After getting an invitation to the People Aggregator and not being able to remember what it could be, I did a little search and found out they were launching at Gnomedex taking place from June 29 to July 1st. So I went to check the Gnomedex conference website. Can you imagine my frustration when this event’s website took ages to load. Why would anyone want to attend a technology event who cannot even get their home page to work properly? Beats me.
An Irishman who settled in South Africa, Bill Lynch is profiled as The emigrant empire builder in today's Financial Times (requires registration). Ryan Carson writes about Builders and Doers vs Whiners and Trolls.
They both offer us nuggets of wisdom on ways to succeed as entrepreneurs.
‘Streamload’ offers 25 Gigabites Free Online Storage
June 12, 2006
While reading about Rachel's Laptop trouble, I discovered Streamload, a San Diego based company that offers a Free Account with 25 gigabytes Online Storage for your files so you can access them from anywhere. As Rachel Cunliffe reminds us, it is good to be prepared and have flexible solutions.
After using Typepad for my main blog Serge the Concierge, I have been looking at other platforms including the one I am using currently, WordPress. Realizing that I would have more flexibility and options such as choice of templates ('themes' in WordPress speak) and administrative controls if I used one of the 'hosted' solutions, I decided to give it a look. I followed the various links and found out that the prices given were slightly deceptive. The 'low' price required a 6 to 12 month 'prepaid' commitment to these services (Dreamhost, AN Hosting and Blue Host). I really do not like the idea of being tied up with a service not knowing if I will like it. The only one whose advertised and real price were the same was Yahoo Hosting. They charge $8.01 per month (for the first 6 months) with one free domain registration and the set up fee is waved. Guess who I went with? The 'Yahoo hosting' check out process was user friendly as well. I paid for the first month and nothing more and if I am not happy with what I get I can always change after that.
What do we do in case an Emergency Strikes?
June 8, 2006
Yesterday afternoon, I got a phone call from a staff writer at the Newark based 'Star Ledger' asking me if I had a 'Bird Flu' Emergency Plan or Strategy. I had to confess that I have none. It got me thinking of the larger question of how businesses and especially small businesses deal with such situations. Besides the health issues in such a situation as the 'bird flu', how do you survive financially, as a business? Can you get insured against potential losses? Can you still deliver services to your customers and if not how do you tell your suplliers that they might not be paid on time if the emergency lasts? Do you keep your employees or have to lay them off? I raise a lot of questions and provide no answers. I guess most of us small business owners are so much in the Now that we often fail to think about such possible events.
The ‘Accelerate how you differentiate’ report suggests ways to adapt to changing customer needs
June 6, 2006
The 'Business Performance Management Forum' suggests in a recently released report surveying 320 business leaders that many companies either do not have the tools or the flexibility to react quickly enough to changing customer needs. To follow up on the report they are offering a webcast on June 14 at 12:00 noon (eastern time).
The conclusions of this report might inspire all the 'smaller fish' and other agile entrepreneurs that this is an opportunity for them to fill the gap and come up with the right offerings.
While visiting the home page of one of the web hosts that I use, 1&1, I noticed that they just started including Blog Tools as part of their Linux Hosting packages. It looks like they are using WordPress for that.
Michael Arrington offered Logo Works as a suggestion for logo design yesterday on TechCrunch. I personally used Logo Design Creation on the suggestion of fellow entrepreneur Barry Moltz. I selected their $49.00 package. I first gave them a try with a logo for my blog Serge the Concierge. I was able to get a finished design in a matter of days. Since then I ordered a second logo, this time for one of my business websites, New Jersey Concierges. The process was very smooth and professional, you can always modify-customize the logo later on for a small fee of I believe $19.00, my 2 cents.
Microsoft Small Business Summit (today): When Webcast Delivery does not match Content
March 14, 2006
After looking at the topics and speakers featured at the Microsoft Small Business Summit, I signed up for 3 sessions for today (this live and online seminar lasts 4 days) . I caught the tail end of Maxine Clark (Build a Bear) part. I then logged in for the Keith Ferrazzi segment and even though the topic and presentation where worth it, a scrawny sound and wobbly and even upside down picture made me leave. I will give them another chance tomorrow for the Guerilla Marketing piece. I must say that compared to previous online seminars I attended from Macromedia using Breeze today was underwhelming.
Time is a rare commodity sometimes
March 13, 2006
Between maintaining my websites, running my concierge business, writing my other blog and the rest, I found very little time to write here so in the coming week I will share tools and ways that save me time and make life a little easier.
My suggestion of the day is CoComment which allows you to track your ‘conversations’ on other blogs.
I have been using it for a few weeks now and it is a pleasure to work with.
Give it a try
