http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs presents a compilation of blogs and news about Wharton alumni and student entrepreneurs. en-US http://backend.userland.com/rss 60 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AVc/~3/286778099/geographic-bala.html Fri, 09 May 2008 08:01:12 -0400 1178@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I am fond of saying that what happened in the US in the second half of the 20th century will take place in much of the rest of the world in the first half of the 21st century. The end... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/286313127/ Thu, 08 May 2008 16:04:44 -0400 1177@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AVc/~3/286086572/twittering-a-he.html Thu, 08 May 2008 09:36:18 -0400 1176@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I went to an event yesterday that featured a number of people active in the hedge fund industry and the financial markets. Here is the series of twitters I sent during that event. Headed to the semi annual meeting of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AVc/~3/285986121/neil-young-on-s.html Thu, 08 May 2008 05:54:11 -0400 1175@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I am going to get every one of his "dumps" http://coolnewweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/free-ad-notebooks-for-college-students.html Thu, 08 May 2008 02:56:00 -0400 1151@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This looks like a sweet deal -- ABS Notebooks partners with universities to produce free notebooks with valuable university information. They fund the notebooks through advertising. http://www.absnotebooks.com/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AVc/~3/285732038/triangulating-f.html Wed, 07 May 2008 20:10:20 -0400 1174@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I am a huge fan of triangulating. I don't think anyone or anything can give you the insight you need to truly understand things. Whether it's visiting comscore, compete, alexa, hitwise, and quantcast to get a more complete picture of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/285716934/postgres-plus-ajax-web-20-made-easy.html Wed, 07 May 2008 19:50:00 -0400 1150@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FelicisVenturesBlog/~3/285661188/google-leads-in.html Wed, 07 May 2008 18:11:11 -0400 1156@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AVc/~3/285606300/a-blast-from-th.html Wed, 07 May 2008 16:15:51 -0400 1173@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Brad Feld posted a picture of him and a friend at MIT when he was 19 on his blog last week along with a quiz question. The minute I saw that photo, I thought "I should post the picture of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/285404320/how-to-ask-for.html Wed, 07 May 2008 10:05:53 -0400 1149@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I just read Fred Wilson's blog post about the need to ask for the order. I completely agree -- if you don't ask, you don't get. However, I believe that there are different ways to ask for the same order.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/AVc/~3/285024552/the-cbs-digital.html Tue, 06 May 2008 21:23:49 -0400 1172@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Yesterday I attended a launch event that really impressed me. As I watched it, I sent this twitter message: Watching a killer presentation on the cbs digital radio network. These guys have nailed it I got a bunch of replies... http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/05/margins-how-low.html Tue, 06 May 2008 13:05:15 -0400 1148@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu How low can you go? This is a defining question for any business, particularly in e-commerce. Sales and top line revenue are always important, but what is clearly understood as highly significant by every successful entrepreneur that I have ever met is a low margin. As the VP of Sales at buySAFE, I have the opportunity to speak with many e-commerce merchants selling in all product categories, and I can see that Internet merchants are constantly under pressure to reduce their margins from every possible direction. Some of the most attractive characteristics of doing business on the web have been lack of or minimization of “brick and mortar” costs along with low barriers to entry and a nearly unlimited market reach with over 200 million online consumers. All of this should mean great margins regardless of the COGS profile of any business. As e-commerce matures though, these “advantages” are being... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/284536513/looks-do-matter.html Tue, 06 May 2008 06:04:38 -0400 1147@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu You may have the greatest service in the world, but sloppy design will always destroy your credibility with prospects. Every day I meet another great entrepreneur that will never succeed because they tried to save a buck on web design.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/282206373/web-20-expo-economics-2000-downloads.html Fri, 02 May 2008 12:22:00 -0400 1145@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/281881698/ Fri, 02 May 2008 01:02:41 -0400 1144@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/281387686/does-your-vcs-f.html Thu, 01 May 2008 06:38:49 -0400 1143@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Another great post on TheFunded.com.... When considering a term sheet from a prospective VC, it is key to understand whether they have have the means to fund follow-on rounds. Most VCs will not do cross over funding and often startups find themselves in trouble when their VCs can not provide subsequent financing. So, it is key to determine... If your VC's fund is having problems (financial, political, hiring or retention, etc..) or if your VC's fund is at the end of its lifecycle, you may ultimately experience artificial, unnecessary problems that you will have to navigate in the future while running your business. For entrepreneurs, this is a very serious issue to consider before you allow an investment, not after an investment has already taken place. Read the rest of this article at TheFunded.com: Fund Diligence Item in order to learn the three critical questions you should ask your prospective... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280810657/post-funding-ad.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:52:43 -0400 1142@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If you have ever raised venture capital, you know how important the post-funding relationship is with your venture capital investors. Your pre-money valuation and financing terms are all important needless to say, but to be candid, the post-funding relationship you have (or are likely to have based on a VC's previous track record) is probably the most important issue for you to consider as an entrepreneur. An experienced entrepreneur posted a great article on the subject on TheFunded.com, and here is an excerpt of the article... There are a lot of postings here about getting the initial term sheet and getting the VC on board. However, just like marriages, many of these courting periods can be quite different from the month to month evolving operations and business that we face a year or two down the road. Remember that often these VCs will sit on your board, and direct your... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FelicisVenturesBlog/~3/280542588/consumer-web-is.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:42:10 -0400 1155@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/280396142/ Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:16:16 -0400 1141@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/280312839/case-for-wysiwyg-ajax-tools.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:29:00 -0400 1140@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://www.natsturner.com/2008/04/my-trip-to-augu.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:33:08 -0400 1139@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This has to be one of my favorite posts. On Saturday I flew down to Augusta, GA with two friends, David Brussin and Adam Victor, to meet up with my cousin, Turner Simkins, and his family. Turner is currently heading... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280145972/what-is-the-mos.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:55:36 -0400 1137@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu According to eMarketer, email marketing is still a very effective means of driving e-commerce. The following is an excerpt from eMarketer's article, "E-Mail Marketing Still Works"... First, the good news: permission-based e-mail is great at getting consumers to buy. Half of US adult e-mail users surveyed in April 2008 for Merkle's "View from the Inbox" study, conducted with Harris Interactive, said they had made an online purchase in the previous year as a result of permission-based marketing. In addition, e-mail was second only to customer reviews on Web sites for influencing online purchases, according to DoubleClick Performics' "Green Marketing Study," conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in February 2008. E-mail was roughly equal to search results in terms of influencing online purchases. SPAM emails are obviously a huge problem, but when consumers expect to receive an email from a merchant, they obviously open those emails and respond in a material manner.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280145973/grotech-venture.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:36:45 -0400 1136@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu TechCrunch reported last week that Grotech Ventures has led another round of financing for Collective Intellect. The following is an excerpt from TechCrunch. Collective Intellect , a service that can be used to track what people are saying around the net about certain topics, has raised an additional $6.6M in a Series B round led by Grotech Capital Group with participation by Appian Ventures, Croghan Investments, and Crawley Hatfield Capital. You can read more about the financing here >> More Money for Collective Intellect to Keep Fingers on Pulse of Internet Technorati Tags: Grotech,Collective Intellect,Venture Capital,Appian Ventures,Croghan Investments,Crawley Hatfield http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/04/how-the-online.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1135@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The ongoing recession has everyone in a state of uncomfortable uncertainty. The weak economy has consumers and merchants worried alike. But this very uncertainty represents an opportunity for smart merchants who can position themselves as precisely the TRUSTED, value-conscious, and low-hassle sellers that shoppers seek out during a downturn. While it is true that qualms about the economy cause some e-consumers to cut back on their online shopping, a recent survey also indicates that other consumers plan to shop more online because of the convenience and greater chances of finding good deals, of course, to save money on gas (see a recent survey of 200 consumers by investment firm Piper Jaffray). So the question is NOT what the macro-trend is, but rather how the smart merchant benefits from this share-shift. According to this survey, while 33% of online shoppers plan to reduce online spending on discretionary goods, 12% expect to... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/279665423/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:35:03 -0400 1134@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/280145972/what-is-the-mos.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:55:00 -0400 1138@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu According to eMarketer, email marketing is still a very effective means of driving e-commerce. The following is an excerpt from eMarketer's article, "E-Mail Marketing Still Works"... First, the good news: permission-based e-mail is great at getting consumers to buy. Half of US adult e-mail users surveyed in April 2008 for Merkle's "View from the Inbox" study, conducted with Harris Interactive, said they had made an online purchase in the previous year as a result of permission-based marketing. In addition, e-mail was second only to customer reviews on Web sites for influencing online purchases, according to DoubleClick Performics' "Green Marketing Study," conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in February 2008. E-mail was roughly equal to search results in terms of influencing online purchases. SPAM emails are obviously a huge problem, but when consumers expect to receive an email from a merchant, they obviously open those emails and respond in a material manner.