International Online Business

The World's Most Powerful People

2009-11-16T15:44:00.002+07:00

Power has been called many things. The ultimate aphrodisiac. An absolute corrupter. A mistress. A musical instrument. But its true nature remains elusive. After all, a head of state wields a very different sort of power than a religious figure. Can one really compare the influence of a journalist with that of a terrorist? And is power unexercised power at all?

http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/11/worlds-most-powerful-leadership-power-09-people_land.html

10 Large U.S. Companies That Won't Cut Jobs

2009-02-26T06:39:00.001+07:00

1. Cisco in the midst of a very rapid expansion into the server & data center business. That will require extra personnel and may involve acquisitions. Cisco is in several businesses which are nearly recession-proof and should continue to do well, including video conferencing which may actually grow as business people cut back on travel.

2. VISA is lucky. It does not offer consumers credit. It acts as an agent to transfer funds between buyers and merchants. Visa also handles transaction clearing and settlement services. Unlike large banks, when a customer defaults, Visa’s balance sheet is not at risk.

3. Apple will not lay people off because Steve Jobs would have to admit he had made a bad decision and the company would appear not to be perfect.

4. Apollo is a large education company almost no one has heard of.

5. Altria is doing well because people addicted to cigarettes smoke even during a recession.

6. Google fired a very small number of people last year. If the company wants to control personnel costs, it can simply stop hiring. Google has been adding employees at a dizzying rate for four years. Google, like Apple, has a tremendous interest in keeping its R&D, marketing, product development, and engineering projects going forward as rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo! falter. Google has a chance to pick up market share from both companies and improve its competitive position against Microsoft in the PC application business.

7. Colgate has “side-stepped the global slowdown” as MarketWatch recently wrote. In the most recent quarter the company’s profits were up 20%. It would be hard to pick a better time to sell toothpaste, pet food, and shampoo. Even in a bad economy, most of these are products will have stable sales.

8. Verizon is not growing as fast as it was a year ago. Cellular sales are not quite as good due to market saturation and the economy. But, the use of wireless devices for sending items like data and video over wireless networks is improving margins in the company’s cellular operations. Verizon has also made a major gamble that it can take home broadband and television services away from the cable companies. It will need to continue to market, service, and build the infrastructure out for that to get a return on its multi-billion capital investment.

9. Amgen is still growing rapidly unlike most Big Pharma companies. Its biotech business is producing novel medical treatments that have kept its' sales solid.

10. Corinthian College is another highly successful company in the education field which should benefit from the need of people out of work to develop new skills.

http://money.aol.com/investing/companies-that-wont-cut-jobs

The World's Most Powerful Billionaires

2009-02-12T16:58:00.003+07:00

1. Michael Bloomberg : Mayor, New York City; Bloomberg LP
New York City's chief executive. Former Salomon Brothers trader founded financial information and services firm Innovative Market Systems; renamed Bloomberg LP in 1987. Firm now has news service, cable TV stations, radio and magazine. Today, he owns 88% of company after buying cash-strapped Merrill Lynch's 20% stake last summer. Spent $74 million becoming New York City mayor in 2001 and $85 million in 2005. Law passed in October letting Bloomberg run for third term.

2. Silvio Berlusconi : Prime minister, Italy; Fininvest
Currently serving his third term as prime minister of Italy. Leads a nation of 58 million people, an industrial economy with a GDP of $2.4 trillion and a military budget of roughly $43 billion. As prime minister, he lords over Italy's public TV; his diversified conglomerate Fininvest dominates Italy's private TV channels.

3. Lakshmi Mittal : ArcelorMittal
Controls world's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal; company accounts for 10% of crude steel production. Born in India but lives in London, where his political clout often incites controversy. In 2002, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair reportedly wrote a letter to the Romanian prime minister hinting a sale of the country's steel company to Mittal would facilitate its entrance into the European Union.

4. Warren Buffett : Berkshire Hathaway
Even the faintest hint of interest from Buffett can send a stock soaring. When Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway injected billions into Goldman Sachs in September, the investment bank's shares jumped by nearly 6%. Backed Barack Obama with advice and money during last year's campaign; Obama often touted the endorsement in a campaign where the economy eventually took center stage.

5. Vagit Alekperov : Lukoil
Former Caspian Sea oil rig worker, now president of Lukoil, Russia's largest independent energy company. The firm's reserves are second only to ExxonMobil. Alekperov owns more than 19% of the company. Friend of Vladimir Putin who lobbies Kremlin for tax breaks for Russian oil companies.

6. Carlos Slim Helu : America Movil, Telefonos de Mexico
Son of Lebanese immigrant was world's second richest man in 2008. His Telmex controls 90% of telephone landlines in Mexico; cellphone operator America Movil has more than 173 million customers in Latin America. Baseball fan and art collector also invests in construction, retail, banking, railroads, mining and media; bought 6.9% stake in The New York Times last year and loaned the newspaper $250 million in January.

7. Mukesh Ambani : Reliance Industries
Heads petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries, Indian's largest company by market cap. Produces oil, gas, petrochemicals and textiles. Personally funding construction of a 27-story home in Mumbai that could cost $2 billion. With brother Anil, inherited their fortune from their late father, renowned industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. But they couldn't get along, and in 2005, their mother brokered a peace settlement breaking up the family's assets.

8. Charles and David Koch : Koch Industries
MIT-trained brothers turned family oil refining firm into America's second largest private company. Koch Industries has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology. Sales in 2008: $110 billion. Brothers each own 42% of company. Employs 80,000 people and operates in 60 countries. Charles co-founder of conservative think tank Cato Institute. David gave $100 million to alma mater for cancer research in 2007. Pledged another $100 million to New York's Lincoln Center last July.

9. Bill Gates : Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft
World's richest man founded software giant Microsoft in 1975. Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft last year to devote his talents and riches to philanthropy. The $36 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donates to causes such as fighting hunger in developing countries, improving education in America's high schools and developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

10. Edward and Abigail Johnson : Fidelity
Father and daughter run Fidelity Investments, America's largest mutual fund company. Family owns 49% of the company, which managed $1.2 trillion in assets at the end of 2008. "Ned" serves as chairman; "Abby" runs Personal & Workplace Investing division.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/12/most-powerful-people-business-billionaires_0212_rich.html

America's Best Colleges 2009

2009-02-01T13:14:00.000+07:00

No. 25: UCLA
Los Angeles, Calif.
U.S. News Overall Score: 73
2007 Total Enrollment: 38,896
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees:
In-state - $7,034; Out-of-state - $26,102
Application Deadline: 11/30

No. 23: Univ. of Virginia (TIE)
Charlottesville, Va.
U.S. News Overall Score: 74
2007 Total Enrollment: 24,257
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees:
In-state - $9,300; Out-of-state - $26,900
Application Deadline: 1/2

No. 23: Georgetown Univ. (TIE)
Washington, D.C.
U.S. News Overall Score: 74
2007 Total Enrollment: 14,826
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $38,122
Application Deadline: 1/10

No. 22: Carnegie Mellon Univ.
Pittsburgh,Pa.
U.S. News Overall Score: 75
2007 Total Enrollment: 10,493
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $38,844
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adb92f-002c7-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 21: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.
U.S. News Overall Score: 77
2007 Total Enrollment: 34,953
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees:
In-state - $8,932; Out-of-state - $29,540
Application Deadline: 11/30

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adb930-00209-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 18: Vanderbilt Univ. (TIE)
Nashville, Tenn.
U.S. News Overall Score: 79
2007 Total Enrollment: 11,847
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,005
Application Deadline: 1/3

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adb931-001ef-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 18: Univ. of Notre Dame (TIE)
Notre Dame, Ind.
U.S. News Overall Score: 79
2007 Total Enrollment: 11,733
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,847
Application Deadline: 12/31

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adb932-00163-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 18: Emory Univ. (TIE)
Atlanta, Ga.
U.S. News Overall Score: 79
2007 Total Enrollment: 12,570
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,336
Application Deadline: 1/15

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbb74-00234-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 17: Rice University
Houston, Texas
U.S. News Overall Score: 80
2007 Total Enrollment: 5,243
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $28,996
Application Deadline: 1/2

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbb75-001be-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 16: Brown University
Providence, R.I.
U.S. News Overall Score: 84
2007 Total Enrollment: 8,167
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,718
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbb76-001fb-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 15: Johns Hopkins Univ.
Baltimore, Md.
U.S. News Overall Score: 85
2007 Total Enrollment: 19,737
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,700
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbb77-001c4-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 14: Cornell University
Ithaca, N.Y.
U.S. News Overall Score: 86
2007 Total Enrollment: 19,800
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,504
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbb78-000e2-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 12: Washington Univ. (TIE)
St. Louis, Mo.
U.S. News Overall Score: 87
2007 Total Enrollment: 13,382
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,248
Application Deadline: 1/15

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbb79-000eb-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 12: Northwestern Univ. (TIE)
Evanston, Ill.
U.S. News Overall Score: 87
2007 Total Enrollment: 18,028
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,125
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd8c-00191-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 11: Dartmouth College
Hanover, N.H.
U.S. News Overall Score: 89
2007 Total Enrollment: 5,849
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,915
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd8d-00153-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 8: Univ. of Chicago (TIE)
Chicago, Ill.
U.S. News Overall Score: 90
2007 Total Enrollment: 12,336
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,632
Application Deadline: 1/2

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd8e-000ea-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 8: Duke Univ. (TIE)
Durham, N.C.
U.S. News Overall Score: 90
2007 Total Enrollment: 13,598
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,525
Application Deadline: 1/2

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd8f-00082-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 8: Columbia Univ. (TIE)
New York, N.Y.
U.S. News Overall Score: 90
2007 Total Enrollment: 22,655
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $39,326
Application Deadline: 1/2

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd90-00071-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 6: Univ. of Pennsylvania (TIE)
Philadelphia, P.A.
U.S. News Overall Score: 93
2007 Total Enrollment: 18,916
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $37,526
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd91-00007-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 6: Calif. Institute of Technology (TIE)
Pasadena, Calif.
U.S. News Overall Score: 93
2007 Total Enrollment: 2,133
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $34,437
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd91-00394-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 4: Stanford Univ. (TIE)
Stanford, Calif.
U.S. News Overall Score: 94
2007 Total Enrollment: 19,782
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,030
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd92-002de-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 4: Mass. Institute of Tech. (TIE)
Cambridge, Mass.
U.S. News Overall Score: 94
2007 Total Enrollment: 10,220
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,390
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd93-002f2-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 3: Yale University
New Haven, Conn.
U.S. News Overall Score: 98
2007 Total Enrollment: 11,454
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $35,300
Application Deadline: 12/31

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd94-002a0-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 2: Princeton Univ.
Princeton, N.J.
U.S. News Overall Score: 99
2007 Total Enrollment: 7,334
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $34,290
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/04/48adbd95-00283-00ff8-400cb8e1
No. 1: Harvard Univ.
Cambridge, Mass.
U.S. News Overall Score: 100
2007 Total Enrollment: 19,257
2008-2009 Tuition and Fees: $36,173
Application Deadline: 1/1

http://www.walletpop.com/college-finance/americas-best-colleges

The Web Celeb 25

2009-01-30T11:09:00.004+07:00

1. Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira) Age: 30
What: Celebrity gossip blogger - http://perezhilton.com/
Hollywood stars fear the wrath of Perez Hilton, a controversial gossip blogger with a poison pen. Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, styles himself as "The Queen of Mean" and has earned a rabid following, thanks to his sense of humor, snarky voice and irreverent habits--like doodling rude captions on paparazzi photos. Perez bolsters his Web presence with frequent TV gigs, including guest-hosting The View, and hosting a series of specials, What Perez Sez, on VH1. He recently published his first book, Red Carpet Suicide: A Survival Guide on Keeping Up With the Hiltons.

2. Michael Arrington - Age: 38
What: Tech blogger - http://www.techcrunch.com/
Who do savvy investors and tech-business cognoscenti turn to for help finding the next big thing? Michael Arrington, corporate attorney, entrepreneur and editor of the influential blog TechCrunch. The site obsessively profiles and reviews Internet entrepreneurs, products and services--and a mere mention of a company on its pages can make or break a start-up. Arrington's fame and influence has become so great that he's begun to experience a backlash from entrepreneurs who feel disrespected or ignored; he's received death threats, and at a conference in Germany this month, an unidentified assailant spit in his face. Arrington subsequently announced he would take a month off from blogging to "get a better perspective on what I'm spending my life doing."

3. Kevin Rose - Age: 31
What: Digg founder, videoblogger
http://www.digg.com/
In 2004, geek icon Kevin Rose founded Digg, a social bookmarking site that allows users to share and vote on their favorite news stories. The site has become a focal point of the tech community, with more than 35 million members and about 6.8 million unique visitors in the U.S. during December 2008, according to comScore. Rose is also well known as a producer and host for online tech channel Revision3; his weekly video podcast Diggnation, co-hosted with Alex Albrecht, is a must-catch for the tech crowd.

4. Frank Warren - Age: 44
What: Online artist - http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
Got a secret? Write it on a homemade postcard and send it to PostSecret, Frank Warren's ongoing community art project. Since its inception in 2005, the project has collected and displayed upward of 250,000 original pieces of art on its blog. Audiences have fallen for the formula: A 2008 survey by market research firm Youth Trends showed it was the 10th most popular site on the Internet among female college students. Four books of collected confessions have been published to date, most recently, A Lifetime of Secrets. As for Warren, he's hardly been keeping quiet: He's appeared on Today, 20/20, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Fox News and more.

5. Cory Doctorow - Age: 37
What: Author and blogger
http://www.craphound.com/
Cory Doctorow is a prominent activist for digital rights, and serves as a fellow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He's one of the editors of Boing Boing, a hugely influential and popular blog about technology, culture and politics. And he's also a science fiction novelist, particularly famous on the Web, where he gives away his novels for free (For more, see his essay, "Giving It Away." In 2008, Doctorow published his first young adult novel, Little Brother, "a fictionalized manual for how to build an underground resistance to an evil government."

6. Pete Cashmore - Age: 23
What: Tech blogger
http://mashable.com/
Tech media wunderkind Pete Cashmore started working as a Web technology consultant when he was a teenager, and founded the Web site Mashable from his home in Scotland when he was just 19. Now based in Silicon Valley, it's a must-read for the tech cognoscenti, and Cashmore is widely regarded as an expert on how to use, consume and profit from social media.

7. Beppe Grillo
8. Heather Armstrong
9. Guy Kawasaki
10. Jason Calacanis
11. Robert Scoble
12. Will Leitch
13. Jeff Jarvis
14. Wil Wheaton
15. Nate Silver
16. Om Malik
17. Matt Drudge
18. Owen Thomas
19. Dave Winer
20. Seth Godin
21. Brian Lam
22. Mark Frauenfelder
23. Steve Rubel
24. John C. Dvorak
25. Leo Laporte

World's Gloomiest Countries

2009-01-27T10:53:00.003+07:00

No. 1 - JAPAN > Grade: minus-85
No. 2 - SPAIN > Grade: minus-65
No. 3 - THAILAND > Grade: minus-63
No. 4 - FRANCE > Grade: minus-60
No. 5 - BELGIUM > Grade: minus-58
No. 6 - ARGENTINA > Grade: minus-57
No. 7 - TAIWAN > Grade: minus-50
No. 8 - IRELAND > Grade: minus-50
No. 9 - HONG KONG > Grade: minus-49
No. 10 - BRITAIN > Grade: minus-47
No. 11 - ITALY > Grade: minus-45
No. 12 - SWEDEN > Grade: minus-40
No. 13 - FINLAND > Grade: minus-40
No. 14 - NETHERLANDS > Grade: minus-37
No. 15 - U.S. > Grade: minus-34
No. 16 - Greece > Grade: minus-34
No. 17 - DENMARK > Grade: minus-34
No. 18 - TURKEY > Grade: minus-24
No. 19 - CHILE > Grade: minus-24
No. 20 - NEW ZEALAND > Grade: minus-15

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/01/0126_business_expectations/index.htm

15 Hottest Products of 2008

2008-12-10T12:14:00.000+07:00

1. The Acai Berry - Americans have always loved their miracle cures. Little wonder the Acai berry (pronounced Ah-Sigh-EE), from Brazil's tropical rainforests, has become the "it" food of 2008. (Sorry, pomegranates!) If the snake-oil salesmen are to be believed, that $7 Acai drink you're about to quaff will restore your youth AND do your laundry.

2. Twitter - Twitter allows users to write and send, via SMS or online, short (140 characters max) messages to a network of fellow Twitters, usually off-the-cuff updates describing what they are doing at the moment. Facebook offered $500 million in October for the service, but Twitter's CEO and co-founder Evan Williams turned him down.

3. Music Video Games - In 2008, gamers everywhere cranked the volume up to 11, rocking out to Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. When this blogger's dad sat down at the drums and played through Gimme Shelter for the first time, he knew that music games had arrived.

4. Bud Light Lime - Earlier this year, Budweiser introduced Bud Light Lime, a citrus-flavored concoction, to compete with Miller Chill, a lime-flavored beer introduced by Bud's major competitor in 2007. Accompanying the release of this new beverage, Bud launched a $35 million ad campaign, a strategy that paid off with a 2% rise in sales in the first three quarters of 2008.

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/03/493d68a4-003b5-03c49-400cb8e1
5. BlackBerry Smart Phones - Swimming in the wake of the Apple iPhone is BlackBerry, with its army of addicted executives eager for the sexy features of touchscreen technology but unwilling to give up the workhorse dependability of RIM's network. This year it unveiled two new phones, the Bold and the Storm, to slake that thirst.

6. Speedo LZR Razor Swimsuit - Speedo spent three years and untold millions researching and designing a super swimsuit. It tested 100 different fabrics and suit designs, and conducted body scans of probably every top-level swimmer in the world (more than 400, the company claims) to come up with the Speedo LZR, the ultimate suit for hydro-propulsion.

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/03/493d68a8-000a5-03c49-400cb8e1
7. Smart Cars - The smart fortwo started selling in Europe in 1998, but a recent redesign has made it a hot commodity in America in 2008: 20,000 smart cars have been sold in America this year so far; worldwide, around 140,000. Americans eager for the mileage and attention that comes with the smart will have to be patient, however; waiting lists are long.

8. Amazon Kindle - Amazon's Kindle is the first electronic reader to give print media a run for its money. The Kindle's cutting-edge electronic paper technology provides crisp, clean print in any light conditions. The device is thin and light enough to carry anywhere, and can store hundreds of books at your fingertips. Another reason it's so hot? Oprah loves it and gave it a ringing endorsement, calling it her "new favorite thing."

9. Vibrating Mascara - Both Estee Lauder's TurboLash and Lancome's Oscillation debuted in 2008, with celebrity trendsetters test-driving the products and touting their benefits. At one point, Lancome's waiting list numbered 21,000 and NPD says it was the number one mascara in dollar sales in department stores and Sephora combined.

10. Wii Fit - Playing video games used to be a fun excuse for sitting on the couch, relaxing and doing much of nothing. Then came along the Nintendo Wii, and its healthy counterpart, the Wii Fit, and video games were sedentary no more.

11. 3-Ply Toilet Paper - In September, 2008, Georgia-Pacific took toilet paper further than it has ever gone before. With the introduction of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, the world's first premium three-ply toilet paper, it not only broke tissue boundaries, but may have changed the "face" of America's bathrooms forever.

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/03/493d73cb-000be-03c49-400cb8e1
12. Flip Mino - The Flip Mino, pronounced Minnow, weighing only 3 oz., is smaller than an iPhone and only slightly taller than a deck of playing cards, yet can capture an hour's worth of VGA quality video on the 2GB of internal memory.

13. Aloft & Element Hotels - Aloft, named because the rooms are like "a loft," have nine-foot ceilings, oversized windows and the wonderful beds for which Starwood is known. Aloft rooms also have high-tech office and entertainment areas with free wireless Internet access, one-stop "connectivity solution" for multiple electronic gadgets -- all linked to a 42-inch flat-panel, HDTV-ready TV.

http://www.aolcdn.com/channels/0d/03/493d73cd-001d7-03c49-400cb8e1
14. iPod Touch - In the beginning, there was the Apple iPhone, and users named it good. So good, in fact, that Apple quickly transformed its iPod into the same form, the iPod Touch, and it too has been deemed good. Very good, if sales are any indication.

http://www.walletpop.com/specials/hottest-products

25 E-Commerce Tech Terms You Should Know

2008-10-23T07:49:00.003+07:00

1. Access Control - The process of determining whether an individual has access to a specific function or piece of information. Authentication and Access Control are related processes with Access Control usually following Authentication.

2. Affiliate Program - Where a company provides a tangible benefit (typically a fee or portion of sales) to the affiliate site for directing traffic toward the site or for providing additional promotion to secure a sale. Affiliate programs have been used for everything from book sales to political campaigns to blogging, and represents an active form of advertisement.

3. Authentication - The process of determining whether the individual signing in under a specific user name actually has an account with permissions to perform specific actions. Authentication can be as simple as providing a user name and password, but especially in high dollar e-commerce settings authentication is usually done in conjunction with access across secure channels and sometimes alternative authentication mechanisms (from thumb prints to retinal scans).

4. Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) - A language for specifying business behaviors using Web services, it is a standard produced as part of the OASIS XML standards. BPEL is itself two specifications, an abstract version for describing business processes from a modeling standpoint, and an executable version that can actually perform business processes in conjunction with a BPEL processor. Like most business language specifications, BPEL is written using XML (eXtensible markup language) and is considered an orchestration language rather than a choreography language.

5. Choreography - The establishment of business rules and logic in a distributed environment where there is no central controller--typically the case when the e-commerce systems are across different companies or vendors. Compare with orchestration. Choreography is usually accomplished by building a messaging-oriented architecture.

6. Discovery - The process by which a machine determines the capabilities that a Web services provider offers. This process usually involves determining both the business objects that are exposed (typically via a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration, or UDDI, document) as well as the specific services that these objects exposed (usually using a WSDL document). Once a Web services client has this information, they can more readily build applications that use these services.

7. ebXML - Electronic business extensible markup language is a family of specifications intended to replace the EDI binary standards developed by the United Nations in the 1970s. It encompasses several standards for performing everything from messaging and discovery to handling orchestration, business object modeling and authentication.

8. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - The process of sending messages across a network in order to perform financial transactions. EDI systems evolved in the 1970s in order to handle e-commerce--like messages between a large corporation (such as an automobile manufacturer) and its suppliers. While the EDI standards established by the U.N. (via the UN/EDIFAC organization) involved binary formatted data, most EDI in the 2000s use XML messages and SOAP-based Web services to accomplish the same thing.

9. Federated Identity - The process of creating a way that different service providers (say a hotel and an airline) can provide a common way to share basic identity information and perform authentication across each provider's systems. A federation is a collection of distributed entities, so the federated identity is the total of all pieces of information for a given individual. Federated Identity lies at the heart of single sign-on systems, and is also used (with some difference) as the foundation for the OpenID standard.

10. Federation - Systems built on Web Services are distributed by nature; this term describes multiple independent Web services, which cooperate as a single system to external systems.

11. HTTPS/SSL - Secure HTTP (HTTPS) combines the venerable HTTP standard for Web communication with a security system built using the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). A Web site or Web service that uses HTTPS provides a "certificate"--an electronic document--that is issued by a trust authority indicating that the site is indeed who they claim to be and that they are not involved in fraudulent activity. Once the browser receives such a certificate, then it uses the information in the certificate to encrypt the contents being sent back to the server. This provides a reasonable degree of security for handling sensitive electronic information, such as credit card numbers.

12. Long Tail - his idea states that the Internet makes it possible to capitalize upon smaller micro-markets that nonetheless in the aggregate make up a considerably larger market. Chris Anderson first proposed this in Wired magazine in 2004, though a study by Anita Elberse of Harvard Business School argues that marketing and business trends do not in fact support the long tail hypothesis.

