Archive for the ‘History Lessons’ Category

Will Facebook Change After the IPO?

Posted by Josh on February 16, 2012 - 10:50 am
How Will Mark Zuckerberg Handle the IPO?

It's a Game Changer

It’s going to be interesting to see how an internet start-up known for its stubborn and almost arrogant attitude towards what they think is right for its users will handle going public and having to answer to shareholders who aren’t always as patient or open minded as its loyal followers. There are already signs that Facebook may be making decisions that don’t jive with its past philosophies on user experience because of its $5 billion IPO last week.

It’s reported that more than half of Facebook’s current users use mobile devices to log on to the social network. This is an interesting fact by itself, but the plot thickens when you consider that there are no ads displayed on the Facebook’s mobile app. To a potential shareholder this mean the company could potentially increase revenues by 50% by simply publishing its ads on mobile versions of the site.

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Straight from the Horse’s Mouth – Q&A’s With Successful Online Entrepreneurs

Posted by Josh on February 10, 2012 - 7:12 pm

Eight Q&A sessions with people who have cracked the code of online success. Discover the philosophies and tools that current owners of thriving online businesses believe in.

Q&A Sessions with Successful Online Businesses

Learn from the Best

Q&A with Jeff Hayzlett - Jeff Hayzlett discusses how his success at Kodak can translate to any business. Jeff is a top expert in new Social Media techniques and the former CMO at Kodak.

Q&A with Tim Ferris - In this interview Tim Ferris, Author of The 4-Hour Work Week, discusses his philosophy and how he balances life and business.

Q&A with Cynthia Typaldos - As a person who has been responsible for two successful online ventures, RealCommunities and GolfWeb, Cynthia Typaldos has been featured in multiple publications including the Wall Street Journal.

Q&A with Gurbaksh Chahal - At 27 years old, Gurbaksh Chanal is already an internet legend. He has already started and sold two online advertising companies for a total of $340 million. With stats like that, we should all listen to what he has to say on the subject of online success.

Q&A with Lauren Friese - As the founder of TalentEgg.ca, a portal for young grads based in Canada, Lauren is a classic online success story.

Q&A with Chris Brogan - As co-authored Trust Agents, Chris Brogan has figured out what countless others have been trying to do since the blogosphere became a word – become one of the top bloggers in the world.

Q&A with Jason Alba - As CEO of JibberJobber, Jason Alba built a tool to help job hunters better manage their job search online. He’s a strong advocate for Social Media and personal branding.

Q&A with Christopher Knight - Knight owns the web’s largest content distribution solution for authors and generates millions of visits monthly. He also founded EmailUniverse, another resource for E-mail newsletter publishers.

(photo by opensourceway)

5 Business Biographies You Need to Read

Posted by Josh on January 24, 2012 - 3:40 pm

Anyone who is interested in becoming an entrepreneur or understanding what makes one tick, should read biographies of the people who epitomize business leadership and innovation. Nothing will give you as much insight in to the thought process and philosophy of a business icon as much as their story told in their own words, or by somebody that is close to them (which can sometimes give you even more).

Here is a list of our top 5 favorite Business Biographies:

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Books for Entrepreneurs - Steve Jobs

The Visionary

For obvious reasons, we are sure you’ve heard of this one already. It’s on top of the best sellers list and will likely remain there for a long while. But if you are one of the few that haven’t picked it up and been amazed by the juggernaut known as Steve Jobs, then you need to do so. The author, Walter Isaacson, wrote the book at the request of Steve Jobs towards the end of his life and interviewed him more than forty times over two years. He also interviewed over a hundred of his close friends, family and colleagues. A true study in business solutions without compromise, it’s a must read for those looking to make their place in the business world.

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Why It Is Impossible To Cheat On The Internet

Posted by Chris on December 13, 2011 - 1:15 pm

Ryan Braun Gets Caught

Ryan Braun won the MVP and got caught cheating in the same month

Last week Ryan Braun got caught for using performance-enhancing drugs not too long after he won the award for MVP in baseball. In almost every walk of life there is temptation to cheat. In school, in politics, in business, every time your read the news it feels like someone is getting caught for cheating.

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What Would You Do if You Worked in The 70′s?

Posted by Chris on December 04, 2011 - 10:17 pm
Working in the 70's

Groovy

These days, almost everything has to do with computers. The company I work for, SeeVolution could not exist without computers or the Internet and I am sure we’re not alone.

My question to the readers is: what would you be doing today if you lived in an era without computers? It’s a really good question. When I asked myself I had to stop and think for a while. Right now my job consists mainly of writing blog posts, spreading the word about that post via social media and SEO strategy, and light scheduling for my boss. I think a reporter in a big city would have been kind of cool. If I kept the writing, maybe I would substitue the SEO strategy for the nosiness of a reporter.

Below is a list of common jobs that exist solely because of the computers or the Internet. Please don’t get mad if I left a job off because there are literally thousands. But for the sake of this post here is what I think some of today’s professions would have been 30 or 40 years ago.

Programmers = Engineers
Designers = Interior designer or art work for a magazine or newspaper
Bloggers = Writers
Accountants = Accountants
Analytics Measurers = Scientists

What is your title now? What do you think you would have been pre-Internet? Also, feel free to beef up my rinky dink list of comparisons above. Two minds are better than one, two better than three, etc.

The History of Monopolies in America

Posted by Chris on November 20, 2011 - 10:46 pm
Monopoly Board

More than just a board game

We have all played the iconic board game, but here is what a monopoly really is.

In late 1800s if you filled up your car with gas, then odds are that you were buying from Standard Oil. Standard had a monopoly on the oil business in America:

Here’s how they got it.

When a small town had a gas station Standard would open up their own gas station right across the street and then drastically reduce prices. Eventually the local gas station couldn’t compete with the lower prices and they would have to close. Once this happened, Standard would hike up the prices.

They did this to town after town until 1890 when the US Department of Justice sued Standard under federal anti-trust law, the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, for sustaining a monopoly and restraining interstate commerce.

Just a little history lesson courtesy of the SeeVolution team.

(Photo by cathyse97)