The Think eBiz Blog

Stephen Harris as Max Headroom.

Wow - they made me into a Oddcast Avatar star. This innovative technology is being used more and more, as broadband expands and the need to personalize increases. Clients including Cendant, Washington Mutual, L'Oréal, even Stephen King leverage Oddcast in their promotions and customer touch points. Be creative and put an Avatar face on your messaging. I want to thank my friends at Larkin/Volpatt and Oddcast for this rendering...  what do you think? Handsome devil, eh!

Google expands into "contextual" dating

Google has expanded its businessinto so many directions, one wonders if they are chewing off more than they should. Are they losing sight of their core business.

So now Google introduces their Dating service. Think about it: Google giving Match.Com and FriendFinder a run for their money. It makes sense, giving the tremendous search power for Google to be in this space. Search for your next date - click 'n go.

Take a look at their informative Google Romance tour.

Clearly Google has the edge even entering this market place so very very late. You Go Google!

(ok ok - it's Google April Fools Joke...  but I will admit, it had me going for a moment)

The New Internet Entrepreneurs

Am I wrong? At no other time has there been such a great opportunity for people to build business and make money... then now on the Internet. Forget the "bubble" - more people are finding they can sell services and products on-line, and make a living at their endeavor.

A few years ago at a party, I met a guy who made his sole living off eBay. He bought and sold antiques; paid his mortgage and supported his family. I was amazed and doubtful - now I am not. The Internet is the new land of opportunity.

However, just like any venture, not everyone wins - but I do believe the playing field is leveled somewhat. If you have guts, a great message - a great story - a great product, you can beat anyone. At the NYC Search Engine Strategies conference (2006), one panelist discussed an example of a small on-line company (eOutlet4u.Com) that competing effectively with Wal-Mart... on-line!

Do a few Googles and you find plenty of on-line books (eBooks) that purport to provide you with the ammo you need to succeed. Looking over the landscape - most seem like quick money making schemes. However, some have some solid information and advice. Sadly, some are a bit outrageous sounding - such as RichJerk. Then others appear to be quite legit and credible - such as Learn2earn's Internet Income series. Well written and detailed - perhaps giving the reader a clue how they can turn their ideas and dreams into a legitimate Internet business.

The point is - there are opportunities to earn money - good money on the Internet. With a bit of luck and entrepreneurial spirit - you CAN compete. Please share with us your success stories and learning!

The Power of Google

With high capitalization comes power. Power to change how the world computes and does business. Microsoft and IBM "had" this power. Google has this power now.

Google attracts the best and brightest and their model encourages employees to "try" new ideas - think Froogle, Google News and others. These beta products will not change the world; however think of a personal computer priced at $100 and a Google only Internet. These two strategies could significantly change the computing business and both are in the works, according to the UK Times Online.

And both of these models leverage a revenue stream based on - what else? Contextual (highly relevant) Advertising.

Must be nice to change the world.

Well Fed Google

An Army marches on their stomach and Google is no different. Google' on-site food is legendary and free. This is one well fed army.

Take a look at foods of Google.

Bon appetite...

Home Computing, 1954 style

Post Note (April 3, 2006): Readers, I am usually very good at exposing Internet Urban Legends - yet this one went right by me. In fact, the view is of a nuclear submarine station - note the big wheel. I am so embarrassed, and send my apologies. Here is a link that discusses the Popular Mechanics home computer urban legend...  who can you trust these days?

--- original post:

Imagine how home computing would have possibly looked back in 1954. There were indeed forward thinkers that wondered how a UNIVAC would eventually find its way into the home. Well look no further, this photo from a 1954 Popular Mechanics magazine gives is the answer.

"Scientists from the Rand Corporation have created this model to illustrate how a "home computer" could look in the year 2004. However the needed technology will not be economically feasible for the average home. Also the scientists admit that the computer will require not yet invented technology to actually work, but 50 years from now scientific progress is expected to solve these problems."

The caption goes on to say: "With a teletype interface and the FORTRAN language, the computer will be easy to use." If they say so!

Podcasting; a viable online marketing vehicle

I'll admit to being slow off the mark on Podcasting. Now I load a dozen 'cast onto my iPod and listen during my commute into the city. These include BusinessWeek's Cover Story review, Danny Sullivan's The Daily Searchcast, CBS's NFL Today Hot Topic and Paul Colligan/Alex Mandossian's MarketingOnlineLive*.

iTunes has nearly 20,000 poscasts available; most not of any real value except to the 'caster themselves. However, Apple makes it easy to get on the list and to subscribe and receive updates. Other directories exist include Podcast.net, iPodder and Podcast Alley.

