of one-page descriptions of the 1.8 million known species, the book would have to be more than 300 feet long. The bookshelf would also require the ability to expand because scientists estimate that there are 10 times more species waiting to be discovered.

Though it sounds surreal, scientists are building a Web site called the Encyclopedia of Life (www.eol.org). On 2/28/08 its authors, an international time of scientists, will introduce the first 30,000 pages, and within a decade they predict that will have the other 1.77 million.
The encyclopedia will have a budget of about 50 million in its first five years.

More About Business Travel Blogs

Business travel is now the subject of many blogs. BoardingArea.com is a directory to blogs that address issues of interest to business travelers. Tracy Gamble, VP for business development at Propylon, reads three or four travel blogs regularly, including the Informed Traveler, CloudTravel and Gridskipper. Also, J.W. Marriot Jr, chairman and chief executive at Marriott International, began a blog called Marriott on the Move. He loves reading the customer responses to posts. Starwood, the hotel chain, started a blog TheLobby.com to provide information to customers in its loyalty program.

Blogs can also be a quick way to gauge customer reaction to policies. Southwest Airlines has a blog, Nuts About Southwest. A schedule planner wrote in a post that the airline sold its inventory only three months in advance; however, after an outcry online it changed its policy and now sells inventory four months in advance.
Delta's blog, blog.delta.com, has posted proposed screen shots for its self service kiosks on the blog to get feedback from travelers.

Bringing the voice of your customers into your company is another way to build a stronger business.

Free Games Online

WEB LINK RESOURCES
Free games that can be found online:

* Excit - www.ceeu.de/excit_big.jpg
* Portal: The Flash Version - portal.wecreatestuff.com
* 5 Differences - www.ivoryboy.com/difference.html
* Desktop Tower Defense 1.5 - www.handdrawngames.com/DesktopTD/Games.asp
* Campaign Game - www.campaigngame.us

Innovate to Compete Like PayPal

An article in Reuters said that in an answer to Google Checkout, PayPal will announce tomorrow PayPal Secure Card, designed to make it easier for consumers to make credit card purchases online as well as prevent fraud.

Innovation is an inherently different activity than problem solving: where problem solving is addressing an issue to bring you back to status quo, innovation raises the bar.

No matter what industry, your organization can build a stronger business through innovation.

Business Langage Made Easy

Here are a few useful websites that can help you understand business language:

• Business Lingo Explained - www.begent.org/lingo.htm
• The Ridiculous Business Jargon Dictionary - www.theofficelife.com/business-jargon-dictionary-A.html
• The MBA Jargon Index - www.johnsmurf.com/jargon.htm
• Dilbert - www.dilbert.com

What to do when your hard drive fails

At our entrepreneur circle meeting, we spent time discussing the woes of one member who had lost his computer without a backup.

The two lessons that emerged are 1) have an emergency plan, and 2) always have a current back-up of your current drive, even if it's virtual.

For an emergency plan, I recommend contacting a place like Tech Restore, based in Concord, CA. They do work on WinTel laptops, MacOS laptops, any hard drive from a desktop computer, and even iPods.

For back-up services, you can use external hard drives or even virtual services that back up encrypted data over the Internet for a reasonable charge. I use two big Maxtor drives that I alternate. (Remember to completely disconnect your back-up drive when it is not in use to protect against power or lightening surges!) Thanks to Syd Weinstein for the tip, I'll also check out one of the online back-up services reviewed on Tom's Hardware site and compare them to the .Mac offering of 10 GB.


When you're building a stronger business, you've got to be prepared for emergencies.

More Choices for Cell Phone Customers

When most people buy a cell phone, they are also locked into the carrier providing service for that phone.

According to The New York Times article, "Locked vs. Unlocked: Opening up Choice", Apple's iPhone has caused much controversy lately as customers who purchase the phone are immediately locked into AT&T's service.

As a result, Apple claims nearly one in every six iPhones sold in the U.S. were bought with the intention of unlocking it.

Despite updating their operating systems, Apple has been unable to stop programmers from unlocking the iPhone, calling into question the legal limitations of such a practice.

Some say unlocking a phone violates the company's warrantee, while others imply that it is illegal. Yet no one knows for sure, as the laws surrounding the issue are unclear.

According to Kyle Matthews, 25-year-old co-founder of ModMyiFone.com, unlocking an iPhone is very simple, requiring less than an hour to complete.

The amount of attention iPhone unlocking is receiving, is a good thing according to legal scholar, Professor Susan Crawford. It will allow Americans to see the choice they have when it comes to cell phone service providers.

When customer demand turns to customer revolt, leaders who want to build a stronger business find ways to adapt and be flexible rather than break.

Creating Favicons is Easy

Creating those little icons that show to the left of the URL address in a web browser is simple when you use either of these online tools:

• FavIcon from Pics
• Dynamic Drive - FavIcon Generator

People who build a stronger business look for fast, simple, effective tools to get their work done...or they delegate it.