Business Development Diary

Two developments to suck up the excess 3G bandwidth:
First Razz (local company alert) and now Moantones.
Go to the Razz Emulator and click key #2 on the cellphone (Flash and speakers on required).


Interesting moves in the right direction but they don't meet the criteria I that I laid out. So I say they're interesting plays and Wicked Wireless makes loadsamoney but basically becomes a commodity.

From Walter as reported in CNET - Norwegians need a reality check before following directions from Microsoft MapPoint.

A bug in Microsoft's MapPoint software sends those looking to travel between Haugesund and Trondheim on a 1,685-mile trek through Belgium, England, France, Germany and Sweden - two trips across the Baltic & North Sea ....

Steve McQueen vs. The Man (Lancey Howard) - should he choose hot Ann-Margret or try to be at and become The Man? If you haven't seen it, see this modern classic.

But what about the game they were playing. Five card stud has been eclipsed by the Hold'Em craze, but for many this is the purest mano-a-mano money game. I've been wondering about good strategies for Five Card Stud, especially the Dynamite version (high-low declare, card buys allowed on 5th Street).

So this is what I've found. And I think declare sucks, cards speak is way better for scoopers like me.

The tension between central and distributed computing is inherent to all software issues. Should the actual core computations and storage be performed at the core of the network (server) or should they be performed by an autonomous client at the edge?

Computing started off server based - mainframes. The PC revolution was all about moving computing to the edge, due to a fall in the price of FLOPS and storage relative to the price of communication (for a given amount of bandwidth).

Bandwidth is now cheaper than ever - so there will be an inevitable shift of computing to the core. So we have to look out for those technologies that make it easier.

Google Suggests is exactly the kind of implementation that will help browser-based solutions move computing back to the core.

The wireless carriers in North America and Europe are rolling out 3G networks with high speeds/bandwidth. There must be money (and lots of it) for those who figure what the compelling content will be for 3G.

I don't think sports or news clips will cut it. 3G is a narrowcast medium, so it's best suited for targeted content, not recycled broadcast material.

The test is: what will interest you right now (which you will pay for) that does not interest the remaining 99% of the population?

Because if even 1% of the population cares, it will be on cable TV. To prove my point - there's even a 24 hr poker channel now - and that's about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Pr0n not's going to do it either. Well, unless it's a personal interaction at both ends of the line. OK - I've answered my own question.

Michael H. sent me this link to a review of the writings of Jiang Tai Gong, a predecessor of Sun Tzu (Apparently this is better spelled Sunzi). The main lesson:
"Wait until circumstances favor you"

Well I think now the time is right. We are just at the deepest point in the economic cycle and VCs have just opened the spigots.

The convergence of medical billing and open-source. Medsphere Raises $7.5 Million: "Medsphere Raises in its latest round of venture financing as well as getting Larry Augustin as CEO. Augustin of course was CEO of open source systems pioneer VA Linux, and famously turned down the chance to be a founder at Excite to keep working on Linux. Watch this space.

IQPC is offering the uncompelling Mobile Location Services Summit at a whopping $3,186 (that's with the $300 early bird discount). Participants:

Hugh Fletcher, Senior Product Manager, Sprint

Mary Foltz, Director, Location Services, Nextel

Michael Salmon, Technical Staff, Verizon Wireless

HP Jin, PhD, CEO & President, Televigation

I like Michael but what "compelling case study" could he possibly talk about?

# posted by cHL-LR : 11:19 AM  0 comments

Thomas Hazlett thinks there are plenty of access points around anyway, mostly because home users leave their APs wide open. Not a bad thing for some. Hazlett's analysis is pretty good, as per usual (disclosure: Hazlett said very nice things about my analysis).

Do we really need 31 million Wi-Fi nodes? If your business is selling broadband access then it's time to eat your children and pole mount Wi-Fi routers. Cheaper to provision too.

An industry's sign of maturity is when suppliers start competing on price. So paid search is mature ...
For example, here's LookSmart going after Yahoo!/Overture on price:



Want more? Use this to compare LookSmart and Overture pricing for any category or subcategory:

Local Advertisers Lack Search Zeitgeist

Google's strength has been its automation. Case in point - Google News - zero journalists, all scaling done by machine. Rob McGann points out the challenges of scaling local search - you need people to sell to small businesses - he uses Google's numbers as proof.