13. Merchant Account - A line of credit extended by a bank, which accepts payment on behalf of a merchant, required to process and accept credit cards online.

14. Messaging - A messaging oriented architecture sends message packets (electronic documents) from a Web service to a queue, which then processes each message in periodic batches. Messaging architectures work better in distributed systems such as the Internet, because they don't force the participants to remain in contact with one another once the message has been sent (in computer parlance, this communication is asymmetric).

15. Orchestration - In an orchestrated architecture, a single controller (like the conductor in an orchestra) is responsible for the coordination of information flow between vendors in a network. Orchestrated systems have the advantage of being simpler to develop, but at the cost of potentially making the controller into a bottleneck. Compare with Choreography.

16. PCI/DSS - A set of standards that provide for secure communication for financial transactions over the Internet. The PCI Data Security Standard was a concerted effort in 2006 by a consortium made up of members including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover in order to minimize Internet-based credit card abuse, though the DSS standard is finding its way into other secure financial transactions as well.

17. Phishing - A form of fraud where malicious users fake information--usually e-mail--from a legitimate entity in hopes of tricking users into logging in to a lookalike site under someone else's control. From there, the attackers steal login credentials.

18. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - The process of configuring Web content in order to gain the highest potential rankings for a given search engine. While early SEO systems involved simple keyword matches, SEO has evolved considerably to the level of performing semantic searches on content, optimizing the specific layout of a page to make its terms more indexable and using complex mathematical algorithms to better match anticipated search engine behaviors.

19. Single Sign-On - An approach to authentication in which a person maintains some kind of "wallet" (either locally on their machine or Web-based), which stores user names and passwords for various sites. When the user revisits that site, the sign-on provided by the system "unlocks" the user name and password for that site, rather than the user having to remember both of these keys for different sites.

20. Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) - An XML-based language for describing a particular kind of document called an envelope that can in turn be used to hold other documents, computer services calls, or error messages. SOAP-based systems prevalent in financial and eCommerce services, either in a messaging mode or as a vehicle for performing remote procedure calls (XML-RPCs).

21. Universal Business Language (UBL) - A standard produced by OASIS-XML that defines a large set of common business terms and their relationships, making it easier to model these in a way that will have the least degree of discrepancy between different organizations' data model.

22. Web Services Description Language (WSDL) - An XML-based document that specifies the services that are available on a given Web services provider, including how these services are invoked and what the applications expect as parameters. WSDL is used most commonly with SOAP-based systems, especially when SOAP is used as an XML-RPC.

23. XML Business Reporting Language (XBRL) - An XML-based specification designed to simplify corporate accounting and financial reporting. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the governments of England, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and New Zealand all either accept (in some cases even require) or are developing pilot programs to explore XBRL as part of their regulatory mechanisms.

24. XML-RPC - A remote procedure call is a request from one computer in a network to another computer to perform a certain action and (generally) return a response once that operation is completed. XML-RPCs use XML messages in order to contain the instructions to perform these actions and get responses, with SOAP/WSDL- based XML-RPCs being the most common XML-RPC types. Note that Web architects are moving away from RPCs toward messaging systems because RPCs tend to make for fragile applications that have too many interdependencies.

25. XML - A language for marking up document and data structures in a human readable and easily computer understood format. It is used heavily in e-commerce, describing everything from orchestration systems to SOAP messages to business objects to the Web pages that provide a human interface for these documents.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/22/tech-starter-kit-ent-tech-cx_db_1022ecommerceglossary.html

The World's Billionaires

2008-10-10T11:45:00.001+07:00

Rank	Name	Citizenship	Age	Net Worth ($bil)	Residence
1	Warren Buffett	United States	77	62.0	United States
2	Carlos Slim Helu & family	Mexico	68	60.0	Mexico
3	William Gates III	United States	52	58.0	United States
4	Lakshmi Mittal	India	57	45.0	United Kingdom
5	Mukesh Ambani	India	50	43.0	India
6	Anil Ambani	India	48	42.0	India
7	Ingvar Kamprad & family	Sweden	81	31.0	Switzerland
8	KP Singh	India	76	30.0	India
9	Oleg Deripaska	Russia	40	28.0	Russia
10	Karl Albrecht	Germany	88	27.0	Germany
11	Li Ka-shing	Hong Kong	79	26.5	Hong Kong
12	Sheldon Adelson	United States	74	26.0	United States
13	Bernard Arnault	France	59	25.5	France
14	Lawrence Ellison	United States	63	25.0	United States
15	Roman Abramovich	Russia	41	23.5	Russia
16	Theo Albrecht	Germany	85	23.0	Germany
17	Liliane Bettencourt	France	85	22.9	France
18	Alexei Mordashov	Russia	42	21.2	Russia
19	Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud	Saudi Arabia	51	21.0	Saudi Arabia
20	Mikhail Fridman	Russia	43	20.8	Russia
21	Vladimir Lisin	Russia	51	20.3	Russia
22	Amancio Ortega	Spain	72	20.2	Spain
23	Raymond, Thomas & Walter Kwok	Hong Kong	NA	19.9	Hong Kong
24	Mikhail Prokhorov	Russia	42	19.5	Russia
25	Vladimir Potanin	Russia	47	19.3	Russia

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_The-Worlds-Billionaires_Rank.html

The Best States For Business

2008-08-01T07:17:00.003+07:00

1. Virginia
2. Utah
3. Washington
4. North Carolina
5. Georgia
6. Colorado
7. Idaho
8. Florida
9. Texas
10. Nebraska

http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/30/virginia-georgia-utah-biz-cz_kb_0731beststates.html

Best Countries for Business

2008-07-27T07:24:00.003+07:00

R	Name	GDP Growth (%)	GDP / Capita ($)	Trade Balance ($bil)	Pop (mil)	Un Emp (%)
1	Denmark	1.7	37,400	4.7	5.5	3.5
2	Ireland	5.3	45,600	-12.6	4.2	5.0
3	Finland	4.4	35,500	11.2	5.2	6.9
4	United States	2.2	46,000	-747.1	303.8	4.6
5	United Kingdom	2.9	35,300	-111.0	60.9	5.4
6	Sweden	3.4	36,900	30.2	9.0	4.5
7	Canada	2.7	38,200	28.5	33.2	5.9
8	Singapore	7.5	48,900	41.4	4.6	1.7
9	Hong Kong	5.8	42,000	19.9	7.0	4.2
10	Estonia	7.3	21,800	-3.1	1.3	5.2
10	Switzerland	2.6	39,800	67.9	7.6	3.1
12	New Zealand	3.0	27,300	-10.0	4.2	3.5
13	Australia	4.0	37,500	-51.0	20.6	4.4
14	Netherlands	3.5	38,600	59.3	16.6	4.1
15	Norway	4.9	55,600	55.8	4.6	2.4
16	Israel	5.1	28,800	5.9	7.1	7.6
17	Iceland	1.8	39,400	-3.4	0.3	1.0
18	Belgium	2.7	36,500	11.0	10.4	7.6
19	Chile	5.2	14,400	8.2	16.5	7.0
20	Portugal	1.9	21,800	-18.5	10.7	8.0
21	Germany	2.6	34,400	185.1	82.4	8.4
22	Luxembourg	5.0	80,800	11.3	0.5	4.4
23	Austria	3.3	39,000	12.6	8.2	4.3
24	Japan	1.9	33,800	195.9	127.3	4.0
25	France	1.8	33,800	-35.9	64.1	8.0

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/6/biz_bizcountries08_Best-Countries-for-Business_Rank.html

Best of the Best Places to Live 2008

2008-07-17T12:55:00.001+07:00

1: Plymouth, Minnesota
Population: 70,100
Median home price: $288,950
Average property tax (2006): $4,526
Pros: Reasonable home prices; good schools; quick drive the nation's biggest mall
Cons: Very cold winters

2. Fort Collins, Colorado
Population: 129,400
Median home price: $207,739
Average property tax (2006): $1,675
Pros: Bike lanes; Old Town historic district; brand-new cancer center
Cons: Overcrowded schools

3. Naperville, Illinois
Population: 142,900
Median home price: $369,000
Average property tax (2006): $6,402
Pros: Close to Chicago; public library ranked the best in the nation among small cities; walkable downtown area
Cons: High property taxes

4. Irvine, California
Population: 193,900
Median home price: $650,000
Average property tax (2006): $5,053
Pros: School district has won national recognition; more than 16,000 acres of green space
Cons: Very pricey homes

5. Franklin Township, New Jersey
Population: 59,100
Median home price: $319,000
Average property tax (2006): $7,648
Pros: Plenty of jobs in the area; Princeton and Rutgers Universities nearby
Cons: High property taxes

6. Norman, Oklahoma
Population: 102,800
Median home price: $133,500
Average property tax (2006): $1,095
Pros: University of Oklahoma; affordable housing
Cons: Gotta love that football -- schools close for games against rival University of Texas

7. Round Rock, Texas
Population: 92,300
Median home price: $193,931
Average property tax (2006): $3,854
Pros: Affordable housing; excellent schools; minor league baseball team
Cons: Can you take the heat?

8. Columbia/Ellicott City, Maryland
Population: 97,500
Median home price: $355,000
Average property taxes (2006): $3,208
Pros: Historic Main Street lined with antique shops and teahouses; 950-acre nature preserve; three lakes
Cons: Traffic can be a headache

9. Overland Park, Kansas
Population: 166,700
Median home price: $233,887
Average property taxes (2006): $3,345
Pros: Lots of green space; schools among best in nation
Cons: Flat terrain and grid layout don't provide much visual drama

10. Fishers, Indiana
Population: 61,800
Median home price: $200,830
Average property taxes (2006): $2,218
Pros: Strong economy; low home prices; good schools
Cons: A walkable downtown is still in the planning stages

http://www.walletpop.com/mortgages/best-places-to-live
http://www.walletpop.com/specials/best-of-the-best

World's 20 Most Innovative Companies

2008-04-20T11:49:00.003+07:00

No. 20: Boeing
The world is awaiting the arrival of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, which, manufactured with 50% composites, promises to be lighter weight and use 20% less fuel than conventional commercial aircraft. The globally sourced project has been plagued by delays, however, which have begun to overshadow excitement over the plane’s groundbreaking technology.

No. 19: Reliance Industries
The Indian petrochemicals giant made it onto our list this year thanks to fans of its aggressive growth. But its ambitious plans to reach into grocery retailing, which is dominated in India by small shopkeepers who’ve rebelled against corporate entrants, have faltered.

No. 18: General Motors
CEO Richard Wagoner Jr. is making design a top priority in his efforts to jump-start GM’s struggling business, giving stylists a first crack at new models before engineers. Add in new hybrid-electric SUVs, along with plans for the ultrahigh-mileage Volt in 2010, and it’s clear GM is trying to shake its stodgy image.

No. 17: Walt Disney
Disney is Hollywood’s leader with online offerings. It was first to ship its TV shows online. These days it’s filling the Web with social networks for kids that let them become avatar “fairies” or join communities of pirate-playing gamesters. Digital revenues will jump this year by 25%, to $1 billion.

No. 16: Honda Motor
At a time when most carmakers are worrying about high gas prices, sales of fuel-efficient Hondas are growing. Next up, the automaker will introduce gas-sipping clean diesels, small affordable hybrids and, in 2010, a private jet that’s 30% more fuel efficient than rival offerings.

No. 15: Hewlett-Packard
The 69-year-old info tech company’s Innovation Program Office helps it to absorb the startup vibes from recent acquisitions. The new service “CloudPrint,” developed in a matter of months and inspired by the iPhone, helps users send documents to printers from their mobile devices.

No. 14: BMW
While other carmakers talk about hybrids and electric motors, this German maker of sports sedans has concentrated on getting the most out of existing technology. As a result, the latest BMWs and Minis challenge the Toyota Prius for gas mileage and low emissions.

No. 13: Research In Motion
Twenty-eight million thumbs on 14 million devices say RIM still dominates the wireless e-mail market. The makers of the ubiquitous BlackBerry are now reaching into the vast consumer market, putting it on a collision course with iPhone maker Apple.

No. 12: IBM
With over 3,000 scientists at IBM Research, Big Blue has been the leading U.S. patent winner for 15 years in a row. Now the new head of research, John Kelly III, plans on making bigger and bolder bets. One example: trying to invent the next-generation transistor.

No. 11: Amazon.com
Now far more than an e-tailer of physical goods, Amazon.com has added the ability to download videos and MP3s. And it's selling the very Web services it uses for its own operations to hundreds of startups, which employ the back-office tech programs to run their own companies.

No. 10: Nokia
The Finnish handset maker employs anthropologists who study mobile-phone users in emerging markets. Their insights have made Nokia the leader in India and China. As it pushes beyond hardware into Web services, it’s tapping outsiders to create games and offer feedback.

No. 9: Sony
Now that its electronics business is healthy and Blu-ray is the new DVD standard, Sony's priority is online content. Its PlayStation 3 video game consoles will soon feature Home, a 3D social networking and gaming world, and PlayStation Network, an expanded channel for music and videos.

No. 8: Procter & Gamble
The world’s largest consumer-products maker has out-hustled rivals in new product launches through more spending on design and willingness to turn to outsiders for ideas. But P&G is just as creative in finding new markets: It's now pushing to sell its products in overlooked neighborhood stores in developing regions.

No. 7: Nintendo
The video gamemaker is new to our top 25 after its wildly popular Wii console tapped an entirely new gaming audience. It recently launched a Wii fitness game that makes staying in shape a family affair. New service WiiWare will soon offer indie programmers a low-cost way to deliver games online.

No. 6: Tata Group
The Mumbai-based conglomerate jumps onto our list for the first time, fueled by its paradigm-busting $2,500 “Nano” car for the masses. The car, from its Tata Motors unit, is the world’s cheapest, thanks partly to a distribution model that sells the auto in kits to entrepreneurs who assemble them for buyers.

No. 5: Microsoft
Often mocked for following rather than leading, the software giant tapped its vast research arm to launch Surface, a new touch-screen computer that moves a step closer to the Holy Grail of natural user interfaces. To catch up with Google, it continues to pour research funds into perfecting search algorithms.

No. 4: General Electric
CEO Jeff Immelt is so encouraged by GE’s “ecoimagination” initiative that he’s raising the revenue target for green projects from $20 billion to $25 billion by 2010. This year, the industrial giant tapped Dartmouth prof Vijay Govindarajan to be its own in-house “chief innovation consultant.”

No. 3: Toyota Motor
Determined to retain its mantle as the hybrid leader among carmakers, the Japanese company plans to roll out a more fuel-efficient Prius in 2009. It’s also trying to match rival GM’s promise to deliver a plug-in gas-and-electric car using lithium ion batteries. Toyota is targeting 1 million hybrid sales annually by the early 2010s.

No. 2: Google
The search giant, which last year hiked R&D spending 72%, took on Microsoft in its own backyard with a concerted push into online office software. This year Google will try to expand beyond search ads into banner and video ads with its $3.2 billion acquisition of display-ad firm DoubleClick.

No. 1: Apple
Our repeat winner has rocked the wireless handset world with the iPhone, spurring rivals to imitate the touch-screen design. After just nine months on sale, it’s already No. 3 in the global smartphone market. Meanwhile some 150 million iPods have been sold since 2001.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/04/0417_mostinnovative/index_01.htm

Popular & Busiest Locations

2008-04-13T22:43:00.004+07:00

1. McDonald's
The Busiest Location Is: Karlsplatz, Munich, Germany
Fun Facts: The U.S. has the most McDonald's with 12,804 restaurants. Germany is in fifth place with 1,091 restaurants. More than 1/3 of all French fries sold in the United States are by McDonald's.

2. Dairy Queen
The Busiest Location Is: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Fun Facts: Their busiest store generates $2.8 million in sales a year.

3. Outback Steakhouse
The Busiest Location Is: Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nev.
Fun Facts: The average size of an Outback Steakhouse is 6,000 square feet, featuring a dining room and an island bar. It seats approximately 200 guests. Outback was established in March 1988 and is now a member of OSI Partners Inc. Other members include Cheeseburger in Paradise, Carrabbas, and Bonefish Grill.

4. Domino's
The Busiest Location Is: Outside Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Fun Facts: As of 2006, Domino's Pizza operates in five countries, with over 600 stores and approximately 14,000 employees. Domino's makes more than 60 million pizzas a year.

5. 7-Eleven
The Busiest Location Is: Samutprakarn, Thailand
Fun Facts: There are over 7,500 7-Eleven stores in North America and 33,700 globally. 7-Eleven's birthday is on July 11 (7-11), and the stores used to operate from 7 a.m. to 11.p.m.

6. Applebee's
The Busiest Location Is: 42nd St. between 7th & 8th Avenue, New York
Fun Facts: There are Applebee's operating in 49 states, one U.S. territory and 16 countries. Applebee's has 1,900 restaurants total and is the largest dining restaurant concept in the world.

7. Nordstrom
The Busiest Location Is: Southcoast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Fun Facts: Nordstrom currently has 157 stores in the U.S., located in 28 states. Of those 157 stores, 103 are full-line retailers, 50 are Nordstrom Racks, and the rest are miscellaneous stores. The first Nordstrom was opened in 1901, as a shoe store.

8. Red Lobster
The Busiest Location Is: Times Square, New York
Fun Facts: The Times Square Red Lobster generates approximately $10 million in sales each year. The first Red Lobster opened in 1968.

9. Barnes & Noble
The Busiest Location Is: Union Square, New York
Fun Facts: Barnes & Noble, primarily a bookstore, is also the second-largest coffee house in the U.S. The first Barnes & Noble was created in 1873, by Charles M. Barnes, and based out of his home.

10. Whole Foods
The Busiest Location Is: Columbus Circle, New York
Fun Facts: Whole Foods currently has over 54,000 employees and has more than 270 locations in North America and the United Kingdom. The first Whole Foods opened in Austin, Tex. in 1980, and was staffed with only 19 employees.

http://money.aol.com/special/worlds-busiest-store-in-a-chain

The Global Companies 2000

2008-04-10T07:34:00.002+07:00

Rank	Company	Country	Industry	Sales ($bil)	Profits ($bil)	Assets ($bil)	Market Value ($bil)
1	HSBC Holdings	United Kingdom	Banking	146.50	19.13	2,348.98	180.81
2	General Electric	United States	Conglomerates	172.74	22.21	795.34	330.93
3	Bank of America	United States	Banking	119.19	14.98	1,715.75	176.53
4	JPMorgan Chase	United States	Banking	116.35	15.37	1,562.15	136.88
5	ExxonMobil	United States	Oil & Gas Operations	358.60	40.61	242.08	465.51
6	Royal Dutch Shell	Netherlands	Oil & Gas Operations	355.78	31.33	266.22	221.09
7	BP	United Kingdom	Oil & Gas Operations	281.03	20.60	236.08	204.94
8	Toyota Motor	Japan	Consumer Durables	203.80	13.99	276.38	175.08
9	ING Group	Netherlands	Insurance	197.93	12.65	1,932.15	75.78
10	Berkshire Hathaway	United States	Diversified Financials	118.25	13.21	273.16	216.65
10	Royal Bank of Scotland	United Kingdom	Banking	108.45	14.62	3,807.51	76.64
12	AT&T	United States	Telecommunications Services	118.93	11.95	275.64	210.22
13	BNP Paribas	France	Banking	116.16	10.71	2,494.41	81.90
14	Allianz	Germany	Insurance	139.12	10.90	1,547.48	80.30
15	Total	France	Oil & Gas Operations	199.74	19.24	165.75	181.80
16	Wal-Mart Stores	United States	Retailing	378.80	12.73	163.38	198.60
17	Chevron	United States	Oil & Gas Operations	203.97	18.69	148.79	179.97
18	American Intl Group	United States	Insurance	110.06	6.20	1,060.51	118.20
19	Gazprom	Russia	Oil & Gas Operations	81.76	23.30	201.72	306.79
20	AXA Group	France	Insurance	151.70	7.75	1,064.67	70.33
21	Banco Santander	Spain	Banking	72.26	10.02	1,332.72	113.27
22	ConocoPhillips	United States	Oil & Gas Operations	171.50	11.89	177.76	129.15
23	Goldman Sachs Group	United States	Diversified Financials	87.97	11.60	1,119.80	67.16
24	Citigroup	United States	Banking	159.23	3.62	2,187.63	123.44
25	Barclays	United Kingdom	Banking	79.70	8.76	2,432.34	62.43
26	EDF Group	France	Utilities	81.60	7.69	271.66	170.81
27	E.ON	Germany	Utilities	94.04	9.86	200.84	126.22
28	ENI	Italy	Oil & Gas Operations	119.27	13.70	128.15	127.38
29	Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil	Brazil	Oil & Gas Operations	87.52	11.04	129.98	236.67
30	PetroChina	China	Oil & Gas Operations	88.24	18.21	111.70	546.14
31	Procter & Gamble	United States	Household & Personal Products	79.74	11.13	144.40	203.67
32	Deutsche Bank	Germany	Diversified Financials	95.50	7.45	1,485.58	56.27
33	UniCredit Group	Italy	Banking	63.67	7.19	1,077.21	77.46
34	Telefónica	Spain	Telecommunications Services	82.40	13.00	143.13	138.42
35	Mitsubishi UFJ Financial	Japan	Banking	49.49	7.50	1,591.56	98.14
36	Volkswagen Group	Germany	Consumer Durables	149.00	5.64	210.88	90.23
37	IBM	United States	Software & Services	98.79	10.42	120.43	157.62
38	ArcelorMittal	Luxembourg	Materials	105.22	10.37	133.65	108.82
38	Daimler	Germany	Consumer Durables	145.11	5.82	199.77	85.16
40	BBVA-Banco Bilbao Vizcaya	Spain	Banking	54.34	8.94	733.14	78.29
41	Wells Fargo	United States	Banking	53.59	8.06	575.44	96.37
42	ICBC	China	Banking	37.48	6.31	961.65	289.57
43	Credit Suisse Group	Switzerland	Diversified Financials	83.72	7.53	1,194.75	50.85
44	HBOS	United Kingdom	Banking	100.32	8.10	1,336.17	44.84
45	Crédit Agricole	France	Banking	101.59	6.49	1,662.60	45.73
45	Nestlé	Switzerland	Food Drink & Tobacco	94.76	9.38	99.06	188.11
47	Fortis	Netherlands	Diversified Financials	121.19	5.46	1,020.98	49.04
48	Verizon Communications	United States	Telecommunications Services	93.47	5.65	186.96	104.27
49	France Telecom	France	Telecommunications Services	77.31	9.20	137.09	87.89
50	Siemens	Germany	Conglomerates	103.20	5.42	126.72	118.47
50	Wachovia	United States	Banking	55.53	6.31	782.90	60.69
52	Sinopec-China Petroleum	China	Oil & Gas Operations	133.79	6.90	77.44	186.38
53	Hewlett-Packard	United States	Technology Hardware & Equip	107.67	7.85	88.57	122.04
54	Lloyds TSB Group	United Kingdom	Banking	58.74	6.53	701.08	50.95
55	Royal Bank of Canada	Canada	Banking	43.57	5.77	629.96	64.41
56	Bank of China	China	Banking	31.13	5.49	679.57	171.45
57	Pfizer	United States	Drugs & Biotechnology	48.42	8.14	115.27	152.17
58	Johnson & Johnson	United States	Drugs & Biotechnology	61.10	10.58	80.95	175.51
59	Samsung Electronics	South Korea	Semiconductors	92.26	8.56	87.49	87.84
60	StatoilHydro	Norway	Oil & Gas Operations	89.00	7.52	89.16	98.36
61	Generali Group	Italy	Insurance	102.16	3.17	486.43	60.79
62	CCB-China Construction Bank	China	Banking	29.16	5.93	697.44	126.55
63	Microsoft	United States	Software & Services	57.90	16.96	67.34	253.15
64	Suez Group	France	Utilities	64.96	5.37	114.89	83.56
65	Zurich Financial Services	Switzerland	Insurance	55.05	5.63	387.67	45.76
66	Nippon Telegraph & Tel	Japan	Telecommunications Services	91.57	4.06	149.71	60.27
67	Sanofi-aventis	France	Drugs & Biotechnology	40.95	7.68	104.98	101.17
68	Honda Motor	Japan	Consumer Durables	94.35	5.04	101.82	56.82
69	Nokia	Finland	Technology Hardware & Equip	74.54	10.52	52.62	145.66
70	Munich Re	Germany	Insurance	67.57	5.63	306.03	37.34
71	Mizuho Financial	Japan	Banking	32.52	5.28	1,272.17	48.80
72	Novartis	Switzerland	Drugs & Biotechnology	40.22	12.62	71.89	111.62
73	MetLife	United States	Insurance	53.01	4.32	558.56	41.32
74	Roche Holding	Switzerland	Drugs & Biotechnology	40.65	8.60	67.72	169.32
75	Morgan Stanley	United States	Diversified Financials	85.33	2.56	1,045.41	46.53
76	Vale	Brazil	Materials	33.23	10.26	74.70	161.39
77	Rio Tinto	United Kingdom/Australia	Materials	29.70	7.31	100.81	165.48
78	China Mobile	Hong Kong/China	Telecommunications Services	37.06	8.29	62.44	308.59
79	GlaxoSmithKline	United Kingdom	Drugs & Biotechnology	45.07	10.35	57.16	120.05
80	BASF	Germany	Chemicals	84.60	5.93	67.33	60.96
81	RWE Group	Germany	Utilities	56.17	3.64	119.50	68.19
82	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial	Japan	Banking	33.04	3.76	850.75	56.10
83	BHP Billiton	Australia/United Kingdom	Materials	39.50	13.42	53.36	190.62
84	Time Warner	United States	Media	46.48	4.39	133.83	55.83
85	Banco Bradesco	Brazil	Banking	36.12	4.11	192.65	59.80
85	KBC Group	Belgium	Banking	35.22	4.66	517.98	43.66
87	Dexia	Belgium	Banking	140.78	3.47	889.98	28.04
88	Altria Group	United States	Food Drink & Tobacco	38.05	9.16	57.21	154.20
89	National Australia Bank	Australia	Banking	38.88	4.06	499.44	43.95
90	Cisco Systems	United States	Technology Hardware & Equip	37.68	8.07	55.30	145.39
91	Manulife Financial	Canada	Insurance	33.08	4.01	178.58	59.18
92	Bank of Nova Scotia	Canada	Banking	28.02	4.25	431.30	48.08
93	Intel	United States	Semiconductors	38.33	6.98	55.65	115.59
94	Unilever	Netherlands/United Kingdom	Food Drink & Tobacco	54.82	5.30	53.40	92.75
95	Toronto-Dominion Bank	Canada	Banking	26.51	4.20	443.56	48.38
96	Nissan Motor	Japan	Consumer Durables	89.09	3.92	104.20	37.90
97	Lehman Bros Holdings	United States	Diversified Financials	59.00	4.19	691.06	27.05
98	Carrefour Group	France	Food Markets	112.40	3.15	75.73	49.95
99	Commonwealth Bank	Australia	Banking	26.48	3.80	360.42	51.86
100	Boeing	United States	Aerospace & Defense	66.39	4.07	58.99	63.32