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/284531824/sunstar-america.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:36:00 -0400 1146@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 2008-05-15 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/279079222/how-smart-are-y.html Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:45:43 -0400 1133@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Think you're pretty smart? Prove it. Tomorrow night, Playcafe.com (a First Round Capital portfolio company) will be hosting Ken Jennings. Ken is the guy who won 74 games in a row (and over $3 million) on Jeopardy. But on Jeopardy... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053281/from-messes-to.html Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:55:13 -0400 1132@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu One of my favorite VC bloggers is Fred Wilson, and he wrote another great post this past week. "From Messes to Successes" is an interesting article about his experiences with "problem" portfolio companies. As you would hope would be the case with any good venture capitalist, he and his team have helped turn many of these "problems" into fabulous outcomes. Here is an excerpt from his article... When I look back at my 20+ year history of venture investing, it's certainly true that the biggest successes have been big messes at some point in their life. My most successful venture investment at Euclid, Multex, almost went bankrupt before the Internet came along and provided a cheap way to get it's service to its customers. Geocities, which was our most successful investment at Flatiron, was a total mess in mid/late 1997, about a year after we first invested. And our most... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/277970706/ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:04:13 -0400 1131@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053282/links-for-200-5.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:39:21 -0400 1130@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu EBay Sues Craigslist Founder, CEO - WSJ.com Internet giant eBay Inc. said it filed suit against Craigslist's directors for allegedly unfairly diluting its interest in the classified-listings Web site. The suit was filed Tuesday in Delaware's Court of Chancery against ... Insuring Against Fraud, Data Breaches: AIG provides Web Merchant Guard A few insurance companies provide policies for credit card fraud and data breaches, covering both a merchant's hard cost of fraudulent sales and any liability for data breaches. AIG, the publicly-traded insurance company, was one of the first. Merchants Liable For Data Breaches: Protecting customers' data a 'solemn legal responsibility' What do online merchants Art.com, Geeks.com and Bananas.com have in common? They're three in a small, but growing, list of ecommerce sites hacked for their customer's credit card data. You Don't Own What You Think: Percentages Lie - TheFunded.com You have a piece of paper or a spreadsheet that... http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/04/stay-cool.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:33:00 -0400 1129@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/277350007/ Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:29:59 -0400 1128@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/276885875/ask-your-custom.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1127@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Most companies instinctively hide their problems. That's the wrong answer. Open up and ask your customers for help. They already know what's wrong (often more than you do), and they probably know how to fix it (often better than you).... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/276302712/really-simple-web-20.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:26:00 -0400 1126@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/276117454/the-wrong-way-t.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0400 1125@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu "Hi! I totally agree with your post. Here is a link to a not-really-related post on my own site that I'm shamelessly trying to promote by posting this comment. In fact, the only purpose of this comment is to create... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/276012283/links-for-20-14.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:38:34 -0400 1124@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu eBay Encourages 'Free Shipping' with New Features eBay is introducing two new features on its site to make the offer of free shipping "even more effective in attracting buyers." When sellers select standard free shipping in their listings, a new "Free Shipping" icon will appear in those listings. Infopia Launches New Search Marketing Services Infopia has launched Search Marketing, a service for small- and mid-sized merchants on the Infopia eCommerce platform. The service is provided by Infopia's industry partners and provides pay-per-click (PPC) management designed to enhance traffic and incre Is eBay Moving Toward a Free Listing Model? eBay UK... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/275920703/why-wavemaker-went-mac-why-we-aint.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:59:00 -0400 1123@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/275605204/ Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:08:57 -0400 1122@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/275354749/the-fastest-way.html Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:02:31 -0400 1121@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Sometimes things just go wrong. Angry customers are storming the gates. The situation is melting down. It happens to every business. Find the fastest way to make people happy. It doesn't need to be a solution to the problem that... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FelicisVenturesBlog/~3/275229248/billions-of-vid.html Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:47:02 -0400 1154@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FelicisVenturesBlog/~3/275078098/microhoo---the.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:00:51 -0400 1153@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/274972402/two-free-public.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:53:50 -0400 1120@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If you haven't seen one of my keynotes (because I'm usually at an expensive or private event), this is your chance to get the full deal for free: New York: PodCamp NYC When: Sat, April 26, 10 AM Details AMA... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/274917951/random-interest.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1119@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Marketing lessons from Dixie's BBQ, Bellevue by Patrick Byers. A great article about the right way to earn word of mouth for a restaurant. Kenneth Cole blog with really strong customer participation features, built by Electric Artists on the Movable... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053283/daily-roundup-9.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:35:27 -0400 1118@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Report: Paid Search Top Acquisition Tool for Retailers - Adotas In a year of dismal retail sales projections, a recent report says Americans will continue to snap up clothes, computers and cars online. A Shop.org conducted by Forrester Research found that online retail sales should climb 17% this year to $204 billion. TheFind powers commerce in Elle's content community - Comparison Shopping Engine Strategies It's been said that content, community and commerce is the holy grail to Internet success, and that's just what TheFind is now doing. The partnership effectively creates a destination shopping site on Elle.com, leveraging TheFind's competency in lifestyle goods, piping in products from merchants that match ELLE's audience. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/274408966/ Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:01:45 -0400 1117@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/274237866/be-yourself.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1113@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Scott Ginsberg is the king of authenticity. Read his blog and books for a wonderful insight into connecting with people. He has a new series of mini-books about how to become more approachable as a salesperson, front-line worker or manager.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/274060845/nuts.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1112@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 1. Nut Roaster The simplest laptop cooling system and ergonomic stand: An empty 3-ring binder. 2. Nut Poppers How did this product name get approved? Hundreds of brand managers, ad agencies, factory workers, media buyers. Didn't anyone hear the interns... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/273963813/links-for-20-12.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:34:59 -0400 1111@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Two Carbon-Market Millionaires Take a Hit as U.N. Clamps Down Marc Stuart and Pedro Moura Costa have become multimillionaires in a booming new market designed to fight global warming. Now, their empire is under attack. Their firm, United Kingdom-based EcoSecurities Ltd., helps companies in the industrialized world m http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/273560886/ Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:33:14 -0400 1110@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/273112222/boise-blogger-m.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1109@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I had a great time at the Boise Blogger Meetup. Thanks go to Tac Anderson for setting it up and giving me a great tour of the town, and to Matt Rissell for picking up the tab. Matt wrote a... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/272914757/on-age.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:15:39 -0400 1107@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I've been thinking a lot about age recently. As my age catches up to my rapidly graying hair, I'm realizing that I'm no longer the youngest guy in the room... Today, Business Week released their list of "Tech's Best Young... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/272872184/suicide-money.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1106@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Adobe did something very smart: They are offering a completely free web-based version of Photoshop called Photoshop Express. They could have made a different choice. They are already making decent money selling inexpensive consumer versions of Photoshop, hoping that consumers... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/273041201/links-for-20-11.html Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:34:25 -0400 1108@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu ISPs meddled with their customers' Web traffic by Robert McMillan, IDG News Service About one percent of the Web pages being delivered on the Internet are being changed in transit, sometimes in a harmful way, according to researchers at the University of Washington. Consumer groups urge "do not track" registry - Scientific American Two consumer groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to create a "do not track list" that would allow computer users to bar advertisers from collecting information about them. The Consumer Federation of America and the Consumers Union also u Seven Tips for Making the Most... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/272550800/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:27:12 -0400 1105@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/272398692/summer-internsh.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1104@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/272162422/is-it-word-of-m.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1103@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If it stops when you stop paying for it - it's advertising. If it grows on its own - it's word of mouth. (Hmmm... you could replace "advertising" with "prostitution" and "word of mouth" with "love".) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/272031866/links-for-20-10.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:33:06 -0400 1102@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Targeting, Ad Network Spending Increase - eMarketer More than nine out of 10 US advertising agencies and advertisers buying online media plan to work with ad networks in 2008, according to Collective Media's "Ad Network Study 2008." Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that they planned to spend mor http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053284/daily-roundup-7.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:33:00 -0400 1116@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-04-17 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/271953778/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:09:32 -0400 1101@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FelicisVenturesBlog/~3/271945713/vkontakteru---r.html Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:47:21 -0400 1152@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/271510182/big-opportunity.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:50:49 -0400 1100@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu One of our clients is the National Restaurant Association - and I'm very pleased to report that they have a fantastic open attitude toward bloggers and reaching out to the blog community. (I'll be writing more about this soon.) Today's... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/271410685/love-not-money.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1099@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu When money gets tight, marketing budgets get tighter. MarketingSherpa reports that 43% of CFOs think that marketing budgets should be the first to go. (Which is, of course, insane. "We need money - let's stop pursing customers who will give... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/271279951/links-for-200-9.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:35:02 -0400 1098@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Does Your Company Need a Chief Blogger? - Advertising Age It's a question marketers are still grappling with years after the first waves of corporate blogging flooded the web. But for better or worse, it seems corporate blogging -- and the title of chief blogger -- is beginning to hit its stride. Companies such Brands Partner With Consumers Online - eMarketer These days, online consumers and companies are collaborating on a range of activities, including R&D, marketing and after-sales support. Here are a few examples of how brands and consumers are working together online: eBay Tracks Members' Computer Usage in... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053285/daily-roundup-6.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:35:00 -0400 1115@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-04-16 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/271161214/1-800-free-411.html Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:24 -0400 1097@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu As a Pennsylvania resident, I was really surprised by today's announcement from portfolio company, Jingle Networks. The company, which operates the country's largest free 411 service (1-800-FREE-411), recently conducted a political poll. Now this was not your typical poll. Typical... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/270938711/100-reviews.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:00:25 -0400 1096@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I've never done this before, but I'd like to ask for your help. I wrote this morning about the power of a simple request for testimonials (link). I guess I should follow my own advice! I'm trying to get to... http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/04/vol.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:32:00 -0400 1095@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 Number 5 Memories of Really Dumb Rides So How Many of You Remember the "Dodge La Femme"? So thanks goes out to Al Haas the “On the Road” columnist from the Philadelphia Inquirer for this bog entry. Although technically not dealing with fleet or remarketing, I couldn’t resist comment on his recent March 16 article entitled, “ Memories of really dumb rides ” which defines what Al considers the four dumbest rides in US history. Now the first two had launch dates before my time, but I was around for the last two, and, at any rate they all were pretty dumb: 1) The Dodge La Femme 2) The Edsel 3) The Subaru BRAT 4) Suzuki X-90 Now everyone is aware of #2, The Edsel, and while the BRAT (stood for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter…of course, we all knew that, right?) was nowhere near as well known, it probably earned its “dumb” rep not as an immediate sales fiasco (it was around for at least a half a dozen years), but because of its “jump seat welded in cargo bed,” created to avoid the 25% import tariff on imported trucks at the time. As I remember it, #4, the Suzuki X-90 was a creation of a different sort, that is, since the Suzuki Samuri SUV (which I remember sold pretty well and was well liked) got hit by Consumer Reports on its propensity to roll over during sudden steering (a bad thing), Suzuki reaction was to build this two-seat, four wheel drive coupe that was neither fish nor fowl, that had neither the Samuri’s off-road capability, nor a car’s on road ride…it fell on its sword, so to speak, only two years on the market. At any rate, the focus of this blog entry is a vehicle that Dodge launched in the 1950’s, way less well known than the Edsel but 100x more silly (or at least it seems that way now), the #1 vehicle on Al’s list, the Dodge La Femme (yep, there is even a Web site dedicated to it now, and I bet its been viewed by far more people than ever saw the car in its day...). Apparently back in the 1950’s, Chrysler Corporation for the first time noticed that women were starting to buy a lot of cars, and figured (logically?), that the best way to reach that market was to produce something special, something that seemed to feed into and propagate every stereotype you could imagine about female buyers in that day and age (or any other)…and so was created what could only be called the female stereotype caricature car, the Dodge La Femme. The 1955/56 offering was a Dodge Royal Lancer that overdosed on “pink” or as Al says, a “Royal Lancer on estrogen.” Okay, so the exterior was not pink exactly, but two tone “Sapphire White and Heather Rose” (“Heather Rose”?! that’s um, pink to you and me), with the moniker “La Femme” emblazoned in gold script on the fenders (oh yes, that would go well at the supermarket). The interior, was, of course, pink tapestry upholstery featuring rosebuds (really, I couldn’t make this up). Now, of course it gets better, as one wouldn’t think of offering this car to women without a few other signature rosebud necessities as well, as the car purchase included the same rosebud interior print on an accompanying raincoat, rain bonnet, umbrella, and, a purse – just about everything the modern little lady might want in life… I think Al says it best, “Even back in those Ozzie and Harriet heydays, women weren’t buying this brand of patronizing. During the two years the cars were offered, a grand total of 2,500 La Femmes were sold.?? So what do you think women car folks, is pink still the operative color of the day for women buyers, women web sites, etc.? Do you think designer raincoats, bonnets, umbrellas and purses really do enhance the car buying experience for a women consumer? As silly as this all sounds, do things like this, in a much more subdued way, still occur in marketing to women buyers or are large corporations (if not all retailers) more in tune? In the car market? In other product marketing? Let me know what you think... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/270681697/ask-for-testimo.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:35:00 -0400 1094@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Getting word of mouth is easy -- just ask for it. When was the last time you asked for a testimonial? When was the last time you asked a customer to recommend you? After every sale, Zappos asks if you'd... http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/04/this-just-in-20.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:00:00 -0400 1093@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The 2007 Internet Crime Report, just released by the FBI and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, shines a spotlight on the overwhelming share of merchant non-performance as a part of overall internet fraud. The report states that over 60% of all internet fraud complaints are for merchant non-performance — compare that with a paltry 2.9% of all complaints for the much-hyped ID theft. The total dollar value of consumer losses due to fraud also increased over 20% from the year before, from $198M to $239M – faster than the rate of the underlying growth in online sales. In short, the “bad guys” are doing better than the online market as a whole! Even more interestingly, the report’s research shows that fewer than 1 in 7 losses are ever reported, so the true problem must be significantly larger than the reported numbers. According to the report, the Top Three internet user... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/279053286/daily-roundup-5.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:12:00 -0400 1114@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-04-14 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/270196027/visual-ajax-webinar-thursday-april-17.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:17:00 -0400 1092@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/269987011/can-word-of-mou.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:45:00 -0400 1091@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Intro: The U.K. is introducing a new bill that states that some stealth marketing practices are illegal. Honest word of marketers already oppose those particular practices, but it's time for a review. 1. Word of mouth marketing is safe and... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/269889433/links-for-200-8.html Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:33:49 -0400 1090@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Is Yahoo Right to Resist Microsoft? Yahoo's resistance to a takeover by Microsoft looks foolhardy to some investors and Wall Street analysts. But the push-back may prove effective in the end—at least by forcing the suitor to cough up a few more bucks a share. Executives from Yahoo (YHOO) Yahoo Gets a Deadline Microsoft (MSFT) just dropped the bomb on Yahoo (YHOO). Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Apr. 5 sent a letter giving Yahoo's board three weeks before it initiates a proxy fight, including nomination of a new slate of directors likely to approve the deal. "M Is Content King?... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/268435825/the-power-of-la.html Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:28:00 -0400 1089@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Laziness is an amazingly powerful marketing force. "Convenience" is a nicer way to put it. I still use Orbitz, often a worse experience than Expedia (and more expensive) because they store my preferences. I call the same awful restaurant for... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/268430925/ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:20:11 -0400 1088@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/268242972/links-for-200-7.html Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:33:45 -0400 1087@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Consolidating Your Web Banter - Technology Review Many Web users drop digital breadcrumbs all over the Web: a comment left on YouTube, a status update posted on Facebook, a mundane task noted on the microblogging service Twitter, a long-form update posted on a blog. But merging these services has long be On eBay, A Little Less Conversation - washingtonpost.com Sometime in mid-May, the conversations behind each sale on eBay will become a lot more one-sided. The site will change one of its core features, the feedback system allowing buyers and sellers to judge one another, by cutting sellers out of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/267883896/ Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:48:33 -0400 1086@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/267856692/san-francisco-a.