The Yellow Pages are Dead! Long Live the Yellow Pages!:

74 percent of Internet users search for local information online
The U.S. Yellow Pages industry is estimated at $15.5 billion in 2004
Simba research expects Internet yellow pages advertising to grow 50 percent in 2004.

Google SMS and Yahoo! Mobile Local are not there yet - because there is no location. Stir in pay-per-call model based on "clickable phone numbers" and we're there!

Aligo Names Emerick Woods As New Chief Executive

Mobile workforce technology start-up Aligo Inc. has named Emerick M. Woods as its new chief executive, replacing longtime CEO Robert Smith, who has left the company.

According to Aligo, Smith had a cross-country commute and exited the company for family reasons. Woods, Aligo's new CEO, has both venture capital and corporate experience. He worked with Mobius Venture Capital from fall 2001 until April 2004, consulting with several of the firm's portfolio companies. Prior to that, from 1997 to 2001, he was president and chief executive of Vicinity Corp.

Commentary:
Woods took VCNT public but was dumped when the stock price tanked post bubble to less than $1. Chuck Berger took over, and sold out to Microsoft after fending off a stiff unsolicited proposal from former VCNT founder Tim Bacci.

Paid Local Search is the Killer App for LBS. Actually, it's probably the only thing that makes sense for consumer LBS. Calling all child trackers ...

Manager Business Development, Mobiles

Samsung's newly launched mobile phone (SCH-S310) come with a 3D movement recognition technology - it features an ‘accelerometer’, which monitors and calculate movements of the mobile phone in real time.
Samsung SCH-S310 with accelerometer

Forget all the spew about using this for a user interface. A lot of people I know can't even park a call without messing it up. The best use for this is for vehicle navigation. Car navi systems are so good because in addition to the GPS they have gyro, speed pulse, and wheel sensor inpouts to provide additional data to the system beyond GPS on acceleration, speed, and turn radius.

So the real Q is can anyone use this to provide the first self-contained phone navi that can compete with an on-board unit.

And they've targeted telcos and the music industry. Kudos on a nice catchphrase. But does it stay interesting when you go deeper?
"Exigen is founded on the premise that measurable, financial impact is the important factor in ensuring the success of a technology partnership. We deliver business process solutions to our customers' business objectives, targeting measurable business results with definable financial value."
- Greg Shenkman, CEO, Exigen Group

Wow! Wired 13.01: Life, Reinvented:

Old school Genetic Engineering "generally involves moving a preexisting gene from one organism to another, let's call it DNA bashing. Proper engineering, by contrast, means designing what you want to make, analyzing the design to be sure it will work, and then building it from the ground up."

These guys at MIT are working on hacking DNA and "Real" Genetic Engineering.
Wired 13.01: Life, Reinvented:

E-Mail by Machiavelli
BY Pete Blackshaw | January 11, 2005

Originally published in ClickZ Network

My New Year kicked off with a sobering ritual: clearing out my e-mail inbox. Unsure of what to save or delete, and a tad flustered over how much digital garbage had accumulated in the first place, I decided to channel a practical, unsentimental mentor.

Niccolò Machiavelli suddenly appeared. He accused me of being a naive e-mail romanticist and noted the medium is laced with unmistakable tradeoffs: information pollution, Attention Deficit Disorder, consumer cynicism, and more marketing deception than TV's first wave of clunky infomercials.

It's not a lost cause. "Smart marketers in pursuit of the good," Machiavelli explained, "must first awaken to e-mail's internal trail of sinister trickery, power plays, audit trails, ego gratification, and marketing hyperbole -- especially in the work environment, where e-mail is most intense."

Fascinated (and a wee bit self-conscious), I eagerly listened as he proceeded to deconstruct the bloated mess before me. "There are two frameworks for thinking about the intersection of e-mail and power: practices and personalities," he said. "Both must be dissected and understood."

We started with a few of the practices:

* The bank shot. According to Machiavelli, it always pays to have others make or reinforce your point. The bank shot is when you send e-mail to someone knowing she'll forward it to your ultimate destination. "Use others to make your point, and save your chits for the bigger draws," Machiavelli noted.