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/18/biz_2000global08_The-Global-2000_Rank.html

World's Best First Class & Business Class

2008-04-04T14:48:00.002+07:00

World's Best First Class

1. Qatar Airways
Flying first-class here means access to a separate terminal in Doha that mimics a five-star hotel with several fine-dining restaurants, a medical center, and a spa with sauna and Jacuzzi. On board passengers get caviar service, full-size pillows, white linen mattresses, Australian wool blankets and Bulgari toiletry kits. The seats are 79 inches long, have 15-inch LCD screens and come with a 23-inch meal table that allows dining for two, just as in a restaurant.

2. Singapore Airlines
Passengers here have total control of their experience including picking between Dom Perignon and Krug champagne and food whenever they want it and however they want it whether it's an extravagant five-course blowout or a quick meal served all at once. The seats are 82 inches long and 35 inches wide. Fliers are given a Ferragamo toiletry kits, Givenchy sleep suits and slippers. Seats flatten into beds with sheets, a down duvet and oversize pillows.

3. Cathay Pacific
Seats here become 'suites,' thanks to sliding panels that provide total privacy. They turn into 81-inch-long beds and have built-in massagers. Each flier also gets a personal closet to store belongings. Cathay got high marks for its food: It's one of the only carriers to have rice cookers, skillets and toasters onboard, so parts of meals are prepared fresh, like eggs made to order.

4. Malaysia Airlines
This airline is a winner for its service--welcoming and warm, yet efficient. The seats are individual pods that turn into 180-degree flat beds. Fliers also get plush blankets and pillows. Food includes Malaysian cuisine, like a signature satay. On the ground, Kuala Lumpur's first-class lounge has a new upscale restaurant.

5. Thai Airways
First-class fliers are greeted by a personal concierge at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi's Airport who checks them in and escorts them through security. The lounge has wi-fi, a sauna and a spa offering Thai massages. When flying into Bangkok, a concierge fast-tracks fliers through immigration, customs and baggage claim. Seats on board become comfortable 180-degree flat beds. Other amenities include Bulgari toiletry kits, cotton pajamas and a choice of 22 entrees, which can be pre-ordered.

6. Emirates
Each of the roughly 18 seats in first-class can be transformed into a mini-suite by the use of sliding doors. Other perks include soft pajamas, slippers, 600 channels of on-demand entertainment, chauffeur service from select airports, seven-course meals served on bone china and access to lounges that have wi-fi, an extensive dining buffet and are decked out in Italian marble.

7. Jet Airways
This airline boasts the longest flat bed in the sky: 83 inches. Seats have 24-inch flat-screen televisions and can be configured so that two people can dine together. Champagne onboard is either Dom Perignon or Krug, and toiletry kits are filled with Bulgari products. Food includes a wide range of Indian and Western dishes. On the ground, an attendant escorts passengers through check-in and to the lounge.

8. Lufthansa
This airline, ranked third on the top-10 list, is a star performer on the ground. When fliers arrive at Frankfurt Airport, they lounge on couches and sip drinks while an attendant checks them in. After clearing security, they are led to a lounge where a chef cooks any meal of their choice. When it's time to board, they are driven to the aircraft in a Mercedes. Comfortable lie-flat seats and efficient service await them onboard.

9. Korean Air
Korean Air debuted a new first-class cabin last year that features a cocoon-like seat with a massage function that turns into a flat bed. The airline also placed in the top 10 because of its excellent ethnic food that includes choices such as steamed oxtail, Korean bibimbop and various top-grade meat dishes.

10. Qantas Airways
The lounges in Sydney and Melbourne have a library, a fine-dining restaurant, a business center and a spa that offers massages. Seats onboard are 6.5 feet long, and entertainment is video on-demand (400 channels). The designer silk toiletry kits--Akira Isogawa for men, Collete Dinnigan for women--are stuffed with Payot products. Meals are eight-course affairs.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/08/travel-airlines-firstclass-forbeslife-cx_sv_0809firstclass.html

World's Best Business Class

1. Singapore Airlines : This airline introduced a new business class in November 2006 that surpasses that of any other airline, according to Edward Plaisted, chief executive of Skytrax. Its 30-inch-wide lie-flat seats--the roomiest in the sky--come with full-size pillows and plush blankets. The bathrooms are 50% larger than average airline bathrooms; the menu is designed by Alfred Portale, chef of New York's Gotham Bar & Grill, and passengers get deluxe Givenchy kits.

2. Virgin Atlantic : Virgin came in No. 2 because of its stellar ground services. Passengers flying business class, known as Upper Class, get chauffeured cars to the airport in key markets, including New York City and London. The bright, modern lounges have large spas that offer free haircuts and massages. On board, there is a bar area, lie-flat seats and therapists who give neck and shoulder massages.

3. Cathay Pacific Airways : This airline is a high performer all around, both on the ground and in the air. Hong Kong passengers have separate security lines and comfortable lounges with wi-fi, high-speed Internet and a noodle bar. On board, the lie-flat seats stretch 6.5 feet long. The entertainment screen is 15 inches. Service? Exceptional.

4. Malaysia Airlines : This airline, ranked No. 10 last year, is now No. 4, thanks to changes that include (on the ground) a new restaurant in the lounge at Kuala Lumpur airport, complete with a team of chefs and proper waiter service. In the sky, the airline scored high for its food, which includes a signature Malaysian satay and seven kinds of bread. The comfortable lie-flat seats also get a thumbs-up.

5. Air New Zealand : This airline introduced its new business class, called Business Premier, a year ago. Amenities include 7-foot long lie-flat seats, a 10.4-inch video screen with nine channels of on-demand entertainment, lamb's wool blankets and brasserie-style cuisine emphasizing New Zealand ingredients and wines.

6. British Airways : British Airways' business class, called Club World, was the first to introduce lie-flat beds 10 years ago. Recently, the airline made these seats slightly wider and longer. On board, passengers get a Molton Brown toiletry kit and can expect service that Plaisted describes as consistently efficient though not overly warm. On ground, complimentary massages are available at the Molton Brown spa in lounges at major airports, including Heathrow and JFK.

7. Jet Airways : This Indian airline, which started service from Newark to Mumbai just this month, scores high for its Bulgari toiletry kits, lie-flat beds and tasty Indian cuisine, which might include choices like chicken tikka masala or spiced fish curry with basmati rice. One drawback: the lounges in its key Indian airports are lackluster and don't offer any of the bells and whistles of typical business class lounges.

8. Qatar Airways : Business class passengers have a premium terminal in Doha, Qatar, which makes for easy check-in and boarding. The lounge has marble floors, cascading waterfalls, a Jacuzzi, several treatment rooms for massages and a restaurant. The multilingual on-board staff represents more than 40 nationalities and offers the best service of any Middle Eastern airline. The seats are lie-flat, and the high-definition in-flight entertainment system offers satellite television.

9. Qantas Airways : Qantas has one of the best business class seats in the sky. The plush seats are called Skybeds, and they recline to a flat bed that is 6.5 feet long and almost 2 feet wide. Other pluses are a 10.2-inch touchscreen with a choice of over 60 movies, Ultraceutical toiletries and tasty cuisine that includes choices like a crab and potato galette and snapper poached in coconut milk.

10. Etihad Airways : Established just five years ago in Abu Dhabi, this airline has quickly become a major contender in the business class market. Perks include access to a multilingual staff, an in-flight entertainment system with a 15-inch entertainment screen, comfortable lie-flat seats and an extensive dining menu with Asian, Continental and Middle Eastern choices.

Most Visitted Place of American

2008-03-30T13:59:00.006+07:00

1. Mexico - 19,659,000 travelers
Certain forms of Mexican travel to the U.S. may be a source of high anxiety these days, but traffic flowed freely the other way: Nearly 20 million Americans headed south in 2006—and spent 9% more than they did the previous year.

2. Canada - 13,855,000 travelers
U.S. residents’ visits to their northern neighbor were down 4% compared with 2005, but Americans spent 15% more than they did in 2005. The strong Canadian dollar (it’s on par with the U.S. dollar) may present a new test for U.S. travel migration northward.

3. U.K. - 3,286,000 travelers
Even with a 14% decline compared to 2005, the U.K. remains the top overseas destination for U.S. travelers. Ten years ago, the U.K. also ranked third, but with 3.57 million visitors—nearly 8% more than 2006. The British government reports nearly inverse figures, with a 13% increase of American travel to the U.K. in 2006. By either measure Americans constitute the lion’s share of the kingdom’s visitors. “The U.S. is our biggest and most important market by far,” said Visit Britain’s Simon Bradley.

4. France - 2,231,000 travelers
American visitation to France was up 1% year to year. The French Government Tourist Office’s Patrice Doyon says “the depressed dollar” has slowed growth. Americans are still visiting, he adds—they’re just spending less. “They might go to a three-star hotel instead of a four-star hotel,” he said. “Or do less shopping.”

5. Italy - 2,201,000 travelers
The 2.2 million Americans who flocked to Italy last year represent an 8% jump over the previous year, while American travel and tourism spending was down 3% during the same period

6. Germany - 1,688,000 travelers (tie)
U.S. travel to Germany was up 1% in 2006 compared with 2005, but in 2000 American travelers to Deutschland numbered 2.3 million, 36% more than in 2006. Travel and tourism spending by Americans in 2006 was down 14%.

7. Jamaica - 1,688,000 travelers (tie)
“Jamaica keeps on trucking” said the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Basil Smith. With nearly 1.7 million U.S. visitors, Jamaica tied with Germany as a Top 10 American traveler destination in 2006. Compared with 2000, Jamaica’s U.S. visits increased a whopping 90%.

8. Bahamas - 1,538,000 travelers (tie)
OTTI records no data for 2005, but compared with 2000, the Bahamas visitation by American travelers is up 68%. An agreement between the governments of the U.S. and the Bahamas, which went into effect in January, 2006, may be partly responsible for the boom in group travel: It allows U.S. corporations a tax deduction for conventions and meetings held in the Bahamas.

9. Japan - 1,538,000 travelers (tie)
U.S. travel to Japan increased 3% in 2006 compared with the previous year, and 22% compared with 2000. Americans’ travel and tourism spending in Japan was down 12% in 2006 year to year.

10. People’s Republic of China - 1,327,000 travelers
“Asia is where the growth is,” said the OTTI’s Erdmann. The number of American travelers to the PRC increased 2% in 2006, year over year, and their travel and tourism spending in China jumped 35% during the same period. U.S. visitation to China increased more than 100% compared with 2000, when only 644,000 Americans paid a call to the Sleeping Dragon.

11. Spain - 995,000 travelers
Almost a million Americans—2% more than the previous year—flocked to Spain, where cities like Barcelona, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s president Jean-Claude Baumgarten, have “over the past 10 years developed a reputation as a place that’s fun to go to.”

12. Netherlands - 904,000 travelers (tie)
The land of storied art, windmills, and tulips drew 5% more U.S. travelers in 2006 than 2005. Compared with 2000, though, American travel to the Netherlands was down 18%.

13. Hong Kong - 904,000 travelers (tie)
Hong Kong Disneyland, and the Symphony of Lights (the world’s largest permanent light and sound show), among other attractions, drew 25.25 million total visitors to the island, according the Hong Kong Tourism Commission. Nearly 1 million of those were Americans, a 2% decrease compared with 2005.

14. India - 904,000 travelers (tie)
U.S. Tourism to India was up 8% in 2006 year to year, but compared with 2000, American visitation nearly doubled, from 457,000.

15. Ireland - 844,000 travelers
Americans visited the Emerald Isle in far greater numbers in 2006 than the previous year—a 22% increase compared with 2005. American travel to Ireland was up 16% in 2006 compared with 2000.

16. Republic of China (Taiwan) - 693,000 travelers
This 36,000 square kilometer island welcomed 693,000 U.S. travelers last year, a 5% increase from the year before and a 3% increase from 2000.

17. Switzerland - 633, 000 Travelers
The Swiss were anything but neutral when it came to welcoming Americans in 2006. U.S. visitation was up 22% compared with the previous year. However, 2006 compared with 2000 showed U.S. travel down 36%.

18. Republic of Korea - 633,000 travelers
Korea attracted as many American voyagers as Switzerland but, like Switzerland, showed a marked year-to-year decrease—nearly 19%—in 2006 visitation by Americans.

19. Australia - 603,000 travelers
In 2000, Australia placed 12th on the OTTI’s list of international destinations for U.S. travelers. In 2006, this land went way down under—to number 19—and the 600,000 Americans represented flat growth compared with the previous year.

20. Greece / Thailand - 482,000 Travelers Each
Both Greece and Thailand welcomed 482,000 Americans in 2006, which represented a 1% year-to-year decline for both countries.

http://www.forbestraveler.com/best-lists/countries-americans-visit-story.html

Asian Mega-Malls

2008-03-05T13:23:00.002+07:00

1. Starhill Gallery: Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia
URL: http://www.starhillgallery.com/
Stay at the Ritz-Carlton next door (where every suite comes with its own butler), browse through an entire floor of art galleries on Starhill’s Muse level, then head down to the Feast Village (open until 1 a.m. nightly) on the ground floor, where you can choose from more than a dozen great restaurants including Shook!, which incorporates elements of Japanese, Chinese and Italian cuisine plus a 3,000-bottle walk-in wine cellar.

2. Harbour City Mall: Hong Kong
URL: http://www.harbourcity.com.hk/
You can get your exercise at the half-mile-long Harbour City mall, but your marathon might be interrupted if something catches your eye in one of the 700 shops. Fuel up at one of 50 restaurants or take it easy in one of the mall’s two multiplex cinemas. Big name brands found here include Burberry, dunhill, Prada and a flagship Gucci store. Come on the weekends for free concerts or camp outside the Videowall, a 12- by16-foot outdoor video screen broadcasting the latest weather and news.

3. Roppongi Hills: Tokyo, Japan
URL: www.roppongihills.com/en
The former Roppongi nightlife area has gone upscale lately, first with the opening of the Roppongi Hills shopping complex in 2003 and now with the brand new Tokyo Midtown development. In addition to a wide selection of chic shops and restaurants, both complexes offer visitors charming parks and beautiful museums, like the Mori. Roppongi Hills also has an 820-foot-high observation deck called Tokyo City View, while Tokyo Midtown has an attached Ritz-Carlton for those who can’t bear to leave.

4. VivoCity: Singapore
URL: http://www.vivocity.com.sg/
The enormous rooftop sky park at the 1.5-million-square-foot VivoCity mall contains both an open-air amphitheater and a huge water park the size of four Olympic swimming pools. If you have any energy left after shopping, head next door to the nightclubs in the St. James Power Station.

5. The Siam Paragon: Bangkok
URL: http://www.siamparagon.co.th/
The mall has a seven zone aquarium called Siam Ocean World where you can dive with sharks and stingrays, a 14-screen multiplex with an IMAX screen and a 38-lane bowling alley equipped with private karaoke rooms. When you fly out of Thailand, arrive several hours before your flight and wander through the endless duty-free shops at the new Suvarnabhumi airport.

6. SM Mall of Asia: Pasay City, Philippines
The SM Mall of Asia truly represents the mega-mall trends sweeping the region. A 20-passenger tram carries shoppers around more than four million square feet of floor space on the nearly 50-acre footprint. Ice-skating competitions are held on the mall’s Olympic-size rink. Browse through 600 stores, take in a movie at the Philippines’ first IMAX theater or catch a concert in the open-air Music Hall facing Manila Bay.

7. COEX Mall: Seoul, South Korea
URL: www.coexmall.com/foreign/english
The environment-themed COEX Mall has shopping arcades modeled after ecosystems like forest, ocean, lake and waterfall. If navigating the largest underground shopping and entertainment complex in Asia (1.3 million square feet) is not challenging enough, you can always jump into the shark and stingray tank at the mall’s aquarium, or gain cultural appreciation of Korean cuisine in the kimchi museum.

8. Dream Mall: Taiwan
URL: http://www.dream-mall.com.tw/
If you’re driving through the southern city of Kaohsiung and suddenly think you see a 334-foot tall ferris wheel festooned with Hello Kitty iconography on the roof of a gigantic mall, you’re not hallucinating. The new Dream Mall opened last month, giving Taiwanese access to more than 4 million square feet of shopping and what the Taipei Times described as ‘a sub-zero playground.’

9. South China Mall: Dongguan, China
URL: www.southchinamall.com.cn/english/index1.jsp
A river runs through Dongguan city’s South China Mall, the largest mall in the world. Sporting two five-star hotels, a spa, theme park, ‘California’ beach and a replica of the Arc de Triomphe, the mall may represent the shape of things to come in China. Industry watchers predict that by 2010, China will have seven of the world’s 10 largest malls

10. Mall of the Emirates: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
URL: http://www.malloftheemirates.com/
When the heat starts to get to you in Dubai, hit the slopes at Mall of the Emirates. Nearly 300 feet high, the Ski Dubai indoor slope is always snowy and cool on those hot Middle Eastern days. New retail extravaganzas are coming soon to Dubai, including the Mall of Arabia, which will include 1,000 retail outlets, more than 100 food and beverage choices, two hotels, a giant cinema and a monorail. It’s set to open in 2009.

http://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/asian-mega-malls-story.html

Best Airports for a Layover

2008-03-03T00:41:00.000+07:00

1. Changi International Airport, Singapore
URL: http://www.changi.airport.com.sg/
Rightly lauded in reverent tones by many of the 35 million travelers who have passed through it, Singapore’s Changi is what most airports strive to achieve in their services to the weary traveling classes—many of them unsuccessfully. The duty-free Shopping City offers everything from fashion and accessories to fine jewellery and fragrances. It also boasts a fitness center and shower facilities, complimentary Internet and charging facilities and a movie theater. But it’s the small touches that enable Changi to standout: a palm court with comfortable loungers and lily ponds that have massive goldfish.

2. Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong
URL: http://www.hongkongairport.com/
Having replaced the cramped and overtaxed Kai Tak, Hong Kong’s iconic former airport, the new International Airport—located on a man-made island and connected by a high-speed train and a speedy Ferry Transfer service—has become a favorite for travelers. In addition to two sprawling terminals with world-class shopping, it features a 2,000-square-foot lounge with eight shower rooms and nine semi-private rooms for napping. For those who want more time to themselves, there—s the Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong, which features two swimming pools, a manicured courtyard garden and a fitness center with spa facilities, connected to the airport by an air-conditioned gangway.

3. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas, Texas
URL: http://www.dfwairport.com/
Sprawling over two million square feet and built at a cost of $1.4 billion, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal D brings a touch of European élan to the world’s third-busiest airport. The state-of-the-art, 28-gate terminal features a dozens of shops and upscale eateries, as well as a posh, 298-room Grand Hyatt Hotel. To help liven up its hangar-like spaces, travelers will encounter large sculptures, outsized landscape paintings, multimedia displays and colorful abstract mosaics.

4. Zurich Airport, Kloten, Switzerland
URL: http://www.zurich-airport.com/
Just 15 minutes from the city center by rail, Kloten is often lauded as Europe’s best. The airport features clean dayrooms, a bustling nursery, and (new this year) a slew of eateries and lounges, along with the more than 50 shops and concept stores that have been luring shoppers for years. There’s also a Swiss International Airlines lounge which supposedly features the “world’s longest bar.” Best of all, the airport provides seamless transport links from its basement-level train terminal to any destination in Switzerland, thanks to a rail network that is never, ever late.

5. Munich Airport International, Munich, Germany
URL: http://www.munich-airport.de/
Built on the outskirts of Munich, 45 minutes by rail from the city center, Munich Airport’s Terminal 2 takes eco-friendly construction to new heights: The airy steel and glass structure is powered by solar panels. Beneath this expansive superstructure are duty free shopping and (next door) a Kempinski Hotel with a proper Presidential Suite, for those who wish to overnight. For business travelers, though, the most important feature is this: Terminal 2 boasts the shortest connecting times on the continent. But the airport isn’t for just grown-ups. At Kinderland, children can do arts and crafts, climb a tower with a ball basin and play with giant soft LEGO blocks—all under the supervision of trained staff.

6. Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
URL: http://www.airport.or.kr/
Asia’s sixth-busiest airport is a six-year-old architectural marvel of sweeping steel and glass that’s regularly awarded top honors—most recently as the “Best in Service Award in Class” at the 1st International Conference on Airport Quality and Service by the IATA. They got it right: Beneath the airport’s sprawling dimensions (it’s the third-largest passenger terminal in the world, after Hong Kong and Bangkok International) are a slew of unique amenities, including an indoor driving range and golf course, a billiards hall, a hospital and an endless bounty of food and beverage outlets.