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:45:00 -0400 1085@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 2008-06-26 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/267717131/when-is-the-las.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:39:00 -0400 1084@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Saul Colt of FreshBooks heard that I love the gourmet hand-made mustard from Kozlik's in Toronto. So he sent me some. I thanked him, of course. But I'm also blogging about it, I tell friends, and I'm much more aware... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/267577928/links-for-200-6.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:36:15 -0400 1083@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Eyeing Prices as Search Keeps Growing - eMarketer Even as some marketers rein in spending to hedge against further economic problems, search engine marketing (SEM) is in great shape??at least for the moment. Search engine advertisers and agencies surveyed for the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO)-sponsored "2007 State of the Market" survey listed multiple reasons for the SEM spending growth, including advertiser demand, rising keyword and pay-per-click campaign costs, small-to-midsized business SEM use and increased behavioral and demographic targeting. The study was conducted by Radar Research online using an IntelliSurvey panel. Your Former Boss Can Kill Your Job Offer:... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/267370485/boise-blogger-l.html Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:10:43 -0400 1082@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Tac Anderson and a group of Boise bloggers have kindly offered to host blogger meet-up lunch during my visit this week. Join us it you're in Boise! More info here Thanks Tac! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/267002637/be-upfront-abou.html Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1081@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Smart Cars are these amazingly tiny little cars. They've been in Europe for a while and are just coming to the US. As you can imagine, a tiny car like this isn't going to do well in a collision with... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/266895924/links-for-200-5.html Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:39:26 -0400 1080@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Reported Dollar Loss from Internet Crime Reaches All Time High The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 206,884 complaints of crimes perpetrated over the Internet during 2007. Internet auction fraud was the most widely reported complaint, comprising 35.7% of referred crime complaints. This represents a 20.5 Life on the Edge: Learning from Facebook For most business executives, Facebook remains a remote, somewhat mysterious, online frontier. Many executives harbor strong doubts that Facebook is at all relevant to "real business." After all, isn't it just a bunch of college kids sharing photos of dri Why Writing Your Own Search Engine is... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/266562761/profile-in-the.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1079@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Brian Pittman did a nice interview with me in the Bulldog Reporter, where I share a variety of word of mouth tips for PR professionals. Pass It On: PR Discipline Is Best Positioned to Lead WOM Charge He also did... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/266329065/viral-widgets-m.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1078@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu You invest a ton of cash on some crazy viral doodad. No one shares it. Why? Did you make it really easy to share? Sean Howard shares a great example of how to do it right. This campaign from Aquafina... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/264471910/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:32:00 -0400 1077@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Just What We Needed, Google on Speed - Google Everflux Is it just me or has Google gone into overdrive? As a professional full-time online marketer I have to keep my mind firmly placed on what Google is doing. As much as I try not to because Google has probably driven more people around the bend than Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz put together. Like any professional marketer, I monitor my numerous keywords on a daily basis - especially my major targeted keyword phrases that bring in the most sales and subscribers. For years now, I have had top rankings in Google... http://blog.swoda.com/2008/04/links-for-200-4.html Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:33:31 -0400 1076@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Building His Own Start-Up Ecosystem - washingtonpost.com Eric Litman is a longtime Washington area technology guy who calls himself an "Internet entrepreneur and evangelist." Litman was one of four founders of a well-known local Internet development company in the 1990s called Proxicom. Using proceeds from the http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/265879536/6-simple-steps.html Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:33:00 -0400 1075@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu (This was originally posted on the MarketingProfs blog.) Holly Suttmann, a former schoolteacher, started the Black & Light Candle company. Holly really understands word of mouth. She's proof that every business can master these inexpensive techniques. There are lot of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/265762835/ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:42:28 -0400 1074@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/265641686/mgm-blog-spamme.html Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1072@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu MGM is systematically using dishonest blog spam to promote a DVD. I've caught them twice, which means there are probably many more examples. (I did give them a week to respond to my request for more info before I posted... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/265524531/links-for-200-3.html Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:34:25 -0400 1071@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Busting a Rogue Blogger Of the many blogs born last May, Patent Troll Tracker seemed as innocuous as any. Its focus: the obscure but controversial subject of "patent trolls," a derogatory term used to describe businesses that make money by purchasing patents and then suing big companies for infringement. The author was clearly no fan of the practice, but his or her identity was a mystery. The "about me" section of the blog noted that the writer was simply "a patent lawyer trying to gather and organize information about patent litigation." Through regular, copious posts, Troll Tracker quickly drew a... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/265058156/thank-you-for-t.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:00:01 -0400 1070@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The Makers Mark Ambassador Program is the greatest customer evangelism campaign ever created. 500,000 people are out there every day advertising this brand - for free - because they love it. Because they have some fun, they're treated well, and... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/264571006/how-to-be-a-her.html Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:19:31 -0400 1069@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Skybus Airlines went bust today. JetBlue saved the day by offering $50 fares to Skybus passengers. They even gave $10 flights to Skybus employees. Every one of those passengers will have deep passionate love for JetBlue, forever. The word of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/264471910/links-for-200-2.html Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:32:32 -0400 1068@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Just What We Needed, Google on Speed - Google Everflux Is it just me or has Google gone into overdrive? As a professional full-time online marketer I have to keep my mind firmly placed on what Google is doing. As much as I try not to because Google has probably driven more people around the bend than Chrysler Beam it up: Tiny projectors to magnify cell-phone cinema - Technology Review Recognizing that it is not much fun to watch movies on a tiny cell phone, a number of companies are racing to develop gadgets that project what's playing on the... http://whartoneclub.blogspot.com/2008/04/financial-engineering-entrepreneurship.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:48:00 -0400 1067@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Learn more about quantitative finance and hedge funds Speakers include: Professor Magerman from Penn/Renaissance Technologies Group David Cao from Columbia FE/DFG Investment Advisors Dr. Kreitzman , Executive Director from Berkeley FE David Zhang , Berkeley FE/Drake Management Friday, April 11th from 3-5pm Location: TBA Applications to graduate programs and hedge fund positions will be discussed! Please RSVP as soon as possible to guptasu " at " wharton.upenn.edu http://blog.buysafe.com/buysafeblog/2008/04/ecommerce-summi.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:31:21 -0400 1066@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu We at buySAFE are excited about the upcoming eCommerce Summit in New Orleans starting April 22. If you are undecided about attending, ask any past attendee, or better yet, ask us! For anyone with a stake in ecommerce, this is one networking and business opportunity that is reliably interesting, important, and productive…and a lot of fun. Sponsored by our friends PeSA, Infopia and ECMTA, this year’s eCommerce Summit is going to be a happening event in New Orleans (three days of summit, one day of optional volunteering at Habitat for Humanity and all that followed by the weekend New Orleans Jazz Festival!). Hundreds of online merchants will gather up for 3 days of learning internet best-practices and networking with industry leaders and Internet thought leaders. buySAFE will be a participant as well as proud sponsor! The dates are April 22 – 24 and the venue is Morial Convention Center in... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/263845764/links-for-200-1.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:07:00 -0400 1073@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Google's Gamble Can fewer clicks on its search ads lead to more revenue for Google? That is the question investors, analysts, and the company itself are trying to answer. The debate was launched after a Mar. 26 report from researcher comScore (SCOR) showed a decline in the number of clicks from the prior month on Google's search-related ads. According to the research firm, clicks on ads declined 3% in February from the prior month and were up just 3% compared to last year. Some analysts cautioned investors against buying additional Google (GOOG) shares; Google's stock declined 3% on Mar. 27,... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/263845764/links-for-200-1.html Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:33:04 -0400 1065@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Google's Gamble Can fewer clicks on its search ads lead to more revenue for Google? That is the question investors, analysts, and the company itself are trying to answer. The debate was launched after a Mar. 26 report from researcher comScore (SCOR) showed a decline in t Mashup Security - Technology Review Mashups--online applications that combine data and tools from different websites--are becoming increasingly useful. Although they started out as simple consumer programs, such as a tool that placed housing listings from Craigslist onto Google Maps, mashup Responses to cybercrime to be debated by Council of Europe, NATO, EU -... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/04/classic-april-f.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:33:56 -0400 1064@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu from http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/ #71: Michigan Shark Experiment In 1981 the Herald-News in Roscommon, Michigan reported that 3 lakes in northern Michigan had been selected to host "an in-depth study into the breeding and habits of several species of fresh-water sharks." Two... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/262630037/moving-ideas.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:30:08 -0400 1058@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Some concepts don't become clear unless you see them in action. Watch this astonishing presentation by Hans Rosling from TED 2006: "Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen" Now you can even do it yourself with Google... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/262529788/links-for-2008.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:38:06 -0400 1057@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Wiring Money Turns Wireless in New Plan - WSJ.com Western Union Co., hoping to boost its share of the money-transfer market, is teaming up with RadioShack Corp. and a small wireless company to offer a service that lets people send money through their cellphones. The service is aimed at immigrants to the IAC, Diller Face More Hurdles After Court Win - WSJ.com Barry Diller's decisive courtroom victory Friday in his battle with rival media mogul John Malone for control of IAC/InterActiveCorp. settled the question of who runs the Internet company. Now, Mr. Diller faces a host of new business and... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/262311822/the-unfunded.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:00:28 -0400 1056@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Over the last several years, April Fool's Day has been moving online – and although we’ve seen online pranks from startups, bloggers, and large Internet companies, I’ve noticed relatively few from venture capitalists. (Insert sarcastic comment about VC’s lack of... http://perpetualmotion.wordpress.com/2008/04/01/saving-coffeeshop-wi-fi/ Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:46:39 -0400 1055@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/261982018/google-tisp---a.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:06:32 -0400 1054@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Google launches new services with astonishing speed, and today's announcement is no exception. The latest Google invention is designed to help budget in these challenging economic times. Starting today (4/1/08), you can sign up for Google TiSP. With Google TiSP, you'll get a speedy broadband connection for free! You can also pay extra for a faster connection. Of course, there are a few fine print details to Google's TiSP service. For example, you'll need to install TiSP yourself. So read the details carefully. Obviously, you will want to understand what rights you're giving away when you use the TiSP service.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/261928159/why-did-someone.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:23:42 -0400 1053@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Here's how you get really great at word of mouth marketing: Pay attention to those moments when someone is making a recommendation. Look for ways it could have been more effective. Example: Someone in my office put this Lowe's coupon... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/261915200/ Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:54 -0400 1052@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/261709398/juan-tornoes-insight-about-batanga.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:23:00 -0400 1051@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/254458096/building-a-corp.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:31:00 -0400 1050@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I blogged a few weeks ago about The Geek Squad's Robert Stephens talking about how they build a corporate culture. Here is a video interview we did: Highlights: Their employees get their drivers license photos re-taken in their Geek Squad... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/261277855/ebay-live-2008.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:25:39 -0400 1049@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 2008-06-20 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/261151035/links-for-20-13.html Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:36:49 -0400 1048@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-31 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/260536979/hispanic-mpr-features-joe-and.html Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:55:00 -0400 1047@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/260017170/i-dont-know.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:33:15 -0400 1046@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I don't know. Why is it so hard for people (including both entrepreneurs and VCs) to say these three words? This past week I had two distinctly different meetings with entrepreneurs. They both were successful serial entrepreneurs. Both were exceptionally... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/259957498/saving-ourselves-from-unweb.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:18:00 -0400 1045@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/259819547/ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:32:14 -0400 1044@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/259773608/must-see-video-lou-dobbs-and-under-moon.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:53:00 -0400 1043@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/259586762/mystarbucks-ide.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:36:30 -0400 1042@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Lots of people are writing about MyStarbucksIdea.com - Starbucks' new site to ask for customer ideas and input. The site uses software from Salesforce.com. The most famous implementation is Dell's IdeaStorm. This type of site is important - it's possibly... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/259335416/look-how-rich-and-thin-we-are-state-of.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:21:00 -0400 1041@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/259196824/is-youtube-putt.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1040@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu There are now ads superimposed on YouTube videos. Are they putting ads on my personal videos? I think YouTube has every right to do it. Here's the implied deal: We get the service for free, they get to make money... http://whartoneclub.blogspot.com/2008/03/vcic-2008.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:09:00 -0400 1063@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Apply to VCIC 2008 at UNC now! This is a rare free opportunity to present your venture to VCs from around the United States as a part of the prestigious Venture Capital Investment Competition ( www.vcic.org ). Now in its 11 th year, the VCIC finals is the culmination of 40 events around the world in which top MBA students are competing to be the best VC. If selected, you will be one of four entrepreneurs at the event joining 20 VCs who will act as judges. In the first ten years, 40% of the entrepreneurs selected to present at VCIC Finals have gone on to raise an average of $9M in venture funding after the event. That’s correlation, not causation. The mission of the event is purely educational, but the value to participants is much more. See list of successful VCIC entrepreneurs here . If interested, click here for more information and to apply online . Partial List of VC Firms Firelake Capital Palo Alto CA Synergy Life Science Partners Palo Alto CA Foundry Group Boulder CO HIG Ventures Miami FL Atlas Ventures Waltham MA Grove Street Advisors Waltham MA NelCap Advisors Boston MA Oxford Bioscience Partners Boston MA TGap Ventures Kalamazoo MI Aurora Funds Durham NC Intersouth Partners Durham NC Southern Capitol Ventures Raleigh NC BlackRock Alternative Advisors New York NY Alliance of Angels Seattle WA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/258975416/who-is-reading.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:24:32 -0400 1039@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 68% of online shoppers read reviews before buying. Stop and think about this: Your entire marketing effort expenditure drives customers to the reviews. Not to your landing page. Not to your shopping cart. Who is in charge of reading online... http://whartoneclub.blogspot.com/2008/03/summerhighland-2008.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:38:00 -0400 1062@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Are you a student (graduate, undergraduate or even recent grad) with a business you'd like to rapidly accelerate this summer? If so, the Summer@Highland 2008 program may be just what you need! Following the success of last year's inaugural Summer@Highland, we are again offering stipends, office space, and experienced advisors to a small number of students with ambitious aspirations for building their businesses. What we're looking for We are especially interested in having you spend the summer with us if: - You've a leadership team with vision, passion, and drive - Your business has the potential to be highly-disruptive in its area - Your business initiative is showing momentum . While you may, or may not, have incorporated, you've more than a vague concept in mind - You have real depth of expertise in your technology/market of interest - You can direct us to some advisors who see your business's potential as you do Particulars of Summer@Highland 2008 - The program is open to current graduate and undergraduate students, as well as recent (December 2007 or later) grads. At least one member of the team must meet this criterion. - Teams can comprise 1 to 4 persons. - A single person team will receive a $7,500 stipend for the summer. - A multi-person team will receive a $15,000 stipend. - Teams will reside in office space in Highland's Lexington, MA or Menlo Park, CA offices (or, an exception basis, in our Geneva or Shanghai offices). - Teams are required to work full time for 10 weeks. Start and end dates are flexible and to span the period of June through September 2008. Teams are expected to share our office space with us during this full term. - Each team will have a Highland sponsor who will be the team's gateway to advice and counsel from Highland's investors and industry network. - In consideration of these benefits, but not to overly constrain the teams, we ask that if a team goes on to raise venture capital within 180 days from the end of the program, then Highland be provided the option to co-invest in up to 50% of the total financing round. How to apply - Please complete the brief online application (available at www.hcp.com/summer ) - Attach to your application (1) resumes/bios for each team member, and (2) up to two referrals/letters of recommendation (recommended). The latter may be from faculty & administration, board or advisory group members, or others affiliated with close knowledge of your project and/or team members. - Deadline for applications is April 22, 2008 - Selected projects will be notified via email no later than May 6, 2008. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/258581283/ Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:00:31 -0400 1038@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://whartoneclub.blogspot.com/2008/03/real-estate-entrepreneurship-panel.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:32:01 -0400 1061@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu On Wednesday, March 26, 2008 from 4:30 - 6:00PM in JMHH 255 Please join us for an evening of war stories and advice from the trenches about what it means to be a successful entrepreneur in the real estate business. Whom better to learn from (from the safety of our bolted swivel chairs) than the pioneers themselves who have gone before us?...and lived to tell about it. PANELISTS Jerry Sweeney, President and CEO, Brandywine Realty Trust David Adelman, President and CEO, Campus Apartments Tom Scannapieco, Founder and CEO, Scannapieco Development Corporation Bill Glazer, Founder and CEO, Keystone Property Group MODERATOR Kenneth Balin, Founder, President, and CEO, AMC Delancey Group http://whartoneclub.blogspot.com/2008/03/andrew-weinreich-founder-and-ceo-of.