* Topspinning. This involves fortifying or "spinning" e-mail before it moves up the management chain. A manager might say, "Great idea, send me an e-mail and I'll give it some 'topspin.'" By the time it reaches the boss, the e-mail may have several layers of "Great idea!" endorsements. Resumes rarely get anywhere without loads of topspin. Bloggers are master topspinners, always repurposing and repackaging content.

* Game trapping. This is when someone sends e-mail to an entire distribution list hoping to snare an unsuspecting target to respond (usually in error) to the entire group. There are parallels here to how a shrewd prince might periodically appeal to democratic principles to draw out critics or force adversaries to take sides prematurely. Evil, but necessary, according to Marchiavelli.

* The forward pas (faux pas). Here, the e-mailer opens with a personal note, often to soften the business-like tone. The recipient, pressed for time, copies others in the reply, which includes the personal note. In the hands of strangers, this can be dangerously revealing. It's not uncommon for a "forward pas" to land on a blog.

* The holiday chip shot. This sneaky tactic is when an employee (usually the boss), ostensibly on holiday, suddenly resurfaces via e-mail, almost as though he never really left the office. Often, the person will "chip in" on an existing e-mail back and forth, camouflaging his vacation status.

* Idea squatting. Here, e-mail is used to claim credit for every idea, proposal, or recommendation under the sun. These time-stamped messages are later exploited to allow the sender to claim or hoard credit or, in some cases, block credit by other purported originators.

* Batch mailing. This is the practice of dividing up a large-distribution e-mail into smaller batches that have the potential to cross-fertilize one another. This often creates a viral effect, since everyone feels the duty to share content with others not on the distribution list.

Machiavelli then paused and shifted his attention to segmenting e-mail personalities. Some are harmless, others are downright scary:

* The blind-copy terrorist. This evil-doer is adept at copying everyone in the organization on an e-mail, except for a target individual who is curiously (and obviously) blind-copied (BCC). This tactic is a sure ingredient for anxiety and insecurity. Indeed, the blind-copy terrorist loves to leave you in doubt about your status.

* The reply-all rebel. Usually harmless and just plain stupid, the reply-all rebel is often grounded in a deep-seated guerrilla desire to stir up trouble. This individual consistently hits "reply all" on even the most insignificant of e-mail messages. Many offices have policies to censure these folks. Even my own hand is red from hand-slapping reprimands.

* The digital diarrhea-ist. This person never heard the expression, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Every e-mail is a novella, a life story, or a government report on farm subsidies. Machiavelli explained these folks are excellent candidates for incarceration and that I in particular had better watch out.

* The proud router. This is your quintessential social connector who loves to forward things on behalf of others. This person employs bank-shots, assists, match-making services, and topspinning up the wazoo. One's job security and promotion are heavily dependent on winning favor from these individuals.

* The pack rat. Routing has a dark side, Machiavelli warned. Every office has the digital equivalent of a pack rat. Not unlike a cat who leaves offerings of chewed-up mice on the doorstep, the pack rat loves to collect links, dumb jokes, bogus virus warnings, JibJab offerings (three weeks late) -- and dump them all on your e-mail doorstep.

Before departing, Machiavelli left me with the following: "E-mail is hardly a lost cause, but you must always stay close to how it is used, abused, and even manipulated."

My advice to marketers: Heed his words. And let's not forget to laugh at ourselves once and a while.

HOW TO SAVE A SMALL FORTUNE IN YOUR RESUME DISTRIBUTION
by Mark Bartz

Put away your wallet. You don't need to drop hundreds - or many thousands - of dollars to blindly blast your resume to the right employer. Here are six easy steps which will save time and money, and land you interviews in the unadvertised job market. This information comes from your peers, especially sales & marketing professionals: we followed with up (literally) hundreds of them during their job searches to learn the latest best practices for resume distribution. This information also comes from major employers who source us for America's top sales & marketing talent.

What to expect: a 6 - 9% response rate vs. the normal 1 - 2% response rate.

Step 1: Submit your resume initially by e-mail. Set e-mail type to HTML - not plain next. Don't convert your resume to PDF - it doesn't scan. Set your spell check so you can't send anything out without first checking spelling. And don't use an e-mail stationary, use a white background - no color or graphics. E-mail each employer individually - mass e-mailing triggers anti-spam software. Word-wrap your sentences at 60 characters - this prevents those awkward looking e-mails with fragmented sentences.