7. Central Japan International Airport, Ise Bay, Japan
URL: www.centrair.jp/en
This is the country’s third-largest airport, and like most new-build projects in the land-squeezed country, it was created on a D-shaped artificial island. The two-year-old enterprise is clean and efficient, of course, but what makes it especially notable is its jaw-dropping fourth-floor Sky Town shopping center, which features 61 shops and restaurants organized into a pair of streets. There are top-notch noodle canteens, superlative sushi bars and full-out restaurants that are so popular with locals that waits of up to an hour are not unheard of. There’s also an equally impressive duty-free area airside.

8. Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Frankfurt, Germany
Designed by Frankfurt architects Hollin & Radoske in a former Frankfurt Airport parking lot, the €30 million, two-story structure is an beautiful appointed space awash in hand-tufted woollen carpets and bespoke designer fixtures. It’s available only to first class passengers or Lufthansa’s elite frequent fliers. Russet shades from B & B Italia, meantime, dull the daylight filtering into the cigar lounge, where some 36 single-malt Irish whiskeys are on offer. Boarding is unlike that at any terminal: it’s done via a chauffeured Mercedes S-Class or Porsche Cayenne that will elegantly whisk guests plane-side.

http://www.forbestraveler.com/jets-planes/best-airports-layover-slide.html

World's Most Expensive Homes

2008-02-21T01:52:00.004+07:00

$165 million - Beverly Hills, Calif.
Once owned by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, this expansive villa sits on six and a half acres in Beverly Hills.

A massive 75,000 square feet of living space is spread across three stories. The home boasts 29 bedrooms and 40 bathrooms.

The home was built in 1926 in the style of a Mediterranean villa and was featured in the 1972 film The Godfather. The compound comprises six buildings, three swimming pools and a movie theater.

$140 million - Bran Castle, Brasov, Romania
Once inhabited by Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Count Dracula, this castle, built in 1212, sits on 20 acres.

The 17-bedroom castle rests on the top of a cliff and offers views across the countryside and surrounding mountains.

The current owner, Dominic von Hapsburg, is running the home as a museum.

$138 million - Updown Court Windlesham, Surrey
Larger than either Buckingham or Hampton Court palace, this 103-room home has 58 acres of gardens and woodlands, making it the idyllic English country home for those flush with cash.

Several ballrooms and grand entrance ways punctuate this house, which has a panic room, an indoor squash court, bowling alley, 50-seat cinema, helipads, space for eight limousines and a heated marble driveway.

Marble bathrooms are nice, but some would say indoor spas, jacuzzis and pools with views of the grounds are better. For more information contact Savills, Beauchamp Estates or Hamptons International.

$135 million - Hala RanchAspen, Colo.
Until Tim Blixseth finishes constructing his $155 million Montana ski lodge, this 95-acre ranch owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S., is the most expensive in the country.

The Starwood Ranch estate boasts a 56,000-square-foot mansion with 15 bedrooms and 16 baths.

The estate features several smaller buildings, stables, a tennis court and an indoor swimming pool.

$125 million - Maison de L'AmitiePalm Beach, Fla.
In 2004, Donald Trump bought former health care executive Abe Gosman's palace, Maison de L'Amitie, center, at a bankruptcy auction for $41.25 million.

With the refurbished version--complete with ballroom, conservatory and 475 feet of oceanfront--Trump is confident the property will move. If the water is too rough on the beach, the property has a 100-foot swimming pool surrounded by gardens.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/21/homes-expensive-world-forbeslife-cx_mw_0222mostexpensivehomes_slide1_2.html

Fastest-Growing Metros in USA

2008-02-19T23:18:00.002+07:00

No. 1: Austin, Texas
Why It's Booming: The self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World" is booming, thanks in large part to Austin's high-tech industry (key employers include Dell, IBM and Apple) and the University of Texas, which provides the area with a steady stream of engineering talent. Its' population is expected to grow nearly 15% by 2012.

No. 2: Cape Coral - Ft. Myers, Fla.
Why It's Booming: According to the most recent U.S. Census information, Cape Coral was the fourth fastest growing U.S. city with a population of more than 100,000. By 2012, average personal income of its residents is expected to grow by 6.9% annually.

No. 3: Atlanta, Ga.
Why It's Booming: The Atlanta metro area is a job magnet that epitomizes the economic boom of the Southeast. Companies with headquarters there include Coca-Cola, CNN and UPS. It's also got the country's busiest airport for passenger traffic. Atlanta's population has doubled in the last 20 years; by 2012, it's expected to grow another 11%.

No. 4: Seattle, Wash.
Why It's Booming: Two words: Boeing and Microsoft. With employers like these in the metro area, it's difficult not to grow. The area also has the fifth largest concentration of biotech companies in the U.S.

No.5: San Francisco, Calif.
Why It's Booming: San Francisco's growth factors are obvious: It's the financial capital of the West, it's a major U.S. tourist destination, it has a thriving downtown area and its proximity to major universities ensures that it has a steady stream of sharp young minds.

http://money.aol.com/forbes/realestate/fastest-growing-metros

Youngest Billionaires

2008-02-17T01:00:00.003+07:00

Nothing beats being young and rich. Here are the world's 10 youngest billionaires. They include a former Enron oil trader, a German prince and China's richest woman. The youngest of all is 23-year-old Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is quite possibly the world's youngest self-made billionaire ever.

John Arnold, U.S.
Age 34, $1.5 billion, self-made
Source: hedge funds
Residence: Houston, Texas , United States, North America
Industry: Investments
Education: Vanderbilt University, Bachelor of Arts / Science
Raised by a lawyer dad and accountant mom, Arnold whizzed through Vanderbilt University in three years. He became an oil trader for Enron, supposedly earning $750 million for the company in 2001, when he was just 27. He went into business for himself after Enron collapsed a year later. Today he runs hedge fund Centaurus Energy.

Xiaofeng Peng, China
Age 33 , $2.5 billion, self-made
Source: solar energy
Residence: Xinyu , China, Asia & Australia
Industry: Energy
Education: Jiangxi Foreign Trade School, Diploma
Beijing University, Master of Business Administration

It's easy being green for Peng. The relative youngster got into solar energy only in 2005. Two years later, he took his company, LDK Solar, which makes silicon wafers used in solar panels, public on NYSE Euronext.
Started out with a trading company that blossomed into a family-run company that made safety products such as gloves and employed 12,000. He considered adding Chinese-made solar panels to his export wares when he realized that no Chinese company was producing wafers, a key component for solar cells that makes up 25% of their cost. In 2005 Peng began pouring $30 million of his own money and $80 million of venture financing into building factories in his native Jiangxi Province. Now nicknamed Light, this solar energy newcomer took his solar energy company, LDK Solar, onto Nasdaq in 2007. Has been a turbulent ride; dropped in October after an accounting officer who quit firm publicly alleged that LDK inflated inventory figures of a key raw material, polysilicon; The company and Peng have denied the allegations. Stock recovered but then dropped again.

Shivinder Singh, India
Age: 32, $2.5 billion, inherited
Residence: Dehli , India, Asia & Australia
Industry: Pharmaceuticals
Singh and his older brother Malvinder, 35, both Duke University grads, inherited control of generic drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories. We list the duo as sharing a $2.5 billion fortune because they won't break out the ownership details for us. What we know: Malvinder heads Ranbaxy, while Shivinder runs hospital chain Fortis Healthcare, which went public in 2007.

Begumhan Dogan Faralyali, Turkey
Age: 31, $1 billion, inherited
Residence: Istanbul , Turkey, Middle East & Africa
Industry: Media/Entertainment
Education: London School of Economics, Bachelor of Arts / Science Stanford University, Master of Business Administration

A daughter of billionaires, Dogan Faralyali began her career as an Arthur Andersen consultant in New York and later advised Europe's leading media and technology companies. She joined the family media business in Turkey by establishing the corporate communications department of Dogan Holding and became its president.

Aymin Hariri, Saudi Arabia
Age 29 , $2.3 billion, inherited
Residence: Riyadh , Saudi Arabia, Middle East & Africa
Industry: Technology
Education: Georgetown University, Bachelor of Arts / Science
The son of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Aymin is now based in Riyadh and helps watch over family construction and investment company Saudi Oger for older brother Saad, the Lebanese parliamentary majority leader. Plus, he has hands in U.S. government contracting: co-founded and chairs identity management software company Epok, based outside Washington, D.C., which sells to federal and state customers.

Fahd Hariri, Lebanon
Age 27 , $2.3 billion, inherited
Residence: Paris , France, Europe & Russia
Industry: Diversified
Aymin's younger brother, Fahd, serves on board of Beirut's Future Television Network, a terrestrial and satellite TV network. He also runs a fledgling design studio for furniture and other wares in Paris, where sister Hind, also a billionaire, and mother live.

Yang Huiyan, China
Age 26, $7.4 billion, inherited
Residence: Shunde , China, Asia & Australia
Industry: Real Estate
Education: Ohio State University, Bachelor of Arts / Science
China's richest person is also one of the world's youngest billionaires and a daddy's girl. Yang earned her degree from Ohio State University in 2005, the same year her father, Yeung Kwok Keung, the media-shy chief of real estate outfit Country Garden, transferred his stake in the company to her (not a bad graduation gift). Gold-diggers, beware: She's already married; her wedding video is posted on YouTube.

Albert von Thurn und Taxis, Germany
Age: 24 , $2.3 billion, inherited
Net Worth: $2.3 bil
Residence: Regensburg , Germany, Europe & Russia
Industry: Diversified
The German prince appeared briefly on our billionaires list at age 8, but he officially inherited his fortune on his 18th birthday. Lives in a family castle with his mother and older sister. Race car driver, tours with an Italian auto-racing league.

Hind Hariri, Lebanon
Age 24, $1.1 billion, inherited
Residence: Beirut , Lebanon, Middle East & Africa
Industry: Diversified
Youngest child of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (see brothers Bahaa, Saad, Fahd and Ayman) inherited stake in family's construction, banking and media holdings. Graduated in 2006 from the Lebanese American University in Beirut. Sticks close by mother Nazek in Paris, where she attracted attention during recent fashion shows. Confessed to fashion rag Women's Wear Daily: "Couture is for when I am representing my family. I'm more into pret-a-porter." At 24, one of the world's youngest billionaires.

Mark Zuckerberg, U.S.
Age 23, $1.5 billion, self-made
Source: Facebook
Residence: Palo Alto, California , United States, North America
Industry: Technology
Education: Harvard University, Drop Out

Tech's newest golden boy founded addictive social networking site Facebook in February 2004 from his Harvard dorm room. Left school for Silicon Valley later that year; scored initial $500,000 investment from PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel. Venture firms soon swooned, among them Accel Partners and Greylock Partners. Today Facebook boasts 66 million active users. Estimated annual sales: $150 million. Expanding beyond being a college-only message system and photo album; now courting users to 55,000 different high school, business and city networks. Problems with privacy: installed "News Feed" in 2006; program automatically alerted users' friends to changes they made to their profiles. Outcry over privacy concerns led company to backpedal; Zuckerberg issued apology. Similar controversy ensued after release of Facebook Beacon late last year; program automatically alerted friends of activities on selected outside sites, including eBay and Fandango. Microsoft bought 1.6% stake for $240 million last October; deal led many to suggest the company is worth $15 billion. Some analysts—and even a few Facebook investors—suggest the company's value is far lower.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/05/youngest-billionaires-rich-billionaires08-cx_lk_0305youngest_slide.html?partner=links

Top 10 Up-And-Coming Tech Cities

2008-02-15T02:40:00.004+07:00

Where will the next Silicon Valley spring up? Philip Auerswald, professor of public policy at George Mason University, knows where to look. He surveyed regional innovation trends across the U.S. and cobbled a list of up-and-coming tech centers. Auerswald concentrated on specific pockets of science--including advanced materials, nano-crystals and quantum dots, polymers and plastics, micro-systems and cell microbiology--that most experts consider today's most promising frontiers of innovation.

He then looked for important relationships among patents within each one. The most important patents are generally referenced by other inventors in the field when they file for their own patents; lesser patents garner fewer citations. The greater the increase in the number of important patents in a given city, the higher it ranked on Auerswald's list. The results may surprise you.

No. 1 - Columbus, Ohio
In 1997, the Battelle Memorial Institute, Ohio's largest research center, based in Columbus, managed a single lab for the U.S. Department of Energy with an annual budget of $1 billion. A decade later, Battelle oversees seven major laboratories for different federal agencies; budget: $4 billion in research funds annually. The institute has become a force in almost every area of emerging technology, especially life sciences and energy research. One of its children, Velocys, is working on a way to cut the cost of capturing the 3 trillion cubic feet of the world's stranded natural gas by converting it into easily transportable liquid.

No. 2 - Santa Fe, N.M.
Santa Fe has plenty of dirt roads. It also has major federal laboratoriesmore within a 100 mile radius than any other city on this list, including Los Alamos Laboratory, the birthplace of nuclear fission and the atomic bomb, and Sandia National Laboratories, a leading solar-energy research center. A growing number of wind and solar energy start-ups have popped up in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M. Blue Energy USA, for example, has created a 6-foot-tall wind turbine in the shape of a spiral helix. The turbines use solar energy cells that allow them to convert both solar and wind energy simultaneously and can be used for residential use.

No. 3 - Palm Beach County, Fla.
The playground of the rich is also becoming a haven for cutting edge biotech and life-science research. Both the Scripps Research Institute (the world's largest private biomedical research center, headquartered in Southern California) and the Max Planck Institute (Germany's leading life sciences center) are building facilities there. In 2006, BioCatalyst International, a major investor in biotechnology start-ups led by Genzyme co-founder Sheridan Snyder, opened a new office in West Palm Beach to get the first shot at the hottest new prospects.

No. 4 - Houston, Texas
If you want a 10-gallon disruptive technology, smash different discoveries together. To wit: Houston's itRobotics, founded in 2002, has developed new cost-cutting robots that inspect a variety of boilers and energy pipelines for structural flaws. Other Houston start-ups are commercializing technologies originally developed at local research institutions. Nanospectra Biosciences, a local drug delivery company, is working on a nano-scale particle (pioneered at Rice University) that destroys cancerous tumors. The particles are injected in the bloodstream and accumulate inside cancerous tumors. When the tumor is exposed to a laser, the particles absorb the near-infrared light and convert it into thermal energy, destroying the tumor.

No. 5 - Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wis.
Globalization and poor training may have gutted America's manufacturing base, but stalwart metal-bender Milwaukee is not backing down. Rather than just crank out widgets, local companies are attacking bottlenecks in the manufacturing process itself. For example, Rockwell Automation makes snazzy sensors and controls that boost assembly-line productivity. Johnson Controls, inventor of the thermostat in 1885, has produced energy-efficient heating, air-conditioning and lighting systems running throughout 1 billion square feet of commercial real estate. Chief Executive Stephen Roell plans to expand Johnson's workforce 35%, to 190,000 employees, in the next three to four years.

No. 6 - Pittsburgh, Pa.
Resuscitated after decades of economic malaise, the old steel town has become an innovative force in such areas as health care, biomedical technology, nuclear energy and robotics. A big help: Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute is making great strides in robot development. The school's Collaborative Innovation Center, funded by Pittsburgh and the state government, has also helped entice stalwarts like Intel and Apple to build labs in the area.

No. 7 - Boise City, Idaho
Since the 1970s, chip maker Micron Technology and computer giant Hewlett-Packard, along with the Idaho National Laboratory, had buoyed Boise's technology sector. But now there are new faces. In 2006, Idaho ranked seventh nationally in the percentage increase in venture capital investments and 11th in concentration of high-tech workers. One home-grown start-up, Quantum Point Technologies, provides a suite of information-technology management services to agencies at the U.S. Department of the Interior and regional businesses like Washington Trust Bank.

No. 8 - Iowa City, Iowa
There's more than corn in Iowa. Like Asoyia. Founded in 2004 by group of 25 farmers, this biotechnology company commercialized a new strain of soybean developed at Iowa State University. Asoyia's soybean is genetically designed to produce trans-fat-free oils. Iowa City is also a hotbed of new technologies in health care and renewable energy. BFC Gas & Electric can generate enough electricity from solid waste in nearby Cedar Rapids to light up 4,000 homes. Fueling the effort: new venture capital and private equity firms that target renewable energy start-ups. Likewise, the government-backed Grow Iowa Values Fund puts up $2 million a year to support the University of Iowa's Centers for Enterprise.

No. 9 - Lake Charles, La.
Soaring oil profits in recent years have pumped life into Lake Charles' economy. The city's port is the 12th largest in the U.S. and a leading center for offshore drilling and extraction technologies used on platforms around the world. CITGO, ConocoPhillips and other players in the energy industry have expanded operations in Lake Charles, rapidly making the port city a key choke point in America's energy distribution network. The region already boasts one liquefied natural gas facility, and three more are under construction. When those come online in a few years, as much as a quarter of all natural gas used in the U.S. will flow through Lake Charles, estimates the Southwestern Louisiana Chamber of Commerce.

No. 10 - Yuma, Ariz.
This small desert town in southern Arizona has more prisons than patent lawyers. The local chamber of commerce fishes for new business by hyping the tourist flow from Mexico and heavy highway traffic. So what's Yuma got? The U.S. armed forces. The Department of Defense runs a testing facility, U.S. Yuma Proving Ground, near the city of Yuma that spans over 1,300 square miles of desert terrain. As the primary U.S. site for desert warfare research, Yuma is now the third-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country, according to its Web site.And where the military goes, so does tomorrow's top technology.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/10/columbus-milwaukee-houston-ent-tech-cx_wp_0310smallbizoutlooktechcity_slide.html?thisSpeed=20000

Protect Your Brand With SEO Research

2008-02-14T08:45:00.001+07:00

In today's competitive environment, many advertisers resort to using competitor trademark names as keywords in paid-search advertising. These trademark names appear in the search engine results pages for Google, Yahoo! and affiliates and partners when you buy Google AdWords or Overture Precision Match sponsored listings. Therefore, it's possible for your competitors to drive substantial traffic to their web sites by virtue of your trademark name, using your reputation to attract visitors.

A fine example of this is the sticky situation with Google AdWords. In an Internetnews.com article titled "Google Adwords Under Further Trademark Scrutiny," Google was quoted thusly:

"As stated in our Terms and Conditions, advertisers are responsible for the keywords and ad text that they choose to use. We encourage trademark owners to resolve their disputes directly with our advertisers, particularly because the advertisers may have similar advertisements on other sites."

I can certainly understand Google's position. Can you imagine what would happen if it were forced to reverse its policy allowing advertisers to buy keywords containing trademark terms belonging to others? This would severely impact Google's revenue, and no doubt would require exhaustive efforts on their part to prevent such activities from occurring.

It's interesting to note that originally, Google AdWords did not sell trademarked keywords. However, it currently sells trademarked keywords in the U.S. and Canada (but not internationally) with the proviso that the trademark name can't be used in the ad copy itself.

The Best Defense is an Offense

Is there any way to protect yourself from competitors raiding your trademark? One way is to hire an SEO vendor to help identify your competitors and then research their search engine advertising activities. Your legal department can subsequently use the SEO research data to protect your trademark and reputation. This step will prove invaluable toward defending your future and ongoing business.

Most often, it will be the smaller, "wannabe" companies riding on your coat tails by using your trademark terms as keywords in their advertising. These companies will generally avoid the threat of legal action upon receipt of a cease and desist letter. Not only are you protecting your name and reputation, you are crushing the competitors that you don't want representing your firm.

Building Your Marketing Network

Another benefit of mining this competitor data is to assist those whom you do want to benefit from using your trademark name. For instance, you may have affiliates, resellers, and a number of associates with whom you can negotiate on a recurring basis. These are the folks you trust with your trademark and reputation -- your friends and family marketing network. There's something in it for you when they profit from your success.

Knowing who is using your trademark in keyword search advertising or in the body text of their web site has a directly positive effect on managing your brand, your trademark, and your reputation. Make sure your SEO vendor covers this critical marketing aspect for your online success.

A Word of Caution

It goes without saying that you don't want to use trademark names other than your own in keyword phrases. Profiting from the use of another company's trademark or brand without relevance or permission is unacceptable and could even result in legal action against you.

Reviewing the above information on trademark term research while interviewing SEO vendors will help you to identify those vendors who provide added value to your search engine marketing and optimization campaign.

Paul J. Bruemmer is founder of trademarkSEO. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including ClickZ, MarketingProfs, Marketing Today, WebProNews, SitePoint, SEO Today, SEO Consultants, MarcommWise, Pandia, B2B Interactive and Search Engine Guide. TrademarkSEO is a search engine optimization firm based in Santa Ynez Valley, California and serves clients nationwide. His company provided search submission services to over 10,000 websites, including many of the most prominent names in American business.

http://www.seonews.net/articles/article48.php

World's Top Executive Recruiters

2008-02-13T02:07:00.003+07:00

The Most Influential Headhunters

Ulrich F. Ackermann [Managing partner, board member - 11 Years]
Transearch International Deutschland
Sector specialization: Consumer goods, financial services, IT and professional services, auto industry, board services
Job function specialization: C-suite, consulting firm partners
Companies I often recruit for: Adidas; JPMorgan Chase; IBM; PricewaterhouseCoopers
Languages: German, English, French, Italian

Ignacio Bao [Chairman, Signium International - 12 Years]
Signium International
Sector specialization: Investment banking, private banking, private equity, law practice, consulting
Job function specialization: Board directors, CEOs, law/consulting senior partners, CFOs, senior bankers
Companies I often recruit for: BBVA; Santander; PricewaterhouseCoopers; A.T. Kearney; Ernst & Young
Languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese

Robert L. Benson [Chairman, Slayton Search Partners - 25 Years]
Slayton Search Partners
Sector specialization: Board consulting; Financial services: insurance, banking, investment management; Industrial: power generation
Job function specialization: Board directors, CEOs, marketing, HR, business development/strategy
Companies I often recruit for: General Electric; ACE Ltd.; UNUM; Shawmut Bank; Prudential Life
Languages: English, Survival German, French

Dennis Carey [Senior client partner, Korn/Ferry International - 20 Years]
Korn/Ferry International
Sector specialization: All industries and sectors
Job function specialization: Board directors, CEOs, senior executives
Companies I often recruit for: Tyco; 3M; Northrop Grumman; GlaxoSmithKline; Sprint Nextel/Embarq
Languages: English
The global business trend: Public policy on trade issues and the global flow and cost of capital.

Jim Citrin [Senior director, Spencer Stuart - 14 Years]
Spencer Stuart
Sector specialization: Technology, communications and media; hotels; private equity, financial services
Job function specialization: CEOs, CFOs, board directors
Companies I often recruit for: Yahoo!, Microsoft, Eastman Kodak, Starwood Hotels
Languages: English

Christopher John Clarke [President, CEO, Boyden World]
Boyden World
Sector specialization: Executive search
Job function specialization: Board effectiveness, executive search
Companies I often recruit for: Boyden World
Languages: English
The global business trend: The rise of China and India. They have one-third of the world’s population and are growing to dominance in the world economy over the next 50 years.

Michael James "Jim" Conroy [Chairman, founding partner, Conroy Ross Partners]
Conroy Ross Partners
Sector specialization: Energy, nonprofit, financial
Job function specialization: Board directors, executives, CFOs, marketing, business development
Companies I often recruit for: Nexen; Burlington/ConocoPhillips; Western Oil Sands; Plains Marketing; Verenex
Languages: English
The global business trend: The overall globalization of all streams of business will continue to present many different challenges. The increasing cost of diminishing energy sources and the increasing focus on the environment will be major influencers of future corporate performance.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/02/0204_headhunters/index_01.htm?chan=rss_topSlideShows_ssi_5

Amazon Leads Tech Stocks Higher

2008-02-08T03:25:00.002+07:00

A $1 billion share buyback boosted Amazon.com shares Friday and drew investors into technology shares for a second day.

After plunging 5% in the first three days of the week on slowdown fears, the Nasdaq has gained more than 2% off Thursday's low despite a warning from Cisco that the slowdown is real.

But investors have begun to see signs of value in the sector, driven in part by Microsoft's nearly $45 billion bid for Yahoo. Shares of both companies edged higher Friday on reports that Yahoo's board is meeting to consider its options.

