Jeff Bell Blog

Check out the size of these markets! What I will argue next is that the Web is quickly moving towards Social Publishing. Could it be the fulfillment of the promise of the web?...easy to create web pages, wherein all those who join can edit and contribute based upon whatever it is that interests people. comScore MediaMetrix (August 2008) Blogs: 77.7 million unique visitors in the US Facebook: 41.0 million MySpace 75.1 million Total internet audience 188.9 million eMarketer (May 2008) 94.1 million US blog readers in 2007 (50% of Internet users) 22.6 million US bloggers in 2007 (12%) Universal McCann (March 2008) 184 million WW have started a blog 26.4 US 346 million WW read blogs 60.3 US 77% of active Internet users read blogs

Introduction Where have we been with the web? Where are we now? And where are we going? Some people would answer that in the first phase, we were in Web 1.0, and that now we are in the second phase or Web 2.0. But what does the transition mean to Web start-ups, “brick & mortar” companies, and consumers? These are the questions this paper will try to address. By understanding the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, we may also improve our capability to see what we should be doing now in preparation of the next phase of the internet. What are we to make of Web 3.0 or Semantic Web 2.0 or Pragmatic Semantic Web? But let us begin with the promise of the internet. For many, the promise of the World Wide Web has always been to create a virtual society in which web spaces are the residents. It has promised to make the access of information, communication with others, and commerce much easier and perhaps more enjoyable. When we think about a virtual online community, we think of the “real”

Have you ever wondered where "Trial by Battle" or "Throwing down the Gauntlet" came from or "trial by ordeal" or "trial by jury?" My good friend David Guenter provides a source. Here is some insight from J.H. Baker, An Introduction to English Legal History... Ordeals involved an appeal to God to reveal the truth in human disputes, and they required priestly participation to achieve this rapport with the Deity. Several forms of ordeal were recognized by the early Christian Church, but in England they usually took the form of fire or water. In the former, a piece of iron was put into a fire and then in the party's hand; the hand was bound, and inspected a few days later; if the burn had festered, God was taken to have decided against the party. The ordeal of cold water required the party to be trussed and lowered into a pond; if he sank, the water was deemed to have 'received him' with God's blessing, and so he was quickly fished ou

Personal Technology Mobile video Interactive television iPhone/Google Phone Applications GPS real-time, and location based services Tiny and cheap laptops High tech tooth brushes Virtual currency Entertainment (Television and Movies) Hottest shows are on cable, and have surrealistic themes (Vampire, Serial Killer, Drug Dealing Mom...CSI and SVU) Hottest movies also dealing with far-out content (Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men) Nostalgia comes back (Mad Men, Life on Mars) Anti-US and conspiracy films do not payback (Stop-Loss, Lions for Lambs, The Kingdom, Body of Lies) Gossip Reality wanes in favor of Competition Reality (Survivor 17 versus DWTS) Music DRM is Dead...Don't pay for anything Megastars are out, niche is in (Mexican Indie, Indian Punk, Western Mambo, Exotic and Global) iPod is cool, but so is Zune...and both should watchout for phones Everything is wireless Ringtones are over You will get more free stuff with downloads (lyrics, art, photos) Labels are losing as band

I have been working with Web start-ups for the past year, and there are several lessons I have learned: 1. Do not be a loss leader. Too many start-ups assume the business model, "we lose a little on every deal, but we'll make it up in volume." To be successful, a business model needs to have a positive variable margin. Yes, the amortization of R&D can be excluded, but it is important for customers to pay for what you sell...from the start! 2. Whatever it is you do, do it well. Do not go too broad too fast. You can have a roadmap to be broad, but you need to make certain that each step is on solid ground. Insure you have great technology, and a true advantage in the first step, then the second, and so on. Having a suite of average products will not succeed. 3. Do not overlook B2B. One truth is that businesses must spend moeny to make money. If your ultimate ambition is B2C, that's fine. Whatever you are doing to attract consumers will also be attractive to business

Hey everybody! Here is a direct excerpt of Microsoft's annual report. Thought I should capture this for posterity. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operaitons " Fiscal year 2008 compared to fiscal year 2007 EDD revenue increased primarily due to increased Xbox 360 platform sales. Xbox 360 platform and PC game revenue increased $1.7 billion or 41% as a result of increased Xbox 360 console sales, video game sales led by Halo 3, Xbox Live revenue, and Xbox 360 accessory sales. We shipped 8.7 million Xbox 360 consoles during fiscal year 2008, compared with 6.6 million Xbox 360 consoles during fiscal year 2007. Fiscal year 2007 compared with fiscal year 2006 EDD revenue increased primarily due to increased Xbox 360 platform and Zune sales. We shipped 6.6 million Xbox 360 consoles during fiscal year 2007 as compared with 5.0 million consoles during fiscal year 2006. Xbox and PC game revenue increased $650 million or 19% as a result of in

Dear readers: This is my 7 point plan (with an eighth point added by Doug Heuck) to make the United States of America a better place for everyone. The comments after each element of the plan come from Doug Heuck and David Guenther. The opinions expressed here are entirely ours, but we remain convinced that if the nation followed our plan, we would all be "better off in four year." 1. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government -- I have found that this happens best in business when you cut spending....tends to focus the mind. Every element should have a measurement of "impact to the citizen intended to benefit" as a percent of total spend. This is how charities are measured and how they avoid bureaucratic bloat. Doug: An excellent point -- which has sent me into another chapter of cost oversight in the business and the family, which will no doubt find consternation reigning in both places. Dave: SPENDING HAS TO BE CUT SOMEWHERE. 2. Once we have

How companies successfully engage with consumers is changing. Web 2.0, experiential and social marketing are the new Buzzwords But who is using jargon, and who is not just practicing but leading the new wave? Large traditional agencies have always been a safe choice because of their experience and size, but these strengths keep them from succeeding in an consumer world driven by flexibility and speed. Today’s consumers, especially younger audiences, don’t need or want to be TOLD anything. At a minimum, they want a dialogue, and for the most part, they want control. They want to tell YOU about everything, and they’ll tell everybody else too – they chat, text, blog, share with everyone. Now consumers make the call to action, and they do it without having to use such ugly marketing words as “sale!” or “buy!” or “Offer expires 12/31/08. Offer not good in Michigan, Delaware, and Alaska. See rules for details.” The new generation of consumers is more ambitious, brand conscious, peer-oriented