Send your cover letter (with contact information) in the email body and your resume as an attached document. Be sure the cover letter is addressed to the recipient or Attn: HR. "Resume of (Your Name) for (Job Title)" makes a perfect e-mail subject line. If you can, set your e-mail options as follows: the Importance to 'High', the Sensitivity to 'Confidential' - almost no one does this and it gets you noticed [*Editor's Note: Mark does this himself and we assure you, his emails get noticed!]. In the body of the e-mail, be sure to state that "I am pursuing a (fill in the blank) role with your organization." And "I've attached my resume for your review and look forward to your response." Finally, run anti-virus software frequently! Annoying little viruses may be interfering with your "open rates" as most companies run server-side anti-virus products.

Step 2: At the same time you're e-mailing the employer mail them a hard copy resume. Print with a laser printer on white 24 lb white paper with a lumens rating of at least 90. Don't use 'resume paper' unless you're presenting the resume in person (it doesn't scan as well as white paper). Mail out flat in a gray envelope: folds don't scan well and white envelopes get dirty moving through the mail. Hand write or computer-print addresses on mailing labels - and be sure to use a waterproof (non-smear) pen.

Step 3: Send a follow up e-mail to the same e-mail address you used in Step I. In the e-mail subject header, put: "Follow up to resume of (your name)." In the body of the e-mail, paraphrase the following:

Attn: Human Resources:

I am following up to be sure you received my resume, and to see if there is an opportunity for an interview. I am seeking a role in (fill in blank) with your organization. I look forward to meeting you in person, and I welcome your referral to any colleagues who may be interested in my unique background and skills.

Step 4: Mail a follow-up card, using the verbiage above; hand-write the note. If your handwriting is like mine (terrible!) then slow down and print the note. Use the 'thank you' blank tent cards they sell at Staples, Office Depot, etc., which price out to about 50 cents each plus postage, but this is the kicker: you get a 400% better response with those notes vs. not using them!

Step 5: Some discreet guerilla marketing tactics: if you find an employer asking for resumes by fax but not disclosing who they are, call that fax number but change the last digit in the phone number (it will likely be a person sitting next to the fax machine); use your finesse to ask that person for an appropriate contact name within HR or the division you're targeting. If you must fax, set your fax mode to "Fine." You'll likely find your fax machine currently in the "Standard" mode - switching to Fine mode will slow down the fax but typically doubles the clarity of the recipient's fax - test send once to see the marked improvement for yourself.

Call the department you're considering working for and ask them to recommend a professional association for you to join. Attend meetings of that professional association as a visitor, but be sure to get training on the latest techniques in networking and informational interviewing before you try this! This sort of networking requires a light touch, particularly for the full-time job-seeker.

Even if you have a contact in the organization, always phone the front lobby of the company to ask for names of HR or the appropriate hiring manager - it goes without saying to get their name spelling and their title correct. Remember there's a high turnover rate of employees at all levels these days (50% every 2.4 years according to the Dept of Labor), so gathering accurate contact names can be a chore but makes a much bigger impact.

Step 6: Re-send your updated resume every few months while you're conducting a search, because most employers purge their resume databases at regular intervals. How often? It depends on the employer - we've seen Fortune 1000-level employers purge resumes older than 90 days; they need to considering they receive an average of 400 resumes daily. A second reason they purge their files: to avoid legal discrimination (EEOC) suits. Regulatory compliance is also one of the major reasons larger employers use resume scanning systems (called HRMS or applicant tracking systems) these days - as those systems time-stamp all incoming resumes.

Mark Bartz is Director of Marketing for CRI,
a specialized job placement assistance firm for Sales & Marketing
professionals. CRI is also a consultant on applicant tracking systems.

Tech meets Biz "doers" that need watching

When I look around a lot of the successful tech startups' growth is because they're hooked in on megatrends - and a rising tide lifts the best boat the most.

Trends of 2005:

• Service Virtualization (and lose your IT group)
• MVNOs (Michael's)
• Instacompanies (Om's)
  

Job market is picking up so I thought I would list intersting openings that I have come across ...