Amazon was another sign of value, up nearly 4% after the company said it will buy back shares and part of its debt too. Former sector leaders that have been battered in recent months, like Research In Motion, Apple and Google, also caught a bid today. With the Federal Reserve and Congress working feverishly to stimulate the economy, investors may be betting that the downturn will be short-lived.

CNET gained 8% on reports that Google may be weighing a stake in the company.

McAfee, Cognizant and Adept Technology gained on their results, and HP recovered much of Thursday's 4% drop on a Goldman Sachs downgrade.

Alcatel-Lucent was off 4% after beating sales estimates but warning of a first-quarter loss and halting its dividend, as the company's troubles have been compounded by a slowing economy. Real Networks fell 5% on its results, and Aruba Networks tumbled 36% on a warning.

AMD fell 4% on reports that Dell may use fewer chips from the company.

Micron lost 6% following its analyst day.

Blue chip stocks, meanwhile, sagged on concerns that a bailout of bond insurers has yet to materialize.

The Nasdaq rose 11 to 2304, the S&P lost 5 to 1331, and the Dow fell 65 to 12,182. Volume declined to 3.75 billion shares on the NYSE, and 2.27 billion on the Nasdaq. Decliners led by a 19-13 margin on the NYSE, and 17-12 on the Nasdaq. Upside volume was 34% on the NYSE, and 65% on the Nasdaq. New highs-new lows were 31-97 on the NYSE, and 46-129 on the Nasdaq.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3727021/Amazon+Leads+Tech+Stocks+Higher.htm

World War 3.0: Google battles Microsoft

2008-02-06T03:39:00.001+07:00

It might not be all-out war -- yet -- but the battle lines between Google and Microsoft are certainly being drawn in the wake of the software giant's bid to buy Yahoo. According to a report in The New York Times, Google has been hard at work readying its financial, political and legal resources for what could be the fight of the digital age.

Already Google has made overtures to Yahoo, hoping to find a way for the slumping internet giant to remain free from Microsoft's clutches. But at the same time, Google has ramped up its lobbying machine, trying to convince lawmakers to step in and kill any potential deal. If that's the case, it could be payback for Microsoft, which worked feverishly to delay Google's $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick.

While the precise nature of the looming battle will depend on Yahoo's decision to accept or reject Microsoft's bid, the prospect of an all-out battle for ownership of the digital ad industry appears to be a reality.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/18253.asp

A Buyers' Market at eBay

2008-02-01T03:30:00.001+07:00

New CEO outlines spate of changes to improve buying experience and quality of sellers at online marketplace.

Caveat emptor? Not on Donahoe's watch!

Speaking at eBay's third annual e-Commerce Forum in Washington, D.C., newly minted President and CEO John Donahoe outlined a series of sweeping changes to eBay's fee structures, seller rankings and feedback mechanisms that will take effect in the coming months.

In this morning's keynote address to some 200 of eBay's top sellers, Donahoe followed up on the promise he made during last week's earnings call to move aggressively to improve the buying experience on eBay.

"Today, buyers expect a very high level of value, selection and convenience," he said. "Given these heightened expectations, eBay is in a crossroads."

"We can no longer afford to make incremental changes to meet our customers' needs," he added. "We need to redo our playbook, and we need to do it fast."

That new playbook includes pricing adjustments and several new mechanisms that tilt the marketplace in favor of honest sellers who work to improve the quality of the buying experience.

A poor shopping experience, marked by inaccurate product descriptions or excessive shipping fees or delays, deters a buyer from returning to shop at any part of eBay's site, not just from dealing with a single dishonest seller, Donahoe said.

Beginning Feb. 20, eBay will lower the insertion fees that sellers pay to list merchandise through fixed-price sales and in eBay stores. The goal is to reduce upfront risk. However, eBay will balance the revenue equation by increasing the final value fees it collects following a sale.

The new structure is designed to align fees with performance. The fees that sellers pay will be more closely tied to how much they actually sell, rather than how much inventory they display.

Final value fees will increase according to a tiered schedule, eBay said.

For sales up to $25, the fee will jump from 5.25 percent to 8.75 percent; for sales up to $1,000, the fee on the first $25 will increase to the same 8.75 percent, with the fee for the remaining balance ($25.01 to $1,000) moving up from 3.25 percent to 3.5 percent.

Those same rates will apply to sales of more than $1,000, while the final value fee for the amount exceeding $1,001.01 will hold steady at 1.5 percent.

After a five-week promotion, eBay will permanently eliminate fees basic Gallery photo-based listings, an announcement that drew cheers from the audience. In addition, eBay will introduce a tiered pricing structure for Featured Plus listings, reducing the lowest level from $19.95 to $9.95.

Donahoe said he expects upfront fees for some sellers to drop by as much as 50 percent.

As it restructures the marketplace to reward quality sellers, eBay will begin putting much more importance behind the Detailed Seller Ratings (DSR) it rolled out last year.

eBay will reward Power Sellers with consistently high DSRs by reducing the final value fees by 5 percent or 15 percent, depending on the seller's score.

Power Sellers enjoy a favorable presence in the eBay marketplace, and the designation is a tacit endorsement by the company. Starting in July, however, sellers will need to earn a minimum DSR score to retain their Power Seller status, Donahoe said.

Bill Cobb, eBay's outgoing North America president, expounded on the specifics of eBay's changes -- including adjustments coming to the search algorithm.

Beginning in March, eBay will skew the algorithm to boost exposure for sellers with the highest DSR rankings, effectively marginalizing sellers who mistreat their customers.

The Best Match criterion will become the default sorting method, and sellers with the highest DSRs for the past 30 days can expect to climb to the top of the search rankings.

"Looking ahead, DSRs are going to be playing an even more important role in eBay," Cobb said, after acknowledging that some sellers had expressed objections to the ratings system.

While eBay is amplifying the voice of its buyers, it is taking steps to limit the public feedback sellers can give.

Beginning in May, sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback about buyers. The move comes in address of the growing problem of retaliatory feedback that has been scaring many buyers away.

Cobb said that sellers leave retaliatory feedback about buyers at a rate eight times higher than the rate buyers do about sellers.

For sellers, he also outlined some seller-friendly tools eBay plans to roll out later this year. Those include increased back-end monitoring of suspect buyers, as well as a new dashboard that will provide sellers with the same information about their transactions that eBay's customer support staff sees.

Additionally, sellers will no longer need to authenticate a shipping address through PayPal, and eBay will start rewarding sellers who transact with repeat customers.

Today's address came as a call to eBay's sellers to ratchet up their standards for customer service. In the old days, when eBay first appeared, it was enough just to drive traffic to an e-commerce site, Donahoe said. That was 1995. On today's Web, buyers have options.

"As strong as we are today, the world is changing around us," he said. "Sometimes you have to be willing to throw out the playbook.

http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3724546/A+Buyers+Market+at+eBay.htm

Highest valued currency unit

2008-01-30T14:35:00.000+07:00

1. Kuwait - dinar - KWD
2. Bahrain - dinar - BHD
3. Oman - rial - OMR
4. Latvia - lats - LVL
5.1 United Kingdom - pound - GBP
5.2 Falkland Islands - pound - FKP
5.3 Gibraltar - pound - GIP
5.4 Guernsey - - pound - GGP
5.5 Jersey - pound [4] - JEP
5.6 Isle of Man - pound - IMP
5.7 Saint Helena - pound - SHP
6. European Union (Eurozone) - euro - EUR
7. Jordan - dinar - JOD
8. Cayman Islands - dollar - KYD
9. Azerbaijan - manat - AZN
10. Cuba - convertible peso - CUC
11. Ghana - cedi - GHS
12.1 United States - dollar - USD
12.2 Bahamas - dollar - BSD
12.3 Bermuda - dollar - BMD
12.4 Panama - balboa - PAB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_valued_currency_unit

Gadgets Technology to Watch in 2008

2008-01-29T17:01:00.000+07:00

iPhone Redux :: Apple's Next iPhone
As it first needs to approval from the Federal Communications Commission, it will have to be disclosed publicly a few months earlier. Expect Apple CEO Steve Jobs to announce iPhone 2.0 no later than March, in time for a July release.
The next iteration is likely to include access to faster 3G wireless networks, speedier Wi-Fi connections, and GPS reception. Also rumored, but not confirmed by Apple: an iPhone mini.

iPhone Rival :: BlackBerry 9000
A major iPhone rival is Research In Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry. The devices may appear to be aimed at vastly different audiences, but they overlap in an increasing number of ways. BlackBerry phones now play music and video, while iPhones handle text messaging and e-mail, and are increasingly in demand among business users.
The BlackBerry 9000 series, as yet only the subject of rumor, is said to look an awful lot like an iPhone, even sporting touch-screen technology.

Connected Navigation :: Dash Express
Navigation devices, with their ability to get users from place to place using Global Positioning System technology, were all the rage in 2007. In the coming year, expect them to become Internet aware.
In February, startup Dash Navigation will debut its $600 Dash Express, a car navigation device that uses wireless phone networks to get live traffic updates and load addresses and routes from a PC or Mac. The navigation industry will be watching closely for signs of the product's success. If it is successful, Dash may find itself in the crosshairs of a suitor.

Mobile Matchmaker :: GE Cell Fusion
GE's Cell Fusion products let you link your cell phone using wireless Bluetooth technology. The point is to mesh the sound quality and other benefits of a landline phone with the convenience and cost savings of a cell phone. Consumers could, for example, take calls to a cell phone on a home phone when the wireless device is charging, or make long-distance calls on a home phone while using a cell-phone plan.

Digital Readers :: Amazon Kindle
Reviewers called it ugly and overpriced. But consumers couldn't get enough of Amazon.com's (AMZN) Kindle e-book device. Despite the pans, the item was sold out in a matter of days and Amazon is rushing to replenish the supply.
While e-book readers are still a curiosity for many in the mainstream, the concept simply won't die. Sony (SNE) is on the second generation of its digital reader, and eyes will be on Amazon for evidence of strong sales.

Smartpens :: Nokia, Livescribe, Epos
Digital pens, a footnote from the last tech bubble, are poised for a second run at commercial success in 2008 thanks to products from no fewer than three vendors.
In February, Livescribe will introduce its smartpen, which not only records your written words so they can be read on a computer, but also records surrounding sounds—an obvious boon to college students taking lecture notes. Others pens from Epos and Nokia (NOK) stick to storing what you write on a computer.

Wi-Fi Video Phones :: CREATIVE Technology
Wi-Fi calling, a category that includes Apple's Touch and iPhone as well as devices made by Cisco Systems (CSCO), is set to expand in 2008.
A notable addition, judging from FCC filings, is the InPerson from Creative Technology (CREAF). It looks a little like a laptop computer, but is aimed at making Internet videoconferencing calls without a PC.

Open Cell Phone :: Google's Android
The first phones bearing Google's (GOOG) Android operating system are expected to hit the market in the second half of 2008—just in time, it would seem, to compete with the second-generation iPhone and whatever new BlackBerry device Research In Motion cooks up.
The cost of the OS (it's free) can't help but upend the competitive landscape for smartphones, but only if Android lives up to the hype.

Built PC Tough :: Solid-state PC hard drives
Hard drives are delicate. Notebook PCs tend to be dropped. It's a recipe for data disaster. One answer is solid-state hard drives, which store data using flash memory chips, rather than the spinning glass platter of a traditional hard drive.
Already appearing in some high-end notebooks from Dell (DELL), solid-state hard drives are likely to make a bigger splash across the mainstream PC market in 2008. The benefits for users are faster boot-up times and notebooks that are less sensitive to drops. The downside? Higher cost per gigabyte, though the prices on flash are dropping fast.

Make-or-Break Year :: Palm
The company whose name was once synonymous with handheld computing is in the doldrums. Palm's been there before and recovered. The question is whether it can bounce back again. Palm's Treo line of smartphones is looking hopelessly outdated compared with the BlackBerry and iPhone; its Foleo clamshell device, announced with much fanfare, attracted shrugs, and was ultimately killed.
Palm's latest device, the Treo 755p, was late getting out the door in time for the holidays. This could be Palm's make-or-break year. Devices running a badly needed update to the Palm operating system won't appear before 2009, raising the impolite question: Will anyone care by then?

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2007/tc20071228_333659.htm

America's Best-Paying Jobs

2008-01-28T16:22:00.000+07:00

1. Surgeons : Treat diseases, injuries and deformities by invasive methods, such as manual manipulation or by using instruments and appliances.
Mean Annual Salary: $181,850
Top Paying Industry: Medical and diagnostic laboratories (NA)
Top Paying State: Maine ($196,960)
Top Paying Metro: St. Cloud, Minn. (NA)

2. Anesthesiologists : Administer anesthetics during surgery or other medical procedures.
Mean Annual Salary: $174,610
Top Paying Industry: Offices of physicians ($182,360)
Top Paying State: New Jersey ($197,780)
Top Paying Metro: Savannah, Ga. (NA)

3. Obstetricians and Gynecologists : Diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases of women, especially those affecting the reproductive system and the process of childbirth.
Mean Annual Salary: $174,490
Top Paying Industry: Insurance carriers ($189,640)
Top Paying State: South Dakota ($197,090)
Top Paying Metro: Tallahassee, Fla. (NA)

4. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons : Perform surgery on mouths and jaws.
Mean Annual Salary: $169,600
Top Paying Industry: Offices of physicians ($184,760)
Top Paying State: North Carolina (NA)
Top Paying Metro: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.-Wisconsin (NA)

5. Internists, General : Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems.
Mean Annual Salary: $156,790
Top Paying Industry: Medical and diagnostic laboratories ($179,310)
Top Paying State: South Dakota ($186,000)
Top Paying Metro: Fort Pierce-Port St. Lucie, Fla. (NA)

6. Prosthodontists : Construct oral prostheses to replace missing teeth and other oral structures.
Mean Annual Salary: $156,710
Top Paying Industry: Offices of dentists ($182,640)
Top Paying State: Virginia (NA)
Top Paying Metro: Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia-West Virginia ($191,090)

7. Orthodontists : Examine, diagnose and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws.
Mean Annual Salary: $153,240
Top Paying Industry: Offices of dentists ($156,050)
Top Paying State: Washington (NA)
Top Paying Metro: Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. ($188,610)

8. Psychiatrists : Diagnose, treat and help prevent disorders of the mind.
Mean Annual Salary: $151,380
Top Paying Industry: Social advocacy organizations ($192,910)
Top Paying State: Colorado ($190,180)
Top Paying Metro: Springfield, Mo. ($195,450)

9. Chief Executives : Determine and formulate policies and provide the overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within the guidelines set up by a board of directors.
Mean Annual Salary: $140,880
Top Paying Industry: Securities and commodity exchanges ($189,950)
Top Paying State: New Jersey ($172,960)
Top Paying Metro: Jersey City, N.J. ($188,070)

10. Pediatricians, General : Diagnose, treat and help prevent children's diseases and injuries.
Mean Annual Salary: $140,000
Top Paying Industry: Elementary and secondary schools ($145,240)
Top Paying State: Louisiana ($176,810)
Top Paying Metro: Columbus, Ga.-Alabama ($193,640)

11. Family and General Practitioners : Diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population.
Mean Annual Salary: $137,980
Top Paying Industry: Medical and diagnostic laboratories ($170,500)
Top Paying State: Nevada ($173,660)
Top Paying Metro: Victoria, Texas (NA)

12. Physicians and Surgeons, All Other : All physicians and surgeons outside main specialties.
Mean Annual Salary: $137,100
Top Paying Industry: Medical and diagnostic laboratories ($177,500)
Top Paying State: Wisconsin ($174,370)
Top Paying Metro: Owensboro, Ky. (NA)

13. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers : Pilot and navigate the flight of multi-engine aircraft in regularly scheduled service for the transport of passengers and cargo.
Mean Annual Salary: $134,090
Top Paying Industry: Scheduled air transportation ($144,140)
Top Paying State: New York ($159,010)
Top Paying Metro: New York City ($175,130)

14. Dentists, General : Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures.
Mean Annual Salary: $132,660
Top Paying Industry: Offices of dentists ($135,560)
Top Paying State: Alaska ($184,460)
Top Paying Metro: Colorado Springs, Colo. ($198,650)

15. Podiatrists : Diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot.
Mean Annual Salary: $111,130
Top Paying Industry: Offices of other health practitioners ($116,820)
Top Paying State: Kentucky ($170,740)
Top Paying Metro: Birmingham, Ala. ($185,230)

http://www.forbes.com/2006/05/20/06work_bestpayjobs_slide.html?thisSpeed=35000

The Top 100 Products from PC World

2008-01-25T00:24:00.000+07:00

Google Apps Premier EditionVendor Site
Intel Core 2 Duo
Nintendo Wii
Verizon FiOS Vendor Site
RIM Blackberry 8800
Parallels Desktop
Pioneer Elite 1080p PRO-FHD1
Infrant Technologies ReadyNAS NV
Apple Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"
Adobe Premiere Elements 3
Apple TV
Samsung SyncMaster 244T
BillP Studios WinPatrol
HP dv9000t
McAfee SiteAdvisor
Canonical Ubuntu 7.04 Review
Pandora.com Review
Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite
Paint.net
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000
SightSpeed 6
Kayak Web Site
Nikon D40X
New York Times Times Reader Vendor Site
Samsung BlackJack
Apple iPod (80GB) Test Report
Yahoo Mail Beta Vendor Site
TomTom One
Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP
Zoho Review
Google Gmail Vendor Site
Sling Media Slingbox Pro
Red Octane Guitar Hero 2
Google YouTube Vendor Site
Mozilla Firefox 2
Google Picasa
Nikon D80
Skype 3
Aliph Jawbone
Shure E500PTH
CyberPower Gamer Infinity Ultimate
Asus w5fe-2P025E
AVS Forum Web Site
Yahoo Flickr Review
Apple iPod Nano (8GB)
Nikon Coolpix S50c
Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP
OCZ Trifecta Secure Digital Memory Card
Archos 704 Wi-Fi
Lenovo ThinkPad X60 Tablet

The Web Celeb 25

2008-01-23T17:15:00.000+07:00

1. Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira)
Age: 29
What: Celebrity gossip blogger
Where: http://perezhilton.com/
Hollywood stars fear the wrath of Perez Hilton, a controversial gossip blogger with a poison "pen." Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, styles himself as "The Queen of Mean" and has earned a rabid following, thanks to his sense of humor, snarky voice and irreverent habits--like doodling rude captions on paparazzi photos. His blog is hugely popular, despite recent missteps, including erroneously reporting the death of Fidel Castro. And Perez is increasingly becoming a TV star, with gigs including guest-hosting The View, appearing as a contestant on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar and hosting his own series of specials, What Perez Sez, on VH1.

2. Michael Arrington
Age: 37
What: Tech blogger
Where: http://www.techcrunch.com/
Who do savvy investors and tech-business cognoscenti turn to for help finding the next big thing? Michael Arrington, corporate attorney, entrepreneur and editor of the influential TechCrunch blog. The site obsessively profiles and reviews Internet entrepreneurs, products and services--and a mere mention of a company on its pages can make or break a start-up. Arrington has become a Silicon Valley star, one of the most influential business writers in the world, and is regularly cited or quoted in other media.

3. Mark Frauenfelder
Age: 46
What: Editor, blogger, illustrator
Where: http://www.boingboing.net/
When Mark Fraunfelder co-founded technology and culture 'zine Boing Boing in 1988, few would have predicted the project would eventually evolve into a new media giant. But in its current incarnation, Boing Boing is one of the most read and linked-to blogs in the world--so big that three of the five editors appear on this edition of the Web Celeb 25. Frauenfelder scores extra points--and ranks higher on the list than his co-editors--thanks to his work as the editor-in-chief of do-it-yourself magazine MAKE, a geek favorite. This year, he published a book, Rule The Web, about "how to do anything and everything on the internet--better, faster, easier." Boing Boing's expansion into podcasts and videocasts further increases his visibility.

4. Seth Godin
Age: 47
What: Marketing guru
Where: http://www.sethgodin.com/
In his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, Seth Godin says that the key to success is to find a way to stand out--to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins. Godin himself may be the best example of how this theory works: The marketing expert is a demigod on the Web, a best-selling author, highly sought-after lecturer, successful entrepreneur, respected pundit and high-profile blogger. He is uniquely respected for his understanding of the Internet, and his essays and opinions are widely read and quoted--online and off.

5. Cory Doctorow
Age: 36
What: Author and blogger
Where: http://www.craphound.net/
Cory Doctorow is a prominent activist for digital rights, and serves as a fellow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He's one of the editors of Boing Boing, a hugely influential and popular blog about technology, culture and politics. And he's also a science fiction novelist, particularly famous on the Web, where he gives his novels away for free (For more, see his essay, " Giving It Away.") In 2007, Doctorow raised his profile with a new short story collection, Overclocked, numerous columns and articles around the Web (including on Forbes.com) and participation in Boing Boing's new podcasts and videocasts.

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/12/18/web-celeb-fame-tech-cx_de_07webceleb_1218top_slide.html

World Ranking for Economic

2008-01-17T06:44:00.000+07:00

Most Expensive Countries to Live in
1. Japan
2. South Korea
3. Russia
4. Taiwan
5. Norway
6. Hong Kong
7. Switzerland
8. Denmark
9. Argentina
10. China
11. Finland
12. Cote d'Ivoire
13. United States
14. Sweden
15. Venezuela
16. United Kingdom
17. Singapore
18. Oman
19. Jordan
20. Kuwait

Countries with the Highest Gross National Income per Capita
1. Norway - $43400
2. Switzerland - $40680
3. United States - $37870
4. Japan - $34180
5. Denmark - $33570
6. Sweden - $28910
7. United Kingdom - $28320
8. Finland - $27060
9. Ireland - $27010
10. Austria - $26810
[Source: World Bank]

Richest Countries in the World
1. Luxembourg - $68,800
2. Equatorial Guinea - $50,200
3. United Arab Emirates - $49,700
4. Norway - $47,800
5. Ireland - $43,600
6. United States - $43,500
7. Andorra - $38,800
8. Iceland - $38,100
9. Denmark - $37,000
10. Austria - $35,500
[Source: CIA World Factbook]

Countries with the Largest Economies
1. United States - $11,750,000,000,000
2. China - $7,262,000,000,000
3. Japan - $3,745,000,000,000
4. India - $3,319,000,000,000
5. Germany - $2,362,000,000,000
6. United Kingdom - $1,782,000,000,000
7. France - $1,737,000,000,000
8. Italy - $1,609,000,000,000
9. Brazil - $1,492,000,000,000
10. Russia - $1,408,000,000,000
11. Canada - $1,023,000,000,000
12. Mexico - $1,006,000,000,000
13. Spain - $937,600,000,000
14. Korea, South - $925,100,000,000
15. Indonesia - $827,400,000,000
[Source: CIA World Factbook]

Countries with the Highest Employment Rates
1. Iceland - $82.8
2. Switzerland - $77.4
3. Denmark - $76.0
4. Norway - $75.6
5. New Zealand - $73.5
6. Sweden - $73.5
7. Netherlands - $72.7
8. United Kingdom - $72.7
9. Canada - $72.6
10. United States - $71.2
11. Australia - $69.5
12. Japan - $68.7
13. Portugal - $67.8
14. Austria - $67.8
15. Finland - $67.2
16. Ireland - $65.5
17. Germany - $65.5
18. Czech Republic - $64.2
19. Korea, South - $63.6
20. France - $62.4
21. Spain - $62.0
22. Luxembourg - $61.6
23. Mexico - $60.8
24. Belgium - $60.5
25. Greece - $59.6
26. Italy - $57.4
27. Slovakia - $57.0
28. Hungary - $56.8
29. Poland - $51.9
30. Turkey - $46.1
[Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]

25 Sites Americans Can't Live Without

2008-01-10T13:42:00.000+07:00

1. Amazon.com :: The uber-e-tailer that never forgets its bookstore roots.

2. BBC.co.uk :: World News. Sports. Radio. Articles and audio in 33 languages.

3. Citysearch.com :: Helps steer you to the right restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels and spas in dozens of cities, with editors' picks and user reviews, and a Yellow Pages directory that includes shops and other services.