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:32:00 -0400 1060@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Tuesday, March 25th, 6pm-7pm, JMHH G65 Come hear the Social Networking Pioneer talk about the future of Online Dating, Social Networking and the challenges of Capital Raising in the Internet Space. Andrew Weinreich has spent the last 15 years starting and building businesses in the internet space. Andrew is the Founder and CEO of MeetMoi.com, a "Web 2.0" location-based mobile online dating service, which closed a $1.5 million Series A round of financing from Acadia Woods partners in early 2007. Please RSVP to damini@wharton.upenn.edu as space is limited. Free Papa John's pizza will be served. http://whartoneclub.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-start-business-in-philadelphia.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:31:00 -0400 1059@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Two companies – one an early stage firm and the other a successful story of growth and exit – will discuss how they started and grew their business in the region. Each entrepreneur will introduce and describe a few key stakeholders critical in their development. There is NO FEE for this event, and lunch will be provided. Friday, April 11 from 11:30am to 1:30pm at the MAC Alliance offices (200 S Broad, Suite 700) . More information is here . To register, visit www.macalliance.com . Featuring: - Chris Stanchak, Founder, TicketLeap - Jay Coen Gilbert and Bart Houlahan, Co-Founders, And 1 http://coolnewweb.blogspot.com/2008/03/marc-andreessens-analysis-of-charlie.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:25:00 -0400 1037@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Here's an interesting article (part 1 of 6) from Marc Andreessen regarding 25 biases identified by Charles Munger, Warren Buffett's partner and cofounder of Munger, Tolles & Olson. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/258383733/101-five-minute.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:23:21 -0400 1036@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu At buySAFE, our web site is one of our greatest assets. It is the main avenue by which we communicate with prospective buyer and merchant customers, partners, the media, and investors. It is the main tool we have for defining buySAFE for the rest of the world. It is the vehicle we use for creating action with respect to our unique eCommerce trust and safety and advertising services. I spend a fair amount of my time thinking about how to better leverage this asset, and then working with my team to improve upon its utility. Therefore, when I ran across... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/258348674/one-little-thin.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:38:16 -0400 1035@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu It only takes one little thing to generate massive word of mouth: Colorful iMacs Zappos' 365-day return policy Red Envelope's wrapping paper A clever blog post One smart salesperson A sincere apology Here's an example: 1coolpen.com makes a nice pocket-sized... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/257779146/so-you-want-to.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:26:35 -0400 1034@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I have discovered the hard way that blogging is not an easy endeavor, and this is especially true for folks that have real jobs during the day. At a minimum, it takes time, dedication, and creativity. I have often wondered how to others do such a great job with their blogs while still maintaining excellence in their day jobs. To that point, I thought this article was very interesting, and it included a number of practical tips for all of us aspiring bloggers. I hope you find this useful as well. MARK CUBAN, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/257633661/am-i-getting-sc.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:35:22 -0400 1033@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The New York Times wrote about how you can now haggle and negotiate prices at Home Depot, Best Buy, and Circuit City. It makes me very uncomfortable. Here's what I expect lots of customers are hearing: "We are usually ripping... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/257526599/links-for-20-12.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:22:48 -0400 1032@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-25 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/257048613/ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:54:31 -0400 1031@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/257025210/are-you-rewardi.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:13:38 -0400 1030@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Why are there express lanes for people who buy a small amount of stuff? We should have express lanes for people who buy a ton of stuff. How about this: If you fill your cart over to the top, you... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/256279621/feed-frenzy.html Sun, 23 Mar 2008 20:26:00 -0400 1029@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Back in the early 90's, I co-founded a company called Infonautics that ran an online service called Homework Helper. It operated on Prodigy and AOL -- a few years before the development of the web browser. We ran our own... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/255782853/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:03:00 -0400 1028@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/255724397/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:12:31 -0400 1027@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/255403190/links-for-20-11.html Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:26:25 -0400 1026@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-21 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/255021699/ Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:02:50 -0400 1025@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/255009075/how-to-tell-if.html Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:43:52 -0400 1024@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Take a look at their jobs page. 1. If they are hiring, that's a good sign of growth. 2. If they are hiring engineers, that means that they are investing in building a better product 3. If they are hiring... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/254785478/links-for-20-10.html Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:28:04 -0400 1023@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Yahoo Backs Up Its Argument Against Microsoft Bid - Advertising Age - Digital Yahoo has already said it believes Microsoft's unsolicited takeover undervalues Yahoo's business. Now, in an investor presentation released to the public, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company explains why. My Mommy’s Online - eMarketer Slowly but surely searching, online shopping and social networking are becoming part of mothers' daily routines. Being a parent makes going online almost a necessity. Today, more than 40% of all women who go online in the US—approximately 35 million of It's prison for ID thief who used P2P software - Security- msnbc.com A man... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/254719337/hispanic-business-betting-on-love.html Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:54:00 -0400 1022@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/254490504/anthrax-and-ura.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0400 1021@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Marketers: Exaggeration doesn't help you. Puffery, fine print, and good old-fashioned BS erode trust in you, your brand, and all businesses. Greenwashing is the latest form of lying. Stop claiming "organic and natural" has some sort of health benefit, unless... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/254338216/the-technology.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:55:29 -0400 1020@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If there is a lesson from former New York governor Eliot Spitzer's scandal-driven fall (aside from the most obvious one), it is this: banks are paying attention to even the smallest of your transactions. For this we can thank modern software, and post-9/11 U.S. government pressure to find evidence of money laundering and terrorist financing. Experts say that all major banks, and even most small ones, are running so-called anti-money-laundering software, which combs through as many as 50 million transactions a day looking for anything out of the ordinary. In Spitzer's case, according to newspaper reports, it was three wire... http://fleet-ingthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/03/vol.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:27:00 -0400 1019@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Vol. 4 No. 4 Two Recent News Reports that Tell a Very Interesting Tale Both Automotive Manufacturers and Retailers are Moving to New Online Media…in a Big Way So I recently read two news stories, one in an automotive industry trade magazine about a week ago, and one from an advertising trade magazine two days ago. They both seem to give quantitative proof to what had been indicated, that is, that automotive marketing is moving online Web 2.0 in a big way, and dealer ratings, video and social media will garner the lion’s share of the growth. So clear are these messages, I reprinted each article in its entirety. The first is a synopsis of research study data of a report by The Kelsey Group , as reported in AutoRemarketing on March 10th. As compared to this year v. last year, 59% of the dealers polled said they would use video on their Web sites v. 33% last year, 43% said they would use online customer ratings and reviews v. 29% last year, and, finally, the largest jump of all, 33% said they will use social networking sites v. 15% last year. Also, 59% said they would increase online spending v. only 17% said they would do so for traditional media (while 46% will decrease traditional media, and only 8% will decrease online spending). It paints a pretty clear picture where dealer’s heads are at these days…and where retailers go, the manufacturer follows – or is it the other way around, I’m not sure… Take a look at the second article, about General Motors in Advertising Age … “ The country's third-largest advertiser is getting ready to shift fully half of its $3 billion budget into digital and one-to-one marketing within the next three years .” And, “ GM's Brent Dewar, VP-field sales, service and parts in North America, told Ad Age last December that the marketer will try to persuade its regional dealer ad groups "to shift their focus to digital vs. spot TV" starting this spring after the dealer co-ops, which spend some $500 million annually, are revamped .” So while I’m not smart enough to figure out what is “cause” and what is “effect,” the direction the automotive world is turning, at least in terms of marketing and promotion, that is, getting people in cars, is pretty clear, at least for the near term. Now I don’t know how all this specifically will effect fleet and remarketing, let alone how far and how fast the greater automotive world will actually move in this direction, but changes are clearly on the horizon, and hopefully we will do something to move move it forward in this emerging frontier… As Seen in AutoRemarketing Dealers Shift Toward Online Technology, Marketing March 10, 2008 PRINCETON, N.J. — More and more dealers plan to start using Web 2.0 technology in their advertising campaigns, and most intend to increase spending on Internet marketing in the next year, according to a recent study. A survey from The Kelsey Group indicated that 59 percent of dealers said they would utilize Internet video on their Web sites in the next 12 months, versus the 33 percent who already use the technology. Additionally, the number of dealers who implement online customer ratings and reviews is expected to rise from 29 percent to 43 percent, officials indicated.Meanwhile, 33 percent of respondents indicated they will use social networking sites, an increase from 15 percent." These findings point to a significant disruption in the auto dealer advertising space," explained Neal Polachek, chief executive officer of The Kelsey Group. "There are valuable opportunities for traditional and new media companies that tune into dealers' adoption of Web 2.0 technologies and align with dealers' online media-buying intentions," Polachek added. Dealers are also shifting the manner in which they advertise. Sixty-two percent of respondents claimed they plan to boost online media spending in