Great entertainment; but is this a viable online marketing channel? Can a Podcast create  sustainable monetization? The initial podcasts were nothing more than audio blogs. Even today, anyone with a microphone and a dream can be a 'caster. But will anyone listen in? Just like blogs, will anyone visit? Early bloggers were teenagers that used blogs to share their feelings and thoughts with their friends. Podcast has moved up the evolution scale (sorry creationist) very quickly and are now (or about to be) a big channel for business. Blogs may become big for business.

Read about the rush to Podcasting in the Wall Street Journal, "Is Anybody Out There?" by Sarah McBride and Nick Wingfield.

The same rules apply for Podcasters as with Blogs. If the message is self-serving, if the content is not updated frequently, if the speaker is boring, the audience will go away (or worse, bad mouth your attempt). I didn't find any corporate podcasts; but that is just a matter of time (let me know of any you find).

Can Podcasts be monetized? Google AdSense won't work (not yet atleast); so it's about sponsorship and voice-ads (think radio). It can also be subscriptions. At Audible you can subscribe to the daily Wall Street Journal, which provides verbal readings of key stories. And you don't need to learn how to fold a newspaper on the train (something I can never get right). You can also subscribe to educational podcasts, like The AffiliateGuy. For $47/month you gain access to exclusive content for Affiliate Marketers. Even Rush Limbaugh has his own fee-based Podcast.

The BusinessWeek Podcast contains a brief sponsor message, a 30 second spot. The balance of the 'cast is commercial free. And like Tivo (kinda) you can fast forward past the commercial on your iPod or other MP3 devices.

If you have interesting content to share and can establish a following; you can make money as a PodCaster. And if you are an advertiser looking to reach a hip new audience, maybe PodCasting is the way to go.

* I wrote Paul an email about his podcast, and imagine my surprise as I was riding the train hearing  my name over his 'cast. This shows the power of PodCasting as a two-way communications between the PodCaster and the audience (think comments in Blogs).

Max Headroom, meet Fred

Max Headroom, meet Fred, of 1800Dentist.com and Zooba from the Book of the Month Club. These are the new faces of the Internet.

Max	Zooba	Fred

Oddcast, a company founded in 1999 creates "conversational character products" that add a new and vibrant dimension to your eMarketing site. By  introducing a human element, you're enticing the visitor to stay around longer on your website. A new site stickiness strategy.

Unlike gimmicks of the past (spinning globes and flashing text), these "avatars" or graphic characters provide information in a near-human way. Move the mouse, the Avatar looks in that direction.  They move their mouth (better than Ashlee Simpson) in a realistic manner. And the Avatar could in fact be you by using a photo image transformed to an Avatar. You can be an on-line star, just like Max!

Avatars can also be used for e-Learning, online assistance and other site communications, where the human touch means business. Learn more at Oddcast.com

eBusiness Hot in 3rd Quarter

According to a CNET News.com report, nearly $1 in every $53 spent on retail products will be via online channels. This is up from $59 last year. In dollars, this represents nearly 2% of all retail sales (3rd Quarter total Retail Sales = $916.5 Million).

For eBusiness, this is great news - keep on eRockin.  Click here for the full story.

Content isn't king? Being Personal is the new Ruler in town

Nick Wreden, author of the book: "FusionBranding, How to Forge Your Brand for the Future" (and a personal friend) has an excellent Blog on all things branding. His link is on the left side of this humble Blog.

In one of his entries, he declares that Content Isn't King! We all thought it was King. However, Nick declares that through neglect and a lack of understanding of what makes for effective and informative content, it is a mere serf. In his treatise, he discusses how content is misused on websites and that the consumer really wants something more personal. "The value of the Internet comes not from delivering content, but from enabling peer-to-peer communications."

eMarketers should take this to heart, and ensure that their communications with prospects and clients are, at the degree possible, personal. Using online marketing, for instance, dynamic landing pages (the first page the visitor views after clicking on a banner or search result) can display information based on the keyword (or banner) that the visitor clicked from. With Google and other search engines, this can include a geographic focus based on visitor origination.

Nick expounds on how today's visitors and clients want to use the eBusiness site to communicate with the company. Expeditious handling of eMail and mobile communications questions and queries will help your company rule the day. Being personal, the new ruler in town. Long live the king.

Click here to read Nick's "Content Isn't King" Blog Entry