4. Craigslist.org :: Free classified ads in every category, organized by locale. To access ads that are posted elsewhere online.

5. Del.icio.us :: An immensely popular place to share your favorite Web links and see what other people are bookmarking.

6. Digg.com :: The leader in social news, where users determine what's important and interesting by submitting it, "digging" it and posting a comment.

7. Ebay.com :: The online auction powerhouse sells one car every minute on eBay Motors; at StubHub, which eBay acquired in February.

8. ESPN.com :: The ads are way too aggressive, but this site's got everything a sports fanatic needs. Speedy Net connection a must.

9. Facebook.com :: This social network is not as popular as MySpace, but it also hasn't been corrupted by marketers and fake friends.

10. FactCheck.org :: Staff writers check speeches, TV ads, news releases and other public statements for accuracy, and provide clarification and context.

11. Flickr.com :: More than half a billion images are now posted on Flickr, a superbly designed sharing platform and social network for photo enthusiasts

12. Google.com :: The world's leading Web search engine has helpfully gathered together a complete list of its ever-growing range of special features, tips and tricks.

13. HowStuffWorks.com :: This site lets you upload photos and video to help supplement its written content.

14. IMDB.com :: [The Internet Movie Database] It is not just the Net's more extensive directory of films and TV shows of the past, present and future —it is also a stomping ground for film buffs who like to quote dialogue, share trivia and recommend favorite flicks to their friends.

15. YouTube :: This monster video-sharing hub has more visitors than all of its many competitors combined.

16. Kayak.com :: The search engine works fast, scouring hundreds of travel sites to find the best airfares. You can compare rates on different travel dates, or check prices to several destinations at once.

17. National Geographic.com :: There's a ton of great content here about animals, world adventures, the environment, the sciences, space plus educational stuff too.

18. Netflix.com :: Digital movie downloads are getting easier, but most consumers still prefer their movies on DVD, and those slim red sleeves are still the best way to get 'em.

19. Technorati.com :: This blog search engine now searches for social media too —photos, video and music posted on online sharing sites and a tag cloud on the home page shows you the hot topics of the day.

20. TMZ.com :: The best for celebrity and entertainment news. Recent scoops include a May 18 post about Andy Roddick's buffed-up bod on the cover of the June/July issue of Men's Fitness

21. USA.gov :: The official Web portal for the U.S. government, with links to every branch, agency and organization involved in federal business, plus reports, guides, reference material and other resources to help you navigate the system, and, whenever possible, get things done online.

22. Television WithoutPity.com :: Bitingly funny recaps of dozens of popular TV shows, plus forums for further discussion.

23. WebMD.com :: A big portal packed with information about health and related issues.

24. Wikipedia.org :: The people's encyclopedia, with millions of articles written in hundreds of languages. It's free, and anyone can edit.

25. Yahoo.com :: We've already singled out a few of our favorites from Yahoo's basket of goodies Flickr, Del.icio.us, Bix but the site is also number two in Web search.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1638266_1638253,00.html

Wonders Hall of the World

2008-01-08T16:30:00.000+07:00

1. Danish Radio Concert Halls in Copenhagen :: by Jean Nouvel [Classical Designs]
In recent years, architects have been reinventing the classic concert hall auditorium. While the end goal remains the same—to present perfectly projected classical music in an unamplified yet gorgeous environment—the design techniques used have become increasingly sophisticated and elaborate. Soundproofing, "floating" architecture, areas for socializing, the use of bare spaces or sustainable materials—all these and more have been put to use in the name of providing classical entertainment.

2. Holywell Music Room in Oxford :: by Thomas Camplin in 1748 [Oldest Design]
Traditionally, European musicians played in churches and ale houses. But an 18th-century Oxford University music professor initiated the radical change of building a dedicated music venue, the Holywell Music Room, which took six years to complete and hosted its first performance in 1748. Widely acknowledged as the first hall created specifically for people to gather to listen to music, the Holywell Music Room seats 250 people and remains one of the world's most revered chamber music halls.

3. Musikverein in Vienna :: by Theophil von Hansen in 1870 [Best Acoustics]
Vienna's shoe box-shaped concert hall was completed in 1870 and is world-renowned for its acoustics. With more than 500 shows per year, this hall is a favorite of international orchestras and is the home of Vienna's Philharmonic, a historic orchestra associated with composers like Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi. Even though the science of acoustics has become increasingly sophisticated in the past century, a hall's sound cannot necessarily rely only on sophisticated technology to achieve the best effect. "We can [use computers] until the sound is 70% or 80% [perfect]," says Yasuhisa Toyota, a company director with sound specialist Nagata Acoustics who studied the Musikverein and who has worked on more than 50 of the world's concert halls. The rest, he warns, comes from a difficult-to-duplicate combination of experience—and luck.

4. Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona :: by Domènech i Montaner in 1908 [Most Light-Filled]
Barcelona's ornate Palau de la Música Catalana does not require additional, artificial lighting during daylight hours. Sunlight pours through the colorful skylight (which weighs about a metric ton and is built directly over the stage to properly illuminate daytime concerts.) Stained-glass windows also surround the 2,200-seat hall, further eliminating the need for electric lighting (although lighting is available for nighttime concerts). Completed in 1908 by Domènech i Montaner, the Modernist hall was constructed to resemble a Gothic cathedral to lend a sacred touch to the space, which is used mainly to stage concerts of choral music.

5. Berliner Philharmoniker in Berlin :: by Hans Scharoun in 1963 [Most Influential]
Hans Scharoun started the trend of "vineyard" seating in 1963, when his design for Berlin's Philharmoniker concert hall was completed. In an attempt to involve the audience in the concert, Scharoun designed the hall so that seating surrounded the orchestra—rejecting the previous norm of "shoe box" arrangements in which audiences sat directly in front of the musicians. Since then, many of the world's concert halls, including Jean Nouvel's upcoming Philharmonie de Paris (which will be completed in 2012) and Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall have adopted this kind of seating. Some say the circular shape makes the concert-going experience more intimate and less hierarchical. "The room shape is more flexible and the layout is more informal," says Nagata Acoustics' Toyota.

6. Sydney Opera House :: by Jørn Utzon in 1973 [Most Visited]
With about 4 million visitors each year, the Sydney Opera House is not only the most visited concert hall, it's also the most visited landmark in the Southern Hemisphere. Recently, the Jørn Utzon-designed concert hall was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, alongside the Kremlin and the Tower of London. The main concert hall has 2,679 seats that curve around the stage. Every year, more than 650 staff members assist and advise the landmark's visitors—about a quarter of whom buy tickets to some of the 1,700 annual performances. For Sydney, this radically designed landmark has not only gained international acclaim for the city, it's also become a significant source of revenue.

7. Walt Disney Concert Hall at Los Angleles :: Frank Gehry in 2003 [Most Complex]
Visitors can get a sense of the complexity of the Walt Disney Concert Hall simply by looking at it. But to build the 293,000-square-foot hall cost $274 million and took 12,500 individually created pieces of primary steel, each one ranging in size from 13 inches to 110 feet and together weighing 22 million pounds. The auditorium is intended to suggest a ship's hull and billowing sails, mimicking the exterior of the building, which resembles a ship with its sail at full mast. For the initial design, Gehry used 270 different Catia computer models and created 30,000 shop drawings, while Nagata Acoustics' Toyota spent some 14 years developing its sound design.

8. Casa da Musica at Porto, Portugal :: by Office for Metropolitan Architecture in 2005 [Most Sociable]
Promising to take into account audiences' changing musical preferences, Rem Koolhaas and Ellen van Loon of OMA designed a 1,300-seat concert hall with the underlying goal of encouraging audience interaction and discussion. For instance, wide aluminum stairs (replacing a traditional foyer) spark socializing while views of the outside world from two large glass windows located inside the concert hall act as a reminder of the world at large. "We wanted people to interact with the music as much as possible," says van Loon of the style-conscious building.

9. Zénith Concert Hall at Limoges, France :: by Bernard Tschumi in 2007 [Most Eco-Friendly]
Constructed from locally sourced Douglas fir wood as well as translucent polycarbonate (a material known for its superior thermal properties and temperature resistance), this hall's double-envelope style gives it natural light and energy-efficient insulation. In the 72-foot-high ceiling, huge vents release hot air as it rises to the top of the structure, thus saving on the air-conditioning bill. Outside, 1,500 parking spaces are covered with grass and surrounded by trees, which at least conceal the not always eco-friendly vehicles used by concertgoers. "When there is not a concert [playing] you see a grass field. Underneath is a volcanic stone that absorbs humidity," Tschumi describes. Although this venue often stages concerts of genres other than classical music, the venue made our list because its eco-awareness is a first among concert halls.

10. DR Concert Hall at Copenhagen :: by Jean Nouvel in 2009 [Most Transparent]
When it's complete, the Danish Radio Concert Hall will be enveloped with multifunctional, semitransparent blue walls. At night, the façade will turn into a film screen, allowing the details of the performances within to be displayed without. As such, it's the only concert hall whose outside walls are made completely of screens. From the inside, the foyer will also act as an auditorium to enhance the main performance by showing footage associated with the events—even before the visitor takes his or her seat in the main hall. And to allow visitors to get a clear sense of the structural skeleton of the building, the exterior of the terraced, 1,800-seat concert hall can be seen from the foyer and is connected only by three staircases and six pillars—adding to the sense of transparency inherent within the space.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/09/0926_wow_concerthalls2/index_01.htm?chan=rss_topSlideShows_ssi_5

2007 Technology of the Year Awards: App Dev

2008-01-06T10:53:00.000+07:00

The best and most innovative products in business rules management, AJAX toolkits, Java test tools, and more.

Fair Isaac Blaze Advisor 6.1 [Best Business Rule Management System]
Blaze Advisor 6.1's major enhancements include richer reporting and increased speed, and the newly incorporated Rete III algorithm enables it to surpass old rival JRules in performance benchmarks. Blaze still provides a wealth of tools for implementation, extensive debugging, and strong factory support. The improvements make it the top enterprise BRMS.

Sun NetBeans 5.5 [Java IDE Innovator]
NetBeans already had the most complete collaboration features among IDE platforms. This year it added important new modules such as Matisse, the most advanced Java GUI designer available today, and complete support for Java EE 5. NetBeans is likely all that developers of enterprise Java applications will need.

Parasoft Jtest 8 [Best Java Test Tool]
Jtest was already a great Java testing tool; now it's even better. Version 8 adds more pre-loaded rules and the new BugDetective analysis module for locating problems and identifying their origin. It takes on everything from unit tests to functional tests, and it does not limit your testing of any particular Java component.

Klocwork K7 v. 7 [Best Source Code Analyzer]
Klocwork K7 is a robust and scalable analytical suite for C, C++, and Java, featuring excellent defect discovery and extensive tools for managing the many results. In addition, it provides superior code navigation and analysis tools. This is a comprehensive and very impressive package.

Backbase 3.2 [Best AJAX Toolkit]
Backbase is a smooth, crisp collection of widgets with a nice, modern look. Coding amounts to dropping together XML tags to specify everything from the event routines to the layouts. Server-side support is tightly integrated with Java platforms such as JSF and Struts. Impressive tool, elegant results.

Dojo Toolkit [Best Open Source AJAX Kit]
Dojo has an excellent editing package, a wide selection of animating boxes, some drag-and-drop tools, and a slew of customizable widgets. It's a broad, deep, and well-packaged open source AJAX project, and it continues to improve as it attracts more developers with more ideas and code from other projects.

Adobe Flex 2.0 [Best Rich Internet Application Platform]
Adobe Flex 2.0 constitutes a big leap forward for this RIA platform, thanks to a new Eclipse-based IDE for drag-and-drop layout and code management, and a separate data services application for server-side messaging and data integration. Easy connections for Web services and Java objects bolster this very good choice for enterprise RIA scenarios.

http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/2007/01/25-2007_technology-1.html

Best and Worst in Tech :: 101 Best Web Freebies

2008-01-05T17:30:00.000+07:00

1. Load Up Your PC - Ubuntu, OpenOffice.org, Pandora Recovery, Libra

2. Safeguard Your System - AVG Anti-Virus Free, SpyBot

3. Home on the Web - divShare, T35 Hosting, WordPress

4. Phone Home - Skype, Gizmo Project, The Pudding

5. Manage Your Money - Mint (Personal accounting software), Freerealtime.com

6. File Your Taxes - TaxACT This Web-based tax software is part of the Internal Revenue Service's Free File program. But unlike other IRS partners who limit free filing services to those with incomes of $54,000 or less, TaxACT is open to all.

7. Credit Check - AnnualCreditReport.com The Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 gave all consumers the right to access their credit reports once every 12 months. The Act also created AnnualCreditReport.com to simplify the process of applying to credit reporting agencies.

8. Play the Housing Market - Zillow.com, Trulia

9. Land a Job - Emurse, Indeed

10. Raise Salary - Salary.com Have a hunch you're underpaid? Who doesn't? Before you go to the boss, get some hard evidence at Salary.com. The site will show you what others with similar job titles and geographic locations are earning, based on survey data.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2007/tc20071121_708667.htm

5 (from 50) of the Brightest Minds in Business

2007-12-20T10:00:00.000+07:00

1. Sergey Brin :: Co-founder of Google
Succeed With Simplicity

Simplicity is an important trend we are focused on. Technology has this way of becoming overly complex, but simplicity was one of the reasons that people gravitated to Google initially. This complexity is an issue that has to be solved for online technologies, for devices, for computers, and it's very difficult. Success will come from simplicity. Look at Apple, the success they have had, and what they are doing.
We are focused on features, not products. We eliminated future products that would have made the complexity problem worse. We don't want to have 20 different products that work in 20 different ways. I was getting lost at our site keeping track of everything. I would rather have a smaller set of products that have a shared set of features.

2. Chris DeWolfe :: Co-founder, Myspace
Keep Social Networks Social

The key is to be true to your community's norms and values. You can't just force yourself on people and try to sell them something they don't want - that's good advice for marketers generally, but particularly on community-driven sites like MySpace. You have to find ways to add value to your members' lives while being consistent with your brand's identity.

3. Rachael RayChef :: Author, and Entrepreneur
Turn Your Passion Into an Empire

You have to be open-minded when those early opportunities present themselves. Take advantage of them, whether they're going to make you a lot of money or not. I did 30 Minute Meals for five years on local television, and I earned nothing the first two years. Then I earned $50 a segment. I spent more than that on gas and groceries, but I really enjoyed making the show and I loved going to a viewer's house each week. I knew I enjoyed it, so I stuck with it even though it cost me.
I've also learned that you can't be all things to all people. Whatever it is that you're successful at, that has to be the No. 1 goal. In my case, it's accessibility. So all of my products have to be usable, accessible, affordable. The olive oils we're developing with Colavita will be priced to be competitive with every other affordable olive oil. We chose to be in grocery stores, not fancy food stores, because that's where most of my audience shops. Our pots and pans have to be heavy-bottomed and sturdy but also affordable. Decide what it is that you are and then stay true to that thing. My brand is based very much on how I live my day-to-day life.

4. Richard Branson :: Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group
Learn How to Say No (Even if You're Known as "Dr. Yes")

I turn people down with extreme difficulty sometimes, because the people I'm saying no to are people I don't want to discourage. And it should be difficult. Saying no shouldn't be an easy thing to do, and you have to be good at it. I often used to dodge doing it myself, and hide behind other people and delegate it, but if you're the boss, that isn't the right thing to do.
I remember when I was a 15-year-old asking Vanessa Redgrave or James Baldwin for an interview, and the fact that they took the time to respond meant an enormous amount to me. It inspired me. So it's extremely important to respond to people, and to give them encouragement if you're a leader. And if you're actually turning people down, if you must say no, whether it's for a job or a promotion or an idea they're proposing to you, take the time to do it yourself.
I met two big San Francisco entrepreneurs recently, and they said they get e-mail like this too, but they just dump it all in the dustbin. They don't try to answer at all. I asked them why, and they said, "The time we spend responding could be used to create something of value for our business." That may well be pragmatically right, but I still think it's morally wrong, and I suspect that anything that is morally wrong is ultimately bad for business.

5. Howard Schultz :: Chairman, Starbucks
Dare to Be a Social Entrepreneur

The rules of engagement around building a brand have changed significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. Where companies at one time could spread their message through traditional marketing, consumers now seek an enduring emotional connection with the companies they patronize. The foundation of that connection is the most important characteristic of building a world-class brand: trust. Trust with your people and trust with your customers.
In the early years, we tried everything we could to exceed the expectations of our customers. But we knew that to achieve that goal we had to first exceed the expectations of our people. That was never more evident than in 1990, while we were still a private company that had yet to turn a profit. That was when we provided comprehensive health care to all of our employees, including part-timers. We also passionately believed that our people should share in Starbucks's success through ownership in the form of stock options - what we call "bean stock." It's hard to imagine advocating such expenses while we were building the business. This was not an expense but rather an investment.
Growth can cover up a lot of mistakes, and it has an intoxicating quality that sometimes makes it hard to see the need to continue to make investments ahead of the growth curve. Think of investments in your company as a metaphor for building a 100-story tower: You need to first lay a solid foundation to support future growth.

Reference: CNN Money
URL: http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/biz2/howtosucceed/index.html

6-20 of the brightest minds in business

2007-12-19T08:08:00.000+07:00

20. Nancy Pelosi :: Democratic leader and speaker-designate, U.S. House of Representatives [Share the Credit]

19. Vinod Khosla :: Founder, Khosla Ventures [Compel Investors to Go Green]

18. Reed Hastings :: Co-founder and CEO, Netflix [Turn Your Biggest Weakness Into Your Greatest Asset]

17. Donald Trump :: Chairman, Trump Organization [Obsess About Solutions, Not Problems]

16. Muhammad Yunus :: Founder, Grameen Bank; Winner, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize [Seek Big Rewards in Small Ideas]

15. Edgar Bronfman Jr. :: CEO, Warner Music Group [Turn Gripe Sessions Into Brainstorms]

14. Carly Fiorina :: Former Chairman and CEO, Hewlett-Packard [Turn a Setback Into a Comeback]

13. Stephen Covey :: Vice Chairman, FranklinCovey; Author, The 7 habits of Highly Effective People [Strive for Moral Authority]

12. Eric Schmidt :: CEO, Google [Succeed with Simplicity]

11. Kevin Rose :: Founder, Digg [Let the Users Run the Show]

10. Andre Agassi :: Co-founder, Agassi Graf Development [Stage a Great Second Act]

9. Michael Dell :: Founder and Chairman, Dell Computer [Think Big]

8. Michael Scott :: Regional Manager, Dunder-Mifflin Paper Co. [Avoid a Staff Mutiny (With Chocolate, if Necessary)]

7. Anne Mulcahy :: Chairman and CEO, Xerox [Stay True to Your Values]

6. Chad Hurley :: Co-founder, YouTube [Give Your Startup a Fighting Chance]

Reference: CNN Money
URL: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/jobs/2007/

Lessons in Funding

2007-12-18T11:05:00.000+07:00

Ben & Jerry's
Funding: Personal Savings and Loans
How It Started: Friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield wanted a job they considered fun. They moved to Burlington, Vt. and completed a five dollar correspondence course in ice cream making from Pennsylvania State University. They borrowed $4000 and came up with a total of $12,000 start up money.

Google
Funding: Credit Cards and Investors
How It Started: Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin maxed out their credit cards for computers and office equipment, building Google's first data center in Larry's dorm. But since they needed more cash to move out of the dorm, the duo turned to an investor. Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems and friend of a Stanford faculty member, wrote a check for $100,000 to Google after only seeing a short demo.

Apple
Funding: Sold Personal Possessions
How It Started: Co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, both college dropouts, began their partnership by selling boxes they built that allowed for free long-distance phone calls. In 1976, they started working on another box, the Apple I computer. Jobs and Wozniak sold their most valuable possessions, a van and two calculators, raising $1,300 to fund the company.

Mrs. Fields
Funding: Business Loan
How It Started: Despite numerous warnings of certain failure, Debbi Fields wanted to start a cookie business. Debbi and her husband, Randy, turned their home mortgage lender for financial backing. Debbi wrote in her book that the bank "trusted us, not cookies." Although he expected the cookie business to fail, their banker Ed Sullivan trusted the young couple to pay back a business loan.

Under Armour
Funding: Credit Card and Personal Savings
How It Started: Kevin Plank had about $20,000 in the bank when Under Armour started. For more funding, he accumulated over $40,000 in credit card debt spread across five cards. In the summer of 1997, he was so broke that he went to his mom's house for dinners.

Pink's Famous Hotdogs
Funding: Loan
How It Started: Paul and Betty Pink borrowed $50 to buy a hotdog cart. They sold 10-cent chilli dogs at the corner of Brea and Melrose. Sixty years later, daughter-in-law Gloria Pink, decided to market Pink's Los Angeles roots and raise the eatery?s profile. This family business, affectionately called "the little hot dog stand that could," now sells 1,500 hotdogs a day, in addition to burgers, Grape Crush and fries, bringing in $2.5 million per year in revenue.

Calvin Klein
Funding: Loans and Awards
How It Started: When Calvin Klein's childhood friend loaned him $10,000 in start-up money, Klein rented a dingy showroom to exhibit a small line of samples. The vice-president of Bonwit Teller stopped at the wrong floor of the building, liked what he saw and invited Klein to bring his samples to the president's office. Klein wheeled the rack of clothes uptown personally, winning $50,000 on the spot.

Meebo
Funding: Credit Cards and Venture Capitalists
How It Started: Instead of looking for venture capitalists, Seth Sternberg, Sandy Jen and Elaine Wherry funded Meebo in 2005 with credit cards. They each accumulated $2,000 in credit card debt, which was enough to cover their biggest expenses -- a few computer servers at $120 a month each. Later, they received funding by Sequoia Capital and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

Crate & Barrel
Funding: Personal Savings and Family Loan
How It Started: Rumor has it that while admiring inexpensive dishes purchased on a European vacation, Gordon Segal was inspired to open Crate and Barrel. Gordon and Carole Segal went into business with their life savings of $12,000, plus $5,000 borrowed from Gordon's father. From humble beginnings, the chain is now a household name.

Nantucket Nectars
Funding: Working Odd Jobs
How It Started: Tom First and Tom Scott funded their first large production with personal savings and a family loan. They mass produced 1,400 cases of their beverages at a cost of $9,000. Shortly after starting their company, the Toms found themselves short on cash. To keep the business running, the two juggled odd jobs such as delivering bread, shucking and shipping scallops and pumping waste.

1-800-Flowers
Funding: Loans From Family and Friends
How It Started: James McCann was involved in social work as the administrator of a youth home in Rockaway, NY. In order to supplement his income, he procured $10,000 in loans from family and friends to purchase Flora Plenty, a small flower shop. He transformed this small struggling business into an international operation.

http://smallbusiness.aol.com/features/funding

Make Money by Feeding Your Amazon in the Blog

2007-12-12T15:05:00.000+07:00

Hey! Who has affiliate program with Amazon? Let's try it!

1. Edit blog' layout

2. Click -> "Add a Page Element"

3. Select -> "Feed"

4. Find category of product you would present

5. Input URL of feeds at "feeds URL"
Example: http://www.amazon.com/rss/tag/electronics/popular?length=5&tag=popstore-20

6. Change Title of Feed -> Bestsellers :: Electronics

7. Save it!

Just easy 7 steps, you can earn from Amazon.com

Best Places to Live in Rural America

2007-12-11T07:27:00.000+07:00

No. 1: Barren County,Kentucky
Barren County is the kind of place where people come, like what they see, then decide to call it home. With its rolling farmland and friendly residents, there's little reason to wonder why. ... [And] while many rural areas have struggled to attract commerce, businesses here are thriving.