the next 12 months. Only 17 percent said they will do the same for traditional media.Likewise, only 8 percent of dealers intend to cut online spending, while 46 percent will decrease traditional media spending. The Kelsey Group gathered information for the study through an online survey in February. The next study is scheduled for the fall.For more information, visit http://www.kelseygroup.com/ . As Seen in Advertising Age GM Roars Forward Into Digital Ad Channels Changes at Dedicated Media Shop Lay Groundwork for Auto Giant to Shift Spending to Encompass Multiple Online Channels By Jean Halliday Published: March 17, 2008 The country's third-largest advertiser is getting ready to shift fully half of its $3 billion budget into digital and one-to-one marketing within the next three years. And as GM goes, so goes the entire automotive industry -- the leading advertising category that pumped some $9.42 billion into the ad economy last year. The goal is to go well beyond the banner -- GM spent $197 million in online ads last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence -- to encompass gaming, search, mobile and a broad array of interactive applications, according to several executives close to the automaker. In the last few years GM has shifted several hundred million dollars from TV and print to digital and one-to-one, and that trend will accelerate, said the executives. The clearest sign yet of the automaker's plans came in the last couple of weeks with changes at its dedicated media agency GM Planworks. First Dennis Donlin, longtime general manager and president of the agency, left and was replaced a few days later by Ken Taylor. But Mr. Taylor, who was previously exec VP-group client leader at sibling Starcom USA, Chicago, has been tasked not just with leading the agency's efforts on behalf of GM, but also with reintegrating Planworks into Starcom MediaVest Group. 'No offices will close'Laura Desmond, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group for the Americas, declined to comment on specifics of the move, but said, "As GM has streamlined and got more agile, it seemed only appropriate to move from a siloed business approach to a more flexible, nimble approach that'd allow them to access all our centers of excellence." She denied this meant a total disbandment of Planworks, noting that no offices would close. The idea, according to Ms. Desmond and Betsy Lazar, GM's director-advertising and media operations (who was speaking to Automotive News), is to break down walls at Planworks -- until now a self-contained business unit for GM -- and allow it to share the resources of the entire SMG Group. That means GM will be able, for example, to tap the expertise of MediaVest's branded-entertainment division, run by Brian Terkelson. It'll also be able to take advantage of SMG's buying and planning clout, and tap MediaVest and Starcom's top researchers. Importantly, it will also allow Digitas and SMG to work closely together on digital planning and execution. SMG will work with GM, much like the way it works with Procter & Gamble or Coca-Cola, bringing a range of resources to bear. Mark LaNeve, VP-vehicle sales, service and marketing for GM in North America, declined to talk numbers, but said, "Like all major marketers, we've moved into digital media in a big way," adding, "but the other media types are still very important and will still be a big part of our mix." Online product researchBut a pattern is developing among automakers whereby TV and print are deployed for launches in order to raise awareness, while more of the continuous branding and sales activity shifts online -- as automakers and many of their dealers accept that the purchase process increasingly begins, and sometimes even effectively ends, on the internet. At a time when a slowing economy is taking a toll on advertising, the prospect of billions of dollars fleeing TV, print, newspaper, radio and outdoor is unwelcome, to say the least. The worse news for traditional media: GM's Brent Dewar, VP-field sales, service and parts in North America, told Ad Age last December that the marketer will try to persuade its regional dealer ad groups "to shift their focus to digital vs. spot TV" starting this spring after the dealer co-ops, which spend some $500 million annually, are revamped. Hyundai Motor America is doubling its online ad spending this year over 2007, according to VP-Marketing Joel Ewanick, who declined to offer specific figures. "Online is getting to the point where it may be more important than the 30-second TV spot." http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/254271715/how-the-web-wor.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:04:00 -0400 1018@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu If you want to know how the web works, why it often doesn't, and what causes software to make you insane: 1. Read this very important post from Joel Spolsky: Martian Headsets. 2. Buy the most important book ever written... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/254150719/links-for-200-9.html Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:31:01 -0400 1017@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-19 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/254055385/ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:13:37 -0400 1016@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/253987774/ Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:56:16 -0400 1015@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://perpetualmotion.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/ask-first-shoot-later/ Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:29:08 -0400 1014@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/253130867/which-social-me.html Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:42:15 -0400 1013@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Guess what? The technology doesn't matter at all. Why? It's the message, not the medium. Here's what works: 1. Find your fans. Find those people who love to talk about you. Figure out where they are talking and what they... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/251984678/links-for-200-1.html Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:25:00 -0400 1012@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-15 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/251424815/blogging-is-eas.html Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:23:26 -0400 1011@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I wrote this post in 15 seconds. Just to make this point: Don't over-complicate your blog writing. No one wants an essay. Just share one good idea. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/251262314/links-for-200-8.html Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:25:37 -0400 1010@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Do not email your pitch and other thoughts - TheFunded.com I raised $40m from top tier VCs 6 years ago and am now raising money again for another startup. While initially rusty, I quickly remembered how much of a game this is. Recently I spoke with 3 first time CEO who are raising money for the first time. Here a How Can LinkedIn Help Me Sell More? - Sales 2.0 One of the most common questions I get asked is, "How can LinkedIn help me sell more?" LinkedIn isn’t just for job seekers and recruiters. And while trying to use... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246000171/links-for-200-3.html Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:29:00 -0400 1009@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-013 http://www.ticketleap.com/blog/index.php/2008/03/13/ticketleap-30/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:54:57 -0400 1008@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/250746729/cd-baby-persona.html Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0400 1007@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu CD Baby helps independent musicians sell their CDs. They are a very popular site, and they get great word of mouth. Part of their success is the fact that they have a personality. They are open, human, and fun. Take... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/250234117/meteoric-theory-of-applications.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:40:00 -0400 1006@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/250183583/daily-roundup-4.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:05:00 -0400 1005@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-12 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/250119205/revisiting-the.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:14:48 -0400 1004@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu It has been a year since JetBlue made their famous apology for the 2007 flight-cancellation mess. This public act was an significant moment in consumer respect and corporate responsibility. Nothing like it has happened before or since. I think we... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/249705513/when-you-cant-g.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:09:13 -0400 1003@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/249521728/norm-cheers-vs.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:06:11 -0400 1002@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu The secret an effective online presence: Become a regular. Make sure everybody knows your name. Like Norm Peterson. You build trust and respect when you are a regular participant in an online community. People know who you are. People start... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/249372421/links-for-200-7.html Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:28:27 -0400 1001@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-11 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246506485/daily-roundup-2.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:48:00 -0400 1000@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-10 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246629200/links-for-200-4.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 09:26:00 -0400 999@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-09 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247821815/links-for-200-6.html Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:18:04 -0500 998@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-08 http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/03/warren-buffet-on-life-and-work-and.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:04:00 -0500 997@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/247637170/ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:13:36 -0500 996@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/247529620/out-of-office-working-from-baonecci-in.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:55:00 -0500 995@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/247391354/does-this-stuff.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500 994@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Dave Armano and I had just had a great conversation about the future of marketing and the quest for a true, meaningful connection with customers. As we walked out of the office, we saw street marketers wearing TVs on their... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247265709/links-for-200-5.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:24:13 -0500 992@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Reorganization Doesn't Do It for Marketers - Advertising Age - News Marketers apparently can't get enough of reorganization, but they aren't getting much satisfaction from it either. Despite widespread and growing reorganization within their marketing ranks, highlighted by trends toward centralization and integration, onl How to Make the Move Up to General Manager - Advertising Age - TalentWorks For all the arguments calling for longer tenure, a majority of marketing leaders aren't intent on being career CMOs. Most aspire to trade their functional experience and take a chance on general management. In a recent Spencer Stuart study of 500 marketin... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/247265709/links-for-200-5.html Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:24:00 -0500 993@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-07 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/247003418/the-seven-deadl.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:00:00 -0500 990@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu A classic infographic from Forbes.com. See the original animation. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/246903999/new-partnership-to-offer-latinos.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:14:00 -0500 989@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheKeeneView/~3/246876128/dont-be-freetarded.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:23:00 -0500 988@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/246860405/ Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:20:58 -0500 987@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/246761539/11-magic-words.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500 986@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu "I am a __ ___ employee and this is my personal opinion." Use this phrase every time you comment on a blog, message board, or product review. It is the secret formula to keeping your self and your company out of... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246636452/daily-roundup-3.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:32:00 -0500 985@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-06 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246629200/links-for-200-4.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:26:07 -0500 984@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Microsoft's Shiny New Toy At last March's Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference in Monterey, CA, a summit that's been described as "Davos for the digerati," the calm-voiced software architect from Microsoft began his demonstration abruptly, navigating rapidly across a Kids Train for E-Commerce - eMarketer Get ready for the next generation of online buyers. Kids are shopping online, downloading digital files and making their product opinions known. This activity, which doesn't always involve an actual purchase, serves as training for kids to make purchases The Lives We Lead; The Things We Do - TheFunded.com Silicon Valley is where most everyone’s... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246506485/daily-roundup-2.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:48:00 -0500 983@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-05 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/246349305/conferences-sho.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0500 982@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Hey, folks: Attending business conferences isn't just about making contacts and sales. It's about expanding your mind, inspiration, new ideas, and new people. At least once a year try to get to an unusual event that makes you think. I'm... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/246134318/make-it-easy-to.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500 981@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Cow Chip Cookies in Seattle has giant rolls of free stickers by the cash register. Customers can grab one, stick it on something ... and advertise the store every day. This is a classic of free word of mouth marketing:... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/246100008/satmetrix-priva.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:38:12 -0500 980@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 2008-03-13 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/246000171/links-for-200-3.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:29:49 -0500 979@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Direct Marketers Bullish on Online Ads - eMarketer US direct marketers may reduce their media budgets this year, judging by Target Marketing's "Media Usage Forecast" report. Nearly one-quarter of respondents surveyed in January 2008 said they would reduce their media budgets compared with last year. The n Yahoo activates smart mobile bookmarks - Reuters Yahoo Inc, still fending off a $41 billion takeover bid by Microsoft Corp, unveiled a cell phone tool on Tuesday that lets users keep up with their favorite topics using dynamic bookmarks. OnePlace, to be launched in the second quarter, allows users to ma Microsoft expands... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/245878218/free-audio-word.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:00:00 -0500 978@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu I've been interviewed for a few podcasts recently, downloadable for free. Enjoy! 1. Alan Rimm-Kaufman:"Would Anyone Tell a Friend About This?" 2. Paul Dunay: "Blog Council: Solving the Challenges of Corporate Blogging", along with Sean O'Driscoll http://www.natsturner.com/2008/03/welcome-new-inv.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:01:02 -0500 977@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Still working on our generic team name :) We're hiring the best and the brightest at Invite Media, and today is no exception. I'd like to officially welcome three new team members to Invite: Mark Chadwick Toby DiPasquale Drew Sudell... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/245490824/the-geek-squads.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:50:39 -0500 976@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Robert gave one of the most extraordinary talks I've hear at the Customer Service is the New Marketing conference. He tell a tale of the amazing ways they built a fun and vibrant corporate culture. This video is definitely worth... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/245368431/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:26:00 -0500 991@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-04 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/245368431/links-for-200-2.html Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:26:12 -0500 975@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Ask.Com Not Planning to Scrap Search: Source - New York Times Online search site Ask.com is not getting rid of its specialized search technology, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, saying a blog report to that effect was incorrect. Analysts cited a report in Silicon Alley Insider on Friday as one of s Executives Must Realize and Learn the Power of Social Media Senior marketing executives in several countries agree that the use of social media for corporate, brand and product marketing is not a passing fad, according to research sponsored by TNS media intelligence/Cymfony. In fact,... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/245306573/ Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:10:37 -0500 974@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/245159718/where-do-single-latinas-hang-out_03.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:26:00 -0500 973@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/245079980/free-audio-blog.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0500 972@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu John Havens and Shel Holtz interview me for Blog Talk Radio. Link http://futurevc.blogspot.com/2008/03/get-your-hands-dirty.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:50:00 -0500 971@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Quierolatino/~3/245061299/where-do-single-latinas-hang-out.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:46:00 -0500 970@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244943737/daily-roundup-1.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:25:00 -0500 969@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-03 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/redeyevc/~3/244872678/know-anyone.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:29:03 -0500 968@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu First Round Capital is looking for a Senior Associate possessing boundless energy and astounding intelligence based in either our San Francisco or Philadelphia office. More information here and here. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/244860209/more-about-the.html Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500 967@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu This is a follow-up to last week's post about Starbucks shutting down for three hours. 1. What did the employees think? I interviewed a few baristas about their thoughts on the experience. Their take was pretty positive. The message they... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/244682020/ Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:21:00 -0500 966@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/244478074/aloha-social-me.html Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:00:00 -0500 965@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu 2008-03-18 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244388818/daily-roundup-f.html Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:39:00 -0500 964@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-02 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/244331137/ Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:08:30 -0500 963@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/244327971/conversation-tr.html Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500 962@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Physical objects start conversations. People see this little award on my shelf and ask me about it. It isn't a big deal. I got it for writing a single blog post for Chitika. I don't even remember why I did... http://www.natsturner.com/2008/03/quote-of-the-da.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:48:42 -0500 957@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu From Warren Buffet in the 2007 Annual Report Letter to the Shareholders: "You may recall a 2003 Silicon Valley bumper sticker that implored, “Please, God, Just One More Bubble.” Unfortunately, this wish was promptly granted, as just about all Americans... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/243771171/links-for-2008.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:26:00 -0500 961@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-03-01 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/243873983/what-replaces-t.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500 956@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Restaurants used to give away matches. Everyone grabbed one, even if they didn't smoke. Those little things got passed around, saved in the big bowl in your house, shared with friends. They started conversations about the restaurant for many years.... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/243850627/word-of-mouth-m.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:39:05 -0500 955@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking" by Andy Sernovitz (that's me!) has won a Gold Medal in the Axiom Business Book Awards. Thanks! Yay! More detail here. Book web site. Buy a copy. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/243771171/links-for-2008.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:21:26 -0500 954@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/244237442/daily-roundup-1.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:47:00 -0500 960@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Interesting articles bookmarked by Steve Woda on 2008-02-29 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/243327534/real-feedback-w.html Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:00:00 -0500 953@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Most companies spend a ton of money doing generic research. Most front-line employees aren't part of the process. But that's where the best insights come from Renald Fortune is a banquet server at Lowe's Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando. I... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/damn/~3/242727758/visible-word-of.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:00:00 -0500 952@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu Word of mouth isn't necessarily spoken. Sometimes it's a function of the how people behave. Take a look at the people in the photo. All pilots. That's all you need to know when picking a restaurant in an airport. And... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/swoda/blog/~3/242601680/links-for-200-6.html Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:32:38 -0500 951@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheFightingChance/~3/242552016/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 01:47:34 -0500 950@http://www.wep.wharton.upenn.edu http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Bazaarblog/~3/24