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MySpace

MySpace has become the social gathering place online for people of all ages. Just about everyone that uses the internet has a MySpace page. It is free to set up an account and there are plenty of wonderful features. The main page of a MySpace account is all about the individual including their likes, hobbies, pictures, and anything else they wish to share.

In addition to personal pages about people on MySpace, there are plenty of memorials. These are for people that have passed away but their friends don’t want them to be forgotten. Other people continue to come to such pages and leave messages that everyone can share. It is a great way to continue the healing process for most people.

Since MySpace has become so popular, people turn to it for information faster than they do any other type of location on the internet. With millions of hits each day, this has become somewhat of an icon for the internet. Imagine a particular type of site being able to generate that amount of traffic on a daily basis.

In addition to visiting with other people, you can find out information relating to music, sports, events, schools, and fun activities. It is also a place to discuss a variety of different issues with others that have a similar interest. Some people use their MySpace page to promote their business or their band. As a result of the number of people out there, the exposure is unbelievable.

There are plenty of videos that can be watched at MySpace as well. On any given day there are more than 50,000 of them in various categories. The majority of these are amateur videos that people create for fun or exposure. The rest are of celebrities, concerts, natural disasters, and any thing else of interest that you can imagine.

Some researchers worry about the amount of freedom that occurs on MySpace though. It is possible that online predators are able to access too much personal information about others in this manner. Parents definitely need to be aware of what is taking place on their child’s MySpace account. Make that part of the agreement for them to have one. While there are dozens of other social websites that have been ignited due to the popularity of MySpace, not of them have had the same level of success.

If buying the new Apple iPhone isn’t enough of a status symbol, try having someone else do it for you. You’ll still be paying, of course–probably double, since many “stand-ins” are charging as much as the cost of the phone for their services–but at least you won’t have to wade through an endless line of anxious Apple enthusiasts to do it.

Over the past few weeks, Craigslist has become overrun with listings offering stand-in-line services for those who want iPhone status without the fuss. Buyers seeking stand-ins have several options to choose from as everyone from schoolteachers to high-school students are prepared to offer their services. Many highlight special line-standing techniques, such as policing the line for cutters, which they say will help them stand out among the competition. The practice has even become a part-time business for some, as popular releases, such as the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3, mean major bucks for stand-ins.

If your an entrepreneur and want to make money, do like we did with the PS3 or Nintendo Wii and sell it on eBay.

Markus Frind, the founder of PlentyOfFish.com is my new hero (James Hong of Hot or Not is a close second). Marcus spends about two hours a day in his underwear managing a free dating website that gets twelve billion page views a year. He is the only employee, and he only has one server. And by the way, he makes $5-6 million/year with Google ads.

I’ve moderated many panels in my time, and if I had to choose one that entrepeneurs should watch, this is it. If you’re one guy/gal or two guys/gals in a garage, it will push all the right buttons, and you’ll love it. However, if your plan is to raise several million dollars from venture capitalists and then hire five engineers, one vp of biz dev, one CTO, two testers, and a vp of marketing to ship a product in a year, you probably shouldn’t spend your time watching it.

The members of the five-person panel provided many good insights into starting and funding a company today.

- Marcus Kazmierczak, vp of engineering, Maya’s Mom
- Markus Frind, Founder, PlentyofFish.com
- James Hong, Co-Founder, HotorNot.com
- Dave Lu, CEO, Fanpop
- Karen Northup, CEO and Founder, CoreFino

Guy Kawaski

The new PennyBay.com websites’ motto boasts that you can place an Auction or Classifieds ad for less than a penny… hence the name “PennyBay”. Ad listings for less than a penny, means they’re literally free.

PennyBay.com offers their free auction and classified ad placements to registered sellers, and registration to the site is free. The PennyBay site is, of course, free for shoppers and buyers, to use as well.

The “PennyBay Auctions” function on the site allows sellers to place their goods in various style auctions such as “Standard”, “Private”, “Dutch”, and “Buy It Now”, just like the other pay auction sites, but without listing charges.

The “PennyBay Classifieds” function is just like any other pay classifieds newspaper or website, where sellers list their merchandise or services, within the “Employment”, “Real Estate” or “Personals” categories, etc., except on PennyBay.com, placing that classified ad is without costs. Uploading a few photos to any ad, auctions or classifieds, is free of costs as well.

Ads can be upgraded for just “pennies”, with the “Listing Extras” feature. The “Listing Extras” feature allows users to add additional indicators to their listing to attract more attention from potential buyers while they are browsing the site, with features such as “Attention Getter” images, “Featured Ad” or auction listing, “Preferred Placement”, & “Bolding” to draw special attention to ads. Again, listing most of these extras is available for just pennies on the dollar.

Got a tight budget but want to promote the hell out of your new business online?