No. 2: Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County is the kind of place that seems custom-made for every season on the calendar. It's tucked underneath the New York-Pennsylvania state line and just an hour or so from the lakeside town of Erie. A river runs through it -- the Allegheny -- strikingly picturesque at every bend.

No. 3: Randolph,Illinois
There's a lot to smile about in this southwestern Illinois county. Located an hour south of St. Louis, its western border hugs the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. Travel along the Great River Road and you'll see fertile river bottoms planted to corn, soybeans and wheat that abruptly stop below towering limestone bluffs.

No. 4: Gillespie,Texas
In many ways, Gillespie County is the kind of place you think of when you picture Texas: lots of wide-open spaces, cattle ranches, old men in cowboy hats. Even the major highways have cattle crossings. But in other ways, it surprises: this county is more well-known for citrus than cattle.

No. 5: Union County,South Dakota
Fly over Union County, S.D., some misty morning and you get a perspective on what makes this a special place to live. Down south you'll see where the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River merge, creating flat, fertile farmland that is the county's economic anchor.

No. 6: St. LawrenceNew York
In this one county -- and granted, it is one of the biggest counties in the United States -- you'll find a wonderful mix of attractions: traditional arts, great hunting and fishing, an outstanding collection of Frederic Remington artwork.

No. 7: Sac County, Iowa
If the sight of golden corn on rolling hills in summer evening sunlight doesn't make your heart glad, Sac County, Iowa, might not be the place for you. ... And if you don't like friendly people who know how to get things done, don't slow down when you see the Sac County highway signs.

No. 8: Garfield, Oklahoma
Eighty-five miles from Oklahoma City and 120 miles from Tulsa, Garfield County is largely an agricultural region -- wheat and cattle. The countryside around county seat Enid is dotted with horse pastures and folks living on acreages.

No. 9: Amador County,California
To the southwest are the towns of Amador City, Drytown and Sutter Creek, along with the county seat of Jackson and small farms and ranches. The low-slung buildings and storefronts along the main streets evoke the Wild West.

No. 10: Polk County,North Carolina
Hip, trendy Asheville is just 30 minutes to the north ... And yet this little cluster of communities, tucked into the foothills of the Appalachians, has somehow gone unnoticed. Consider this: Polk County does not have a Wal-Mart.

http://money.aol.com/progfarmer/realestate/bestrural2006?photo=2

Banner Years Ahead

2007-12-10T07:47:00.000+07:00

Top 5 Great Dollar - Store Buys

2007-12-08T06:50:00.000+07:00

1. Cleaning Supplies

Dollar-Store Item	Retailer Item	Savings
AmeriKing Plumber, 32 oz.	$4.99, Drano, 17 oz. (Rite Aid)	89%*
Pro Power Oil Soap, 16oz.	$3.49, Murphy's Oil Soap, 16 oz. (Rite Aid)	71%
Trend detergent, 100 oz.	$5.49, Tide, 50 oz. (CVS)	91%

2. Gift Wrap

Dollar-Store Item	Retailer Item	Savings
"Happy Holidays" paper, 12.5 square feet	$4.99, "Happy Holidays" paper, 12.5 square feet (Rite Aid)	80%
Large pink, flowered bag	$1.79, Large pink flowered bag (CVS)	44%

3. Snacks

Dollar-Store Item	Retailer Item	Savings
Mini Cracker Snacks, 9oz.	$3.49, Cheez-It, 10 oz. (CVS)	68%*
Pepsi, 2 liter	$1.69, Pepsi, 2 liter (CVS)	41%
Family Time Butter popcorn, 3 bags	$3.49, Newman's Own Butter Microwave Popcorn, 3 bags (Rite Aid)	71%
Wise Cheez Doodles, 5.5 oz.	$1.89, Herr's Cheese Curls, 7 oz. (Rite Aid)	33%

4. Shampoo

Dollar-Store Item	Retailer Item	Savings
Anvie Deep Moisture shampoo, 13 oz.	$3.23, Dove Shampoo Extra Moisture, 12 oz. (Rite Aid)	72%
Alberto VO5 shampoo, 15 oz.	$2.39, Alberto VO5 shampoo, 15 oz. (Rite Aid)	58%

5. Kitchen Accessories

Dollar-Store Item	Retailer Item	Savings
Grill King BBQ Skewers, 4 pc.	$19.99, Weber 4-piece skewer set (Target)	95%
Magnetic Can & Bottle Opener	$5.99 Pedrini Translucent Waiter Corkscrew (Target)	83%

By Kelli B. Grant
Reporter, SmartMoney.com

15 Hottest Products of 2007

2007-12-07T03:32:00.000+07:00

1. iPhone : No new product was more anticipated this year than Apple's iPhone. The buzz began in January when CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPhone at Macworld. Since its debut in June over 1.5 million iPhones have been sold.

2. Coke Zero : Coca-Cola's biggest product launch in over two decades has proven to be a huge hit and has helped drive Coke's stock price to a seven-year high in 2007. First launched in 2005, Coke Zero did not catch fire until the company recast the brand this year with an edgier image.

3. Nintendo Wii : First released a year ago, the Wii has quickly risen to the top of the very competitive, multi-billion dollar video game console industry. The console is the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube and has sold over 13 million units this year.

4. Slingbox : This anytime, anywhere TV produced by Sling Media of San Mateo, California compresses and transfers live TV, satellite, or DVR video from your home to a computer anywhere in the world, all without requiring a PC to be up and running at home.

5. Vitaminwater : A decade ago, Energy Brands launched a line of drinks designed to appeal to a health-conscious clientele. This line under the Glacéau brand was the pioneer of enhanced water. Rap artist 50 Cent earned an estimated $100 million thanks to his stake in Glacéau which Coca-Cola bought in 2007 for $4.2 billion.

6. Tesla Roadster : Produced by electric car firm Tesla Motors, the Roadster is a fully electronic sports car. Tesla claims prototypes have been able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds. Unveiled in 2006, the car was expected in 2007, but delays have pushed back its debut to early 2008. But good luck finding one. They are sold out.

7. Google Maps : In April 2007, Google released a significant update which allowed anyone to create their own map "mashups" -- or what they call "My Maps." Then in May, it released Street View with 360° panoramic street-level views of various U.S. cities. Privacy concerns only added to the buzz.

8. Halo 3 : This video game developed for the Xbox 360 console saw opening day sales top $170 million on September 25, and a whopping $300 million in sales during its first week of availability. It broke the record for the highest grossing opening day in entertainment history. 'Spider-Man 3,' which holds the box office opening day record, only made $60 million in May.

9. Hannah Montana : From a hit Disney TV show, to sold-out concerts, a clothing line, toys and an upcoming movie -- Hannah Montana is the "it" celebuproduct for tweens across America. Disney seems to be pulling out all the stops, capitalizing on Hannah Montana's enormous popularity by merchandising the brand every way it can. (Miley Cyrus, daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, is the star of the show.)

10. Boeing 787 Dreamliner : Boeing (BA) rolled out its new 787 Dreamliner in July to much fanfare. It is supposed to be more fuel-efficient and will carry between 210-330 passengers. The company already has almost 750 plane orders and is expected to deliver the first planes in late 2008.

11. Freedom-2 Tattoos : Have you ever wanted a tattoo, but were afraid to get one because of its permanency? Well, now you don't need to worry about that. A company called Freedom-2 has developed a new tattoo technology that uses biodegradable dyes that can be dissolved in one semi-painful tattoo-removal treatment.

12. RIM BlackBerry 8800 : Research In Motion (RIMM) has done it again with the latest version of its popular BlackBerry. It gives its millions of 'CrackBerry' users more reasons to be addicted to this smartphone. The popularity of the product has helped lift the company stock up over 150 percent in 2007.

13. Webkinz : Are these loveable plush pets the next Beanie Babies? Time will tell, but with sales in the tens of millions their popularity has soared in 2007. Each pet comes with a unique secret code that allows you to enter Webkinz World where you care for your virtual pet.

14. Nikon Coolpix S51c : What makes this one of the hottest products of the year is that not only does it take great pictures, but you can email your images or beam them directly from the camera to your Flickr account or to Nikon's own online photo bank.

15. Second Life : The online virtual world launched in 2003, but really hit the mainstream in late 2006 and early 2007 when reports surfaced about the real money being made by virtual businesses there. According to Second Life's Web site, they have over 10 million "residents," with approximately 1 million residents logging in within the last 30 days or so.

Reference from AOL

2- 10 (from 50) People Who Matter

2007-12-06T03:00:00.000+07:00

Rank: 2
Sergey Brin & Larry Page
Co-founders, Google

Why They Matter: Success hasn't really changed the Google guys all that much: They're still Stanford computer geeks to the core. That's why the company has become a magnet for like-minded geniuses -- witness the Silicon Valley billboards with brain-teasing number puzzles that turn out to be Google recruitment ads. It's also why their PageRank algorithm remains the best mousetrap in search, why their groundbreaking pay-per-click advertising model brought in a stunning $6 billion in revenue last year, why Google's market cap hovers comfortably above $100 billion, and why their ongoing project to organize all of the world's information is taken seriously. What Page's famous list of his 100 most interesting projects lacked in focus, it more than made up for in ambition. The same is true of Brin's long-term strategy -- organizing all that information into a database that will act as a kind of global brain for all human knowledge. Technically, the pair run the world's top technology company as a triumvirate with CEO (and resident adult) Eric Schmidt. But what the geeks want, they usually get. After all, there are plenty of CEO types who could replace Schmidt. But who on earth could possibly replace Sergey and Larry?

Rank: 3
Paul Jacobs
CEO, Qualcomm

Why He Matters: When Jacobs took the reins at Qualcomm in July 2005, cries of nepotism reverberated through the telecom industry. After all, his father, Irwin Jacobs, built Qualcomm into the world's most powerful wireless infrastructure company. But fast-forward one year -- when the company's second-quarter revenue was up 34 percent from 2005 -- and investors are describing Paul as a chip off the old block. It's not beginner's luck: After joining the family business in 1990, the younger Jacobs was key to the success of CDMA, which has become the leading standard for 3G phones and the company's top moneymaker. He also had a hand in the Brew system, an applications development tool used by 69 mobile operators in 34 countries. Next up, Jacobs is leading Qualcomm into the new frontier by providing the tools carriers need to offer streaming video to cell phones. So what if favoritism helped him get ahead? He's got the stuff to ensure that Qualcomm will remain both the Microsoft and the Intel of the booming wireless industry.

Rank: 4
Rupert Murdoch
CEO, News Corp.

Why He Matters: He's already the planet's most prominent media mogul, with properties that span Europe (BSkyB satellite service and England's Times and Sun newspapers), Asia (the Foxtel and StarTV satellite networks), and North America (Fox Studios in Hollywood, Fox News, DirecTV, and the New York Post). But at 75, Murdoch is still trying to extend his reach, and this time he has America's youth audience in his crosshairs -- and a host of new Web properties in his portfolio. His big splash, of course, was the $580 million purchase of the wildly popular MySpace social-networking portal last summer. That was followed by News Corp.'s $650 million acquisition of the Internet gaming and entertainment company IGN. The goal is to develop a network of sites that will enable advertisers to reach Web-savvy 18- to 34-year-olds -- a demographic that increasingly shuns traditional mass media like newspapers and television. (See "Sly Fox?," page 100.) Big media companies have fared poorly in their attempts to reach Generation Net, but Murdoch's flair for bombastic populism may offer a decisive advantage. Or, as the kids might say, "Not bad ... for an old guy."

Rank: 5
Steve Jobs
CEO, Apple Computer

Why He Matters: Easily the greatest marketer since P.T. Barnum, Jobs has also become the innovator's muse. Is there anyone in American business today whose style, creativity, and pugnacious genius are more celebrated? Which brings us back to the question that drives this list: What's he done for us lately? Yes, yes, iPods, iTunes, creating a whole industry -- we already take that for granted. And the heretical move to the dual-core, Windows-running Intel chip. Fine, sweet, very cool -- and long overdue. But let's separate the reality from the distortion field: 2005 was a record year ... for Wintel PCs! An astounding 203 million Windows-running machines were shipped last year, and Windows market share has held steady at 94 percent since 1996. During the same decade, Mac's share slipped from 5.2 percent to 2.3 percent. Of course, Apple's influence has always far exceeded its modest scale, so all we're saying is ... bring on the next big innovation. Mobile phones? Home media centers? iHovercrafts? Take your pick, but we're ready for more.

Rank: 6
Susan Desmond-Hellmann
President of product development, Genentech

Why She Matters: While other drug companies chase the balding and the erectile-challenged, Desmond-Hellmann keeps biotech pioneer Genentech focused on creating drugs that make the difference between life and death. She spent years battling AIDS in Uganda and cancer in Kentucky as both a physician and a medical researcher, and those experiences have done much to shape Genentech's current priorities. Thus far, she's overseen the clinical trials and approvals of such successes as Avastin (colon cancer) and Tarceva (lung cancer). She's also shepherding in a new era of patient-targeted treatments with Herceptin (a breast cancer treatment that works best on women who carry a specific pattern of genes) and ensuring that Genentech's pipeline includes promising treatments for ovarian cancer and basal skin cancer. Genentech is already hailed as a pioneer, but if Desmond-Hellmann can turn cancer into a manageable disease, she may well earn a place in the history books alongside the likes of Jonas Salk.

Rank: 7
The Emerging Global Middle Class
China, India, Russia, Brazil, and elsewhere

Why They Matters: According to Goldman Sachs, in the next decade, more than 800 million people in China, India, Russia, and Brazil will qualify as middle class -- meaning they will earn more than $3,000 per year. To put the figure in context, that's more than the combined population of the United States, Western Europe, and Japan. These ambitious, well-educated workers represent both a threat and an opportunity for corporate America. On the one hand, thanks to global competition, they're bringing brutal cost pressure to bear on U.S. products. Yet at the same time, these newly affluent consumers have money to spend -- more than $1 trillion a year, according to most estimates -- and they generally aspire to own American brands and other high-quality imports. They're looking forward to enjoying a more comfortable way of life, and huge opportunities await the global firms that figure out how to deliver that at a price these workers can afford.

Rank: 8
Fujio Cho
Chairman, Toyota

Why He Matters: High oil prices? Toyota says, Bring it on. In May, as the average cost of a gallon of gas approached $3, Toyota reported a 17 percent sales increase over the year before, even as General Motors and Ford saw declines of 16 and 2 percent, respectively. Building on the continuing popularity of its fuel-sipping Prius, Toyota now offers hybrid gas-electric power in its Camry (the best-selling car model in the United States) and its Highlander SUV. Sales of the company's gasoline-powered small cars have been strong as well. Cho helped make Toyota what it is today: the world's most profitable carmaker and an unrivaled leader when it comes to producing the innovative, high-quality cars that buyers covet worldwide. He led Toyota's effort to open its own U.S. factories in the 1980s and later went on to engineer the company's push into the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and China. And while he isn't the boss of the world's biggest automaker yet -- Toyota won't snatch the global vehicle-output crown from GM until later this year or next -- he already leads the company that other automakers watch with a mixture of awe and envy.

Rank: 9
The New Oil Despots
King Abdullah bin Abdul aziz al Saud (Saudi Arabia), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran), Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), and Vladimir Putin (Russia)

Why They Matters: They're a slippery cast of characters, and sadly, their influence is growing. America's petroleum addiction has left the U.S. economy at the mercy of a new generation of international strongmen, and among them, they control nearly half of the world's petroleum reserves. Worse, they're becoming more brazen and influential as the high price of oil adds billions to their national treasuries. They've got the U.S. economy over the barrel, and innovation industries aren't immune to their mischief. Inflation? Regional instability? Both threaten economic growth and the capital flows that are the lifeblood of entrepreneurship. But there's a silver lining: Those high oil prices also create new opportunities for alternative energy technologies.

Rank: 10
Ray Ozzie
Chief technical officer, Microsoft

Why He Matters: Ozzie may be the new guy at Microsoft, but he's quickly learned how things are done in Redmond: Find the best ideas in the marketplace, copy them unabashedly, then repackage the finished product as the company's latest and greatest innovation. Though Bill Gates is still chairman and Steve Ballmer is still CEO, Ozzie has become the driving force behind Microsoft's effort to become nimbler in response to mounting competition from the likes of Google, Salesforce, open-source software, and dozens of Web 2.0 startups. The solution, he says, lies beyond cumbersome shrink-wrapped PC software (such as the tardy Windows Vista operating system). Salvation will come through online services that can be quickly improved, modified, and distributed via the Web. Some components of this effort, branded Windows Live, are already out in beta, including a security tool and an e-mail application. Gates has given Ozzie's derivative "vision" his full blessing, so the coming years will be key: If Ozzie succeeds, Microsoft may once again become a growth company.

Reference by: Business 2.0 CNN Money

The 100 Best Products of 2006

2007-12-04T09:45:00.000+07:00

Powerful computers, handy services, tiny utilities, mammoth HDTVs--our editors' top picks include all these and a whole lot more. Plus: the worst products of all time.

Intel Core Duo Notebook/Desktop CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Desktop CPU
Craigslist.org Web Classifieds
Apple iPod Nano Digital Audio Player
Seagate 160GB Portable Hard Drive Portable Hard Drive
Google Earth Satellite Imagery
Adobe Premiere Elements 2 Video Editor
Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR Camera
YouTube.com Video-Sharing Site
Apple Boot Camp Mac Dual-Booter
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 Image Editor
Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Web Browser
Engadget.com Gadget Blog
Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD Player
Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV600 Power Notebook Computer
nVidia GeForce 7600 GT Graphics Card Chip Set
Google Search Engine
Sonos ZonePlayer 80 Digital Audio Streamer
RedOctane Guitar Hero Video Game
Yamaha RX-V4600 Home-Theater Receiver
Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray Drive
Adobe Photoshop CS2 Image Editor
Citrix GoToMyPC 5 Remote Access
Dealnews.com Online Bargain Tracker
Palm GPS Navigator GPS
MioNet Remote Access
Ubuntu Linux Distribution
Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 E-Mail Application
Canon Pixma MP950 Multifunction Printer
Yahoo Mail (Beta) Web-Based E-Mail
TiVo Digital Video Recorder
Avvenu Remote File Access
Blogger Blogging Service
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Advanced Digital Camera
Apple Mac Mini Value Desktop Computer
Apple iPod Digital Audio/Video Player
Lenovo ThinkPad X60s Ultralight Notebook
SideStep.com Travel Site
Windows Live Local Online Mapping
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Card
Alienware Aurora 7500 Power Desktop Computer
NEC MultiSync LCD 2180WG-LED Flat-Panel Monitor
Apple iTunes Digital Audio Software
Olympus Evolt E-330 Digital SLR Camera
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro Earphones
Creative Zen Vision:M Digital Audio/Video Player
Google Desktop Desktop Search
Opera 9 (Beta) Browser
Mitsubishi XD460U Projector
Vonage VoIP Service
StumbleUpon Browser Add-On
NoScript 1.1.4 Browser Add-On
Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.5 Antispyware
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 Keyboard
Western Digital Raptor X Hard Drive
Yahoo Maps (Beta) Online Mapping
Intuit Quicken Premier 2006 Personal Finance
ATI Radeon X1900 XTX Graphics Board
Javacool EULAlyzer Personal 1.1 License Analyzer
Eizo FlexScan S2410W 24-Inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor
Kosmix.com Search Engine
T-Mobile SDA Cellular Phone
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard
Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP 30-Inch Wide-Screen LCD Monitor
Meebo (alpha) Instant Messaging
Corel Painter IX.5 Graphics Software
Samsung LN-S3251D LCD TV
Cerulean Studios Trillian 3.1 Instant Messaging Client
Rhapsody Online Music
In2M Mvelopes Personal 3 Online Budgeting
Canon Pixma IP6600D Photo Printer
EMC Retrospect Professional 7.5 Backup Software
Yahoo Music Engine 1.1 Digital Audio Site/Software
Network Magic Home Networking
Z-Wave Home Automation
BitDefender 9 Standard Antivirus
Sage Software Simply Accounting Basic 13 Small-Business Finance
Flickr Photo-Sharing Site
Nero 7 Ultra Edition CD/DVD Burning
Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking 8 Voice Recognition
Kodak EasyShare Gallery Photo Printing Service
EvDO Wireless Broadband
LaCie d2 Hard Drive Serial ATA External Hard Drive
HP Md5880n DLP TV
Qnext 2 P-to-P Communications
Salling Clicker 3 Presentation Remote
Epson Perfection V700 Photo Scanner
Mindjet MindManager Pro 6 Data-Organizing Software
Microsoft Xbox 360 Game Console
iRiver Clix Digital Audio/Video Player
Fujifilm FinePix E900 Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera
nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX GPU
Del.icio.us Social Networking
Serious Magic Ovation PowerPoint Add-On
WordPress Blogging Tool
Amazon A9 Toolbar Search Toolbar
ThinkFree Office Online Online Office Suite
Greasemonkey Firefox Extension
NewsGator FeedDemon 2 RSS Reader
Sysinternals Rootkit Revealer 1.7 Antispyware

Reference by PC World

Hottest Jobs & Salaries in America

2007-12-03T05:45:00.000+07:00

5 Hottest Jobs in USA

5. Computer engineer: Computer hardware engineers

4. Operations manager: Senior operations managers

3. Finance: Accountants and financial analysts

2. Healthcare: Doctors, dentists, nurses, and other health practitioners

1. Computer programmer: Computer programmers, software engineers, and network administrators

10 Hottest Salaries in USA

10. Sales: 1. Sales assistant ($35,800), 2. Sales engineer ($79,900)

9. Retail: 1. Assistant store manager ($39,100), 2. Buyer ($47,900)

8. Information Technology [IT]: 1. Webmaster ($49,200), 2. Senior database administrator ($93,300)

7. Hospitality: 1. Restaurant general manager ($49,800), 2. Hotel general manager ($56,600)

6. Healthcare: 1. Clinical research associate ($61,300), 2. Anesthesiologist ($225,000)

5. Engineering: 1. Civil engineer ($57,200), 2. Project engineer (65,200)

4. Customer Service: 1. Technical support specialist ($49,100), 2. Call center manager ($53,800)

3. Banking: 1. Personal banker ($37,700), 2. Commercial loan officer ($75,700)

2. Administrative Support: 1. HR coordinator ($40,200), 2. Paralegal ($39,500)

1. Accounting: 1. Financial controller ($79,900), 2. Financial analyst ($70,500)

by Business 2.0 Magazine

Abbreviations & Treasury about AdWords

2007-12-01T19:38:00.000+07:00

AdRank/Positioning = based on its Ad Rank, which is determined by your keyword or Ad Group's maximum cost-per-click (CPC) times the matched keyword's Quality Score. For the top positions above Google search results, however, we use your ad's actual CPC to determine its position.

Ad Variations = multiple versions of an ad for a single product or service, all based on the same set of keywords. Variations are a good way to test many versions of the same message to see which works best with potential customers.

Conversion = When a user completes an action on your site, such as buying something or requesting more information.

Conversion Rate (CR) = The number of conversions divided by the number of ad clicks. Note that the conversion rate should not be greater than 100%. Conversions are only counted on Google and some of our Google Network partners. The conversion rate is adjusted to reflect only the ad clicks on which Google can track conversions.

Destination URL = Landing Page = An active web page where customers will 'land' when they click your ad. The web address for this page is often called a 'clickthrough URL.'

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) = CPC = The pricing structure used by some online channels to charge an advertiser each time a user clicks on the advertiser's ad. The amount is usually set by the advertiser, not by the channel.

Prospect = A candidate: someone who is considered for something (in the context of this book, a potential customer or client)

Quality Score = the basis for measuring the quality and relevance of your ads and determining your minimum CPC bid for Google and the search network. This score is determined by your keyword's clickthrough rate (CTR) on Google, and the relevance of your ad text, keyword, and landing page.

Return on Investment (ROI) = The benefit gained in return for the cost of your ad campaign. Although exact measurement is nearly impossible, your clickthrough rate and your conversion rate combined with your advertising costs, can help you assess the ROI of your campaign.

1.c - Pricing and Ranking

2007-11-19T14:15:00.000+07:00

Paying for AdWords:

The Price
- No minimum spending requirement: 1 time, $5 adtivation fee.
- In a Standard Edition account, you control your costs through: daily budget, bids, account's quality.

Daily Budget: The spending limit you set on each campaign
- AdWords recommends a daily budget
- Ads display evenly throughout the day
- Change your daily budget as often as you like

Bidding: 2 Types of ad campaigns
- Keyword-targeted: you set a cost-per-click (CPC) bid for each ad group or keyword in your campaign.
- Placement-targeted: you set a cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) bidding for each ad group or placement in your campaign. Contains keywords, but displays only at certain locations.

Ad Positioning: Keyword-targeted ads are positioned based on rank number

Ad rank number = CPC bid x Quality score

Actual CPC

Ads ---- CPC Bid --- Quality Score ------- Rank # ------- Position --- CPC
Ad A --- $0.40 --------- 1.8 -------- $0.40 x 1.8 = .72 ------ 1 ------ $0.37
Ad B --- $0.65 ---------- 1 ---------- $0.65 x 1 = .65 ------- 2 ------ $0.39
Ad C --- $0.25 --------- 1.5 -------- $0.25 x 1.5 = .38 ------ 3 ------ $0.01

Quality Score & Minimum Bid
- Quality Score sets the minimum bid
- If your CPC bid is less than the minimum bid, your keyword will be made inactive
- Improving quality is the best way to keep your costs down

Ad Ranking: maximum CPC or maximum CPM & Quality Score
- Ads are positioned based on rank number: Position is calculated per keyword
- You only pay the CPC necessary to have a rank number higher than that of next lowest ad

1.b - AdWords Policies

2007-11-15T01:07:00.000+07:00

Link Policy defines the type of web page to which an ad can link. Its goal ensure a positive user experience.

Display URL: Your URL will display at the last line. It must give users a clear idea of the landing page to which they will be taken.
- Must include the .dot extension (.com, .net)
- www or http:// are not required
- Cannot be an email address
- Must adhere to Editorial Policy

Destination URL: The web page address at which users arrive when they click on your ad
- Must link to a working website
- Must not link to a website that is under construction
- Not require visitors to download software (such as Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Landing Page:
- The landing page must allow the browser's back button to work
- Visitors must be able to return to the Google search results page or ad network by clicking the back button
- A pop-up is any browser widow that opens in addition to the original window
- Google guidelines do not permit pop-ups when entering or leaving your landing page

Affiliate Program:
- Get paid a commission to promote a merchant's website
- Are allowed to use AdWords advertising
- Google only allow one ad for affiliates & parent companies sharing the same display URL per search query
- Your site should not mirror your parent company's site

Editorial Policy: Clear & concise, relevant & trageted to users' interests, reflect GG values & aesthetics, be attention-getting, but also accurate & honest, contain no hidden surprise

Spelling:
- must be correct, except made for someone common variations. [Ex: foto, tonite]

Spacing:
- punctuation should not be repeated 2 or more times in a row
- no exclamation point in first line of ad text (ad title)
- 1 exclamation point in lines 2 or 3 of ad text is acceptable

Symbols, numbers or letteres may not substitute for words
[Ex: 4 U would be disapproved as it means 'for you']

Punctuation: No sign such '-'

Grammar, Capitalization & Repetition
- Logical sentence or phrase with proper word use
- Capitalization cannot be used to emphasize a word or phrase [such as FREE, NEW]
- Capitalization first letter of each word in text is acceptable
- Repetition cannot repeat the same word three or more times in a row

Appropriate & Inappropriate Language
- Ad text, including display URL cannot contain offensive or inappropriate language
- Ad text, including diaplay URL cannot contain suggestive misspellings and/or other variations of inappropriate language
- Keep your language concise, informative ads provide a great user experience & ultimately contribute to your success

Unacceptable Phrases
- Certain 'call to action' phrases cannot appear in ad text
- Not descriptive of the product or service
- Example: 'click here'

Affiliate Policy
- may use AdWords advertising
- only one ad will display for affiliates & parent companies sharing the same Display URL per search query

Google Trademarks
- Not allowed in ad text
- Google, Froogle, Gmail, Orkut, Urchin, Keyhole, & PageRank

Superiative Claims: words that emphasize superiority over others
- For ad credibility, superlative claims must be verified by a third party on the landing page
- If your ad contains comparative or subjective phrases such as "best" or "#1" verification by a 3rd party must be clearly displayed on your website

Competitive Claims
- Competive claims regarding a specific competitor must be supported on landing page
- Comparision chart or table, competitive analysis etc.

Prices
- Must be accurate
- Do not need to include shipping or sales tax
- OK if the price applies to bulk purchases

Discounts & Free Offers
- must be visible within 1-2 clicks of landing page
[Example: "50% off all items", "Save $20 on first purchase"]
- free offers must be supported within 1-2 clicks of landing page
- acceptable if user can infer that the product or service is indeed free

Image Ads Policy:
- Regulates the types & quality of images that may be used:
- This topic covers ad & image quality, unacceptable image content & image layout

Poor Ad/Image Quality
- Images must be clear & readable
- Content & purpose must be easy to understand
- All text must be legible

Trick to Click
- Cannot use deceptive tactics:
- No mock animated features (drop down menus, search boxes, etc.)
- No mock dialogue boxes, error messages, etc.

Image Layout
- Size & orientation must conform to our standards
- Must occupy the maximum space of the image format chosen
- Cannot be rotate or inverted
- Cannot show more than 1 ad at a time, or the same ad multiple times

Redundant Image User Bar
- Must not include a Display URL, feedback link, or 'Ads by Google' designation
- Already automatically added

Appropriate Image Content
- Family-Safe (appropriate for minors)
- No adult material, sexual themes, or inappropriate language

Animations
- Cannot contain strobe effects
- Do not mimic computer functions
- Don't offer prizes for clicks
- Restrict repetition
- Stay inbounds

Trademarks: A word, phrase, logo or symbol that identifies & distinguishes a product or service from others in the marketplace.

Google's Role in Trademark
- GG is a provider of space for advertisement
- AdWords Terms & Conditions state that advertisers are responsible for their chosen keywords & ad text
- GG performs a limited investigation of trademark complaints as a courtesy to trademark owners
- GG encourages trademark owners to resolve their disputes with advertisers directly

From for US/CAN Trademarks
To file a trademark complaint with GG AdWords regarding a US or Canada registered trademark, you must provide the information below.
1. Name of Comany
2. Contact information, including email address
3. List of trademark(s) at issue & the country in which it is registered
4. The identity of the ad(s) at issue (via the URL stated on the bottom line of the ad) Indicate if your complaint is limited to specific advertisers or if it is a general objection to all advertisers.
5. If certin affiliates or partners are permitted to use your trademark in their ad content, please list the company names in your letter
6. Include the following statement: "I have a good faith belief that use of the trademarks described above with the advertisements described above are not authorized by the trademark owner or its agent, nor it such use otherwise permissible under law."
7. Include the following statement: "I represent that the information in thist notification is true & correct & that I am authorized to act on behalf of the trademark owner."

From for Non-US/CAN Trademarks
1-4 is same like US/CAN
5. Are you concerned with:
a. the advertisement's content or
b. the keywords that trigger the advertisement or
c. both?
6-8 same like 5-7 US/CAN

Where to send your trademark letter
- Google Inc. , Attn: Google AdWords, Trademark Complaints, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 or via fax to 650-618-1499, Att: Google Trademark Complaints

Investigation Procedure: Steps
- All of the points of information are needed in order to start investigation procedure
- The claim will be investigated & ads will be disapproved as appropriate
- There is the possibility that we may not remove the ad(s) as requested after investigation

Copyrights: (Basic information)

Invalid Clicks Policy: include (but aren't limited to) manual clicks intended to drive up advertisers' costs and automated clicks by robots.

Combating Invalid Clicks:
- GG use automatic detection & filtering techniques to monitor all clicks on AdWords ads.
- GG employ a team that uses specialized tools & techniques to investigate invalid clicks.
- Any invalid clicks that we detect automatically are filtered from your reports before you're charged.
- GG constantly works to expand & improve technology.

Indentifying Invalid Clicks:

Valid Reasons for Increase in Clicks
- Indentical IP addresses: Web log shows multiple clicks from same IP, some ISP assign identical IP addresses to multiple users.
- Comparison Shopping: Legitimate reason for several clicks on your ad
- Optimization may be necessary: lots of clicks, low return on investment
- The content network
- Seasonal advertising
- CPC or daily budget increase
- Ad recently approved: If your ad has recently been approved you'll receive more traffic
- Competitor stops running ads: If a competitor's ad stops showing you may receive more traffic

1.a - Introduction to Google Adwords

2007-11-11T00:57:00.000+07:00

Google is the search enhing which helps you find information on the Internet quickly & easily. This engine will gather, sort & report information base on your topic of interest.

1. The keyword phrase a user types into box to find information on the Internet is called a search query.

2. Google Adwords uses keyword-beased advertising to target your ads to users searching on Google.

3. A regular text ad headline has a limit of 25 characters, including spaces.

4. The last line of an AdWords ad is called the display URL.

Basic AdWords Features
CPC (Cost-Per-Click)
You are charged only when a user clicks on your ad
USER ---> AdWords ad ---> Destination website

CPM (Cost-Per-Impression)
Impression: The appearance of your ad on the Google network
- You are charged for every 1,000 impressions your ad receives
- CPM of $3.00: You pay $3.00 every 1000 times your ad is displayed

CTR (ClickThrough Rate)
[Click/Impression] = CTR (expressed as %)
- CTR helps measures relevance
- Example: [20 clicks/1000 impression] = 0.02 = 2%

Quality Score
- CTR on Google.com
- Keyword & ad text relevance
- Landing page quality

Minimum Bid
- Least amount you can pay per click to show ads
- High quality score decrease minimum bid & price you pay per click

Ad Distribution:
- AdWords ads appear on hundreds of websites such as AOL, Howstuffworks, Ask.com, T-Online (Europe), News Interactive (Australia), Tencent (China)
- The placement of your ads on sites in the Google content network occurs when the information on that site relates to your ad.
- Google ads can be targeted to any language or location available worldwide

Benefits of AdWords
1. Reach
- Strong global presence
- More than 80% internet users worldwide
- Thousands of websites where your ads can appear

2. Cost: Control over budget
- No minimum spend
- Choose your own maximum spending limit (monthly budget)
- Pay only when users click on your ad

3. Timing: Connects users at the right moment
- Ads are continously matched to internet users' interests
- Ads are placed as buying decisions are made

4. Flexibility: Make changes at any time
- See your ads on Google in 15 minutes
- Chang your ads whenever you like

3 Businesses on Google

2007-11-10T01:35:00.000+07:00

Google search listings is the first main step, concentrate on building up PR (PageRank). Webmasters attain ongoing success without any advertising by fighting for & retaining a high searchpage position for important keywords.

Google Adwords is the search advertising program. It will increase presence and drives traffic, increasing presence is free, ads appear on the right side or top of search results. Advertisers pay for their ad only when user clicks on it. This program has a quick way to put your site on a results page without necessarily being in the index.

Google AdSense is a method of making money on your site. Web owners in the AdSense program display AdWords ads on their pages & share advertiser payments with Google. The point of AdSense page is to get visitors to scoot off the page by clicking an ad. The ads are supplied by Google, and in fact are the same AdWords you see on Google search results pages. When a visitor clicks one, the AdSense publisher shares the cost-per-click ad revenue with Google. Members in the AdSense program is free to any qualifying page or site.

A Simple Trick that can double your Adsense revenue

2007-11-08T22:00:00.000+07:00

I've been working with Google's Adsense program for a while now. If you're not already in the program, why not take a look at it now at https://www.google.com/adsense. I really like Adsense. It makes me money and it's easy to work with. Just some simple copy & paste into your webpage and you're done. Right? Wrong! You can do it that way if you want. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky and get a lot of clicks. But if you're really serious about making a lot of money with the program, you're going to have to tweak it a little.

I've invested quite a bit of time experimenting with the program. When I first signed up, I got some clicks and made a tiny bit of money. That wasn't good enough. I knew there must be a way to get more of my visitors to click on the ads.

Google has a strict policy about not pointing to the ads in any way or asking people to click on them, so there were two things I couldn't do. What else was there?

Then I remembered reading an article once that discussed the psychological impact of colours on the human mind. I started researching everything I could find on the subject.

After a lot of reading, many tests and periods of watching my clicks go up and down, I found the one colour combination that seemed to work the best.

Testing previously done at supermarkets had revealed that the same product could pull more sales from just changing the colours of the label. What were these colours? Red and yellow! The combination of these two colours has an immediate impact on the person who sees them. They make your eyes stop and focus. They pull your eyes right to that part of the page. They grab your attention! I'm not sure exactly why the combination of red and yellow does this, but it does. On one of my sites, I changed my Adsense ads to a bright red border and a yellow background with black text and URL.

My click through rate more than doubled with just that one simple change. That's what worked on my site. Your site's colour scheme may work better with a slightly different colour combination. Try lots of different colour variations. Make a change in the morning and let it ride for the whole day. The next morning, try a different set of colours. Change the border, background, text. Change everything you can. Most importantly, keep detailed records of the colour scheme you used, click ratio and revenue generated.

After you've done all the experimenting you want to, go back to the most profitable one and let it run for a week or so and see how it does. I'm always trying different colours even after my run of good clicks with red and yellow. There are a lot of colour combinations to choose from. You never know when you'll find just the right one.

Reference: by Brad Bahr at http://www.no-nonsense-internet-marketing.com/

How to Make Search Engines Happy in 3 Easy Steps

2007-11-05T00:30:00.000+07:00

1) Follow the Search Engine Guidelines

Nearly all search engines publish their own guidelines regarding the submission of sites, the type of sites they will accept and recommendations for optimized content. Google recently updated their Webmaster Guidelines which cover the most common forms of deceptive or manipulative search engine behavior that they consider to be "spam". They also published SEO Guidelines - advice for webmasters to heed when choosing an SEO. Google was the first search engine to publicly acknowledge search engine optimizers in this fashion.

It's not just Google publishing anti-spam guidelines. You'll find them at the following search engine sites as well:
- MSN Search webmaster guidelines
- AltaVista terms of use (AltaVista is a Yahoo-owned company)
- Yahoo terms of service
- Yahoo guidelines on search engine spam (covering AltaVista and AllTheWeb as well)
- Yahoo definitions of search engine spam (covering AltaVista and AllTheWeb as well)
- Yahoo content guidelines
- AskJeeves / Teoma terms of service and spam policy
- AskJeeves / Teoma editorial guidelines

2) Avoid Spamming the Search Engines

Often, webmasters will use search engine spam techniques without even being aware that they are doing so. Or worse, web designers can - advertently or inadvertently - integrate techniques that could cause a site to be penalized in the site's rankings in one or more engines, without the site owner's knowledge of such penalties. The key to avoiding spamming the engines is research.Keep track of the various search engine guidelines via the links above. Watch for any changes they make to these guidelines and tweak your site accordingly. Trawl the various webmaster and search engine forums regularly to ensure your site doesn't use any of the latest methods that appear to be penalized. If you suspect your site has been penalized, remove the offending content, contact the engine concerned and ask to be reinstated.

Google actually encourage you to file a re-inclusion request via their Help Center and this post by Google staffer Matt Cutts outlines what should be included.

Alternatively, here is a sample email template you can use instead:

----------------------------------------------------
Sample Re-inclusion Request Email:

Dear [search engine name],

I am the owner of [your site URL].

I did not realize that participation in [spammy method] and[spammy SEO name] programs could cause problems for my website. I wasassured that these techniques were search-engine-friendly by [your source for using spammy method].

I now understand that the practices used are not acceptable. I apologize for having allowed them to be placed on my website. I've removed the questionable pages and links from the site. I promise not to repeat such mistakes.

I am asking you to please consider reinstating my website,[your site URL] into the [search engine name] Index.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
--------------------------------------------------

To assist them to provide a high quality service, search engines encourage people to report search results they are dissatisfied with. If you spot some content spam or techniques that are clearly in breach of the search engine's public guidelines, you can report it using these links:
- Google spam report or via search-quality@google.com
- AllTheWeb relevancy problem report (AllTheWeb is a Yahoo-owned company)
- AltaVista search results manipulation report (or via Yahoo's spam report below)
- Yahoo spam report
- AskJeeves spam report or via information@ask.com

3) Build Sites for Visitors Rather than Search Engines

The methodologies may have changed over the years, but the same principles have always applied to "good" or "white hat" SEO. Build sites for humans, not search engines. Make the site as user friendly as possible, avoid the bells and whistles and include high quality, relevant content.

Wherever possible, include text-based content and navigation menus with simple, descriptive, well-written copy designed to convert your visitors into customers. Include keywords and phrases your audience would logically type in to search engines to find sites like yours. Only link to sites that are relevant to your target audience and spend some time on usability, making sure all your forms and shopping carts work.

Remember that what pleases a visitor is almost always what pleases a search engine too.

Reference: by Kalena Jordan at www.searchenginecollege.com

5 Simple Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques

2007-11-04T08:49:00.000+07:00

The lifeblood of any website/ecommerce business is traffic, and every webmaster knows the best type of traffic is natural, organic search engine traffic. There are two very important reasons for this: (1) it is extremely targeted, and (2) It is FREE! The hard part is getting top ranking for your sites keywords... or is it? The purpose of this article is to provide a few simple, effective, and most important, search engine friendly strategies to help boost your websites' ranking and ultimately your traffic.

1. We will start with the Meta Tags. I know you have already heard of, and are probably currently using meta tags on your site. This is great. I just want to make sure you are using them effectively. We will only go over 2 tags: the "title" tag, and the "description" tag. We will not go over the "keywords" tag, as the major search engines have placed less and less weight on this one, and some would argue this tag has no weight at all. I still use this tag however, as I feel there is some merit and no drawbacks to using this tag.

I have found it effective to use similar text in the "title" and "description" tags, and to place your keywords prominently in these tags (near the beginning and more than once). I have seen sites with "sitename.com", "New Page 1", or "Welcome to my site" in the "title" tag, which really does not help in their quest for higher rankings for their particular keyword. Also, try not to use words such as "and", "or", or "the" in these tags.

Important note about keywords Search engines evaluate keyword prominence, keyword weight, and keyword density when determining a site's ranking. All three are calculated individually for the page, the title tag, the description tag, as well as other areas on a page. Keyword prominence means how close the keyword is to the beginning of your page. Keyword weight refers to how many times a particular keyword or phrase can be found on the page. Keyword density is the ratio of the keyword to the other words on the page. You do not want the keyword weight or density to be too high, as this can appear to the search engine as "keyword stuffing" and most search engines penalize sites that stuff their keywords.

2. Place your navigational links (and JavaScript) at the right or at the bottom, but not on the left, of the page. When the search engines "read" your site, they read from the top left to the bottom right. Search engines place an emphasis on the first 100 words or text on the site. You do not want these words to be navigational links or Javascript. Ideally, you want to have your "heading" tags with your keywords in the beginning of your page. This being said, placing your links/JavaScript on the right or bottom of your page ensures the search engine spiders get to the text first, giving more weight to what's important on your page.

3. Place alt tags on all of your images. Search engine spiders cannot "read" pictures or images. The only way a spider knows what an image is about is by reading the alt tag. This is also another chance to place more of your keywords in your HTML, improving your page's keyword weight/density. Alt tags are easy to make and they can make a big difference in your sites keyword ranking. A simple alt tag looks like this: alt="put your keyword phrase here." Search engines separately calculate keyword prominence, density, and weight in alt tags as well, so optimize your tags.

4. Place your keywords at the bottom of your page. Just as search engines place more weight on the first words of your page, they also do the same to the last words. The general thinking is this, if your site is about a certain subject, then the main points, or keywords, should, appear at the beginning, be spread throughout the page, and be prominent at the conclusion. But if you have all of your navigational links and JavaScript at the bottom, your relevant page text could end well before the HTML does. An easy way to have your keywords at the bottom of your page is to include them in the copyright information. For example, if you have a dog food website, you could have something like this at the very bottom of the page

copyright 2005 yoursite.com World's best dog food

Search engines are not (as of this writing), penalizing sites using this technique, and it wouldn't really make much sense for them to do so.

5. The Anchor Text of your links. Anchor text is the actual linking text on a site. It is what the user clicks on to navigate to that particular site or page. If a search engine finds many links to your site using the term "dog food", then the search engine concludes your site is about "dog food". This is overlooked quite often, but it seems to have a very large impact on your search engine rankings for a particular keyword. Your anchor text needs to be the keyword or phrase you are trying to target. Try to avoid anchor text such as "Click Here" or "http://www.yoursite.com/"

Also, if you're running a reciprocal link campaign, be sure to use variations of your text. If an engine notices every link to your site is identical, it could place less weight on these links or potentially penalize your site. This is because search engines generally give more weight to "naturally occurring" links, and less to "reciprocal link exchange campaigns". Using different, but relevant anchor text can dramatically affect your targeted keyword rankings, by making your links appear more natural.

Effective SEO may seem difficult at first, but as you have read above, little tricks that require little or no programming knowledge, can make a huge impact on your website's keyword ranking.

Reference: by Noah Ulrich at http://www.adsense-id.com/

Selecting & Supplying New E-Business

2007-11-03T15:57:00.000+07:00

Idea Phase - First, you tell people about your great idea. They hear the enthurisam in your voice, nod their heads. They've seen you in this condition before and know how it usually turns out.
Decision Phase - Undaunted, you begin honing your plan. You ask questions & shop around until you find just the right tools and materials. When the project is starting you down in your own workshop, you may start to panic, asking yourself whether you're really up for the ask.
Aassembly Phase - Still determined to proceed, you forge ahead. You plug in your tools and go to work. Drills spin, sparks fly, and metal moves.
Test-drive phase - One fine day, out of the dust and fumes, your masterpiece emerges. You invite everyone over to enjoy the fruits of your labor. All of those who were skeptical before are now full of admiration. You get enjoyment from your project for years to come.

Mapping out your online business by
- Looking around
- Making your mark

Pursue something you know well
Make a statement
Give something away for free
Find your niche
Do something you love

- Evaluating commercial Web sites

A big commercial website: Get ideas from big business with big dollars for your own site
A mid-sized site: Notice some features that mid-size companies use, such as FAQ
A site that's just right: Different kinds of business can launch online goals for you

Flavors of Online Business you can taste test

- Selling consumer products

Your products are high in quality
You create your own products; for example, you design dishes, make fudge, or sell gift baskets of wine
You specialize in some aspects of your product that larger businesses can’t achieve. Perhaps you sell regional foods, such as Chicago deepdish pizza or live lobsters from Maine

- Hanging out your professional services: Attorneys, Psychotherapists, Physicians, Consultants

- Selling your expertise: Search engines, Link pages, Personal recommendations

- Opportunities with technology or computer resources: Computers, ISP, Software

- Being a starving artist without the starving: Host art galleries, publish writing, sell music

Marketing One-to-One to Your Customers

- Focus on a customer segments

Get your visitor to indetify themselves
Become an online researcher
Keep track of your visitors
Help your visitors get to know you
Make yourself visible
Make your site an eye-catcher

- Boost your credibility

Document your credentials
Convince with must-have information

- Customer to customer contact: Everyone wins

- Be a player in online communities: Be a newsgroupie + be a mailing list-ener

- Add ways to sell and multiply your profits

Easyware (Not Hardware) for Your Business

- The right computer for your online business
- Processor speed
- Hard drive storage
- CD-RW/DVD±RW drive
- Monitor
- Fax equipment
- Image capture devices

Getting Online: Connection Options
- A second phone line
- Beyond dialup

Software Solutions for Online Business
- Web browser
- Web page editor
- Taking email a step higher
- Discussion group software
- FTP software
- Image editors
- Instant messaging
- Backup software