When popular diet blogger Hungry Girl declared her obsession with Jeff Wilkinson’s low-fat coffee products, she inadvertently launched thousands of voices clamoring for his creamers. The problem: His products were only available in Arizonaand California.

“The biggest problem I had was that, if you’re not national, large media outlets aren’t interested in covering you,” says Wilkinson, 45, founder of Simply Sublime Foods, a specialty food manufacturer in Gold River, California. “I’ve been struggling [because] my biggest competitor is Nestlé Foods’ Coffee-Mate, which has millions per year in advertising.”

In the weeks following the August 2006 plug, Wilkinson suddenly had meetings with megagrocers such as Kroger, Ingles, Publix, Whole Foods Market and others. He says Hungry Girl opened doors that had previously been closed tight.

Welcome to the power of online publicity, where bloggers are becoming semicelebs, virtually anyone can host his or her own podcast and consumers are constantly checking out information about products and services. With the explosion of blogs, podcasts, zines and high-readership websites, a whole new world of opportunities has opened up for businesses interested in getting the word out to targeted markets. Businesses need to know how to navigate this electronic terrain to work effectively with newer media.

The main focuses of promoting yourself online for free are:

- Pitching bloggers
- Using content syndication
- Optimizing press releases
- Getting in on the online broadcast game

Entrepreneur

Advocacy advertising doesn’t fly on U.S. TV stations and networks.

And, despite what you might think, ad materials for Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” his new documentary on the medical business, don’t come off that way.

At $9 million to produce, the movie doesn’t have the biggest advertising budget.

But, hey — does it really need it? Film producer/distributor Harvey Weinstein, the master of spin for any movie, spun “Sicko” nicely to some big, controversial noise. Even then you don’t need much help here, not with Moore’s name attached.

Where did those selective ads run? News programming, including CNN, was the perfectly targeted place. News viewers, who perhaps feel they are smarter than the rest, are always looking to be engaged or enraged. And even bigger than the official advertising effort, news viewers were treated to scores of news stories about Moore’s attack on the medical business and his default target — the U.S. government. Read the rest of this entry »

Ekwa Labs, recently announced the launch of their premier product ekwa (www.ekwa.com) which is the world’s first comprehensive online viral marketing tool. ekwa offers ekwa lite FREE for any one who wants a communication or viral marketing tool online to promote themselves or their business.

Ekwa lite comes to you equipped with excellent free marketing strategies developed by our industry specialists after extensive research. These features are designed to suit both individuals and businesses to grow their community and customers as necessary. Some of the free features of ekwa lite include;

• Free Blogs – By using blogs you can post interesting articles about you and your company and get customer feedback.

• Free Banners – You can upload banners for others to link to you and your products through other websites.

• News – Now you can manage all your news such as event marketing, product introductions, trade shows and grand openings.

• Photo Album – Photo Albums is a great way for you to share different photos regarding you and your company.

• Testimonials – Manage the recommendations you get from the satisfied customers which can ultimately be your best form of viral marketing.

“We wanted to create something completely new and totally free for all the people who wanted to carry out their viral marketing and reach their customers with a whole new experience” explains Read the rest of this entry »

Ever run across a website where you just want to swat them off the screen?

A rather new website, LiveFaceOnWeb.com is an internet-based service that allows your website to have a real person as the face of your company.

They believe that real people on websites walking around and talking to you will help you make more sales.

At first I was really impressed with this service and business model. But frankly, the company’s website is rather annoying. I found navigating the website I got the same old guy and lady asking me if I have questions and telling me to click on them. “Got a question, click on us” …. long pause as I laugh at their smirk after that proposition.

Leave me alone old guy!

Anyways, after the ranting there are some things that are good about this service for your start up business.

• Select from variety of models available on our web site. If you can’t find the look you are seeking, please contact us so we can work with you to find what you need.
• Type in a script and we’ll have the model say what you want, the way you want it.
• Explain what action, if any, you would like your model to do. Commonly you would want the model to point to something on screen when they describe a specific line of service or product from the main page. The model can also be sitting, walking, or simply standing.
• Take the next step to have your model interact with your visitors. Let your model ask the necessary questions for you, and be a personal salesperson.

Entrepreneur Ryan Allis, co-founder of iContact, is interviewed on The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch on May 31, 2007.

YouTube

The Get Safe Online campaign recommends ten simple steps for small business to protect themselves online:

1. Protect your IT equipment from theft
2. Secure remote access
3. Prevent data theft using removable devices
4. Use encryption
5. Protect your e-commerce website
6. Avoid the risks when selling commercially on auction sites
7. Control access to critical information
8. Prevent business fraud
9. Comply with the Data Protection Act
10. Bookmark getsafeonline.org to keep up to date

The Get Safe Online campaign, which is now in its third year, is the UK’s first national internet security awareness campaign. A joint initiative between the government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance, the campaign raises awareness of the need for internet security, and provides information, advice and updates through getsafeonline.org.

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