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Important news: change url address

This website has moved few months ago to www.businesshackers.com

I did it again: how I manage to attract 10000 visitors to my blog; Part 1

very useful.

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Links and photo of the day 05.10.2006:

Competitio.us --> a useful tool to track competitors, widely recognized
Mark: 7/10

Pingomatic --> thell everyone you have updated your site... simple but effective...
Mark: 8/10

8 reasons why only few Web 2.0 sites will be profitable....

Businesshackers.com would like to share with you the opinion why only few web 2.0 sites will be able to generate profits...

1. changing environment --> what is meant by that is that the market is extremely innovative and unstable... projects that generate millinions in the first three-four months may turn out to be a complete debacle... investing in a web 2.0 start-up requires both courage and the ability to tolerate huge potential losses...

2. dificulties converting traffic into money --> the best example is youtube... it is very popular and all of us use it, but the owners can't generate high enough profits to cover running costs...

3. increasing number of competitors --> it's almost impossible to create a product that competitors will not try to imitate... look at the number of social bookmarking sites for example...

4. low entry barriers --> keeping a website is very cheap nowdays... which means that you should be very careful about point 3 of this list

5. web 2.0 might be the second high-tech bubble --> 5 years ago we have experienced a big bubble... web 2.0 projects may suffer the same if the market doesn't consolidate...

6. lack of absolute leaders --> it is impossible to create a unique product of which we know everything and other people know nothing...

7. even though the internet is widely known... the number of surfers in not infinite... business relies on traffic and traffic has its limits...

8. innovations do not appear linearly --> revolutions must take place from time to time, but not everyone is able to revolutionise the world...

How to download videos from google video, youtube, etc.

This is something irritating... whenever you find a video which you would like to download it turns out that you can't do it... a good solution? Videoronk... this simple website allows you to search and download files from many video sharing sites...
Businesshackers found it very useful... what is absolutely great is that the website is very fast... you can download in avi format and you can use 7 differen file sharing sites to find what you want...
Businesshackers': 9/10

Podcasting as a business... time to put some ads...

Businesshackers are constantly looking for business opportunities... we have found something called Podzinger.
According to the authors " PodZinger is the world's most powerful audio and video search engine and online advertising network. PodZinger makes it possible for consumers to directly connect to their passions through multimedia search, lets content creators easily monetize their assets, and gives advertisers a uniquely targeted approach for delivering branded messages. Using speech recognition technology, PodZinger searches words within both audio and video, not just the metadata, to classify content based on topic and usage.

For consumers, PodZinger is the only search engine that allows users to find audio and video content based on keyword searches and then skim the results for relevance the same way they would for text. Consumers can then "jump-to" a specific location in the audio and video without fast forwarding or listening to the entire file.

For content creators, PodZinger's advertising program generates revenue for the parent company, while providing their users easier access to topics of interest.

For advertisers, PodZinger delivers online multimedia playback ads that are tied to consumers' specific search terms and categories. This provides a unique way for advertisers to follow consumers online and directly link to the exploding volume of video and audio content".
Businesshackers' opinion: a good search engine, which should be constantly updated.... the profitability of the ads system seems to be unpredictable... poor graphics...
Businesshackers' mark: 6/10

Links and photo of the day 02.10.2006: RSS...

After a couple of days of break... we continue to publish daily photos and links... from now on the two daily posts will be joined into one post to make it faster to read...
Best regards,

The Businesshackers



Daily links:

* Traders.com --> a good source of technical analysis knowledge... but a bit too expensive Mark:6/10
(I found a nice quotation on that website: Financial economics has focused far too long on simple linear models. The fact is, the world is not linear. Linearity is not a good approximation for many markets).
* investormap.com --> most comprehensive Web site directory available anywhere.

Information for businesshackers' readers...

Businesshackers.com becomes interactive... from wednesday this week readers will be allowed to:
1. submit reviews of business related sites (including their own sites) to our webmasters... to do that send an e-mail to ddmaca/at/poczta.fm
2. send their own articles to the adress stated above...
3. add links to their own websites if found to be of great value for the whole businesshackers community...
Best regards,

The Businesshackers

Rogue Trader... a relatively old film every businesshacker should watch...

Yesterday I have watched a film that all businesshackers should watch and especially those involved in trading: Rogue Trader...
The story is more less the following: "Ewan McGregor (MOULIN ROUGE) brings a dynamic screen presence to this riveting motion picture about how greed, excess, and high-stakes gambling brought down one of Britain's oldest and most successful financial institutions. When he is sent to Singapore by the 200-year-old Barings Bank, futures trader Nick Leeson (McGregor) dreams of making a killing in the stock market. But even though his firm believes Nick is the most successful trader they've ever employed, he secretly begins to steal vast amounts of their own money to cover his risky financial wagering. With debts to match his desperation for a way out -- Nick risks everything in a frantic bid to beat the system and win back the money!".(see also:link)

Businesshackers' mark: 8/10

Additional comments: a good film mainly becaus it's the only one covering the topic of emotions o futures' traders...

Book recommendation: Small Business for Dummies

This is a good book review I would like to suggest you...

"You’re not alone if the thought of running your own business has crossed your mind. Even if your vision of a small business differs from your neighbor’s, you probably dream of being your own boss and of providing a needed service or creating a cool new product.

But your very first small-business decision may be to admit that you’re not ready for this career – at least not yet. If you’re straddling the fence, Small Business For Dummies will uncover whether this career works for you. You’ll also gain insight into getting your personal finances in order before exposing yourself to the risk of a new business, and discover how to draw a roadmap to reach your career destination. This easy-to-understand guide is also for those who want to

* Write a gang-buster business plan
* Create the right legal framework for your business
* Locate financing that suits your needs
* Develop and market your product
* Hire the right employees for the right jobs
* Build your business

You’ll also gain understanding of the tactical side of running a small business, from pricing, budgeting, business expansion, and complying with government regulations to operational issues including:

* Managing your time
* Collecting accounts receivable
* Understanding your financial statements
* Taking good care of your customers
* Locating new financing or revising existing financing

You don’t need to be a genius to run a successful small business, but you do need some help. And that’s exactly what this book is, a guide into the stimulating world of small business ownership and management". (source: link)

Use Cafebabel to keep up with current news...

If you want to be informed and you are as creative as a businesshacker you should be also a reader of: Cafebabel

According to the authors CafeBabel is "the first multilingual European current affairs magazine, designed for readers across borders. Cafebabel.com revolutionises European media through participatory journalism, providing a unique platform of expression for all citizens.

Café babel’s aim is to stimulate and develop European public opinion through two distinct but closely related missions. The online magazine – cafebabel.com – offers every week analyses of current affairs from a unique, European perspective. Secondly, at grassroots level café babel’s network, actively promotes this perspective through debates, conferences and other events organised in towns and cities across Europe.

Cafebabel.com is the publication of the association Babel International. Created in 2001, the association’s base is at its central European office in Paris. Together with an ever-expanding network of local offices across Europe, café babel can truly claim to be the voice of the ‘euro-generation’".

The overall opinion on this project is very positive... sometimes it looks as a traditional newspaper, but sometimes you can find news, which would be otherwise unavailble.

Businesshackers' mark: 8/10

Great business magazines available online

There are some great sources of information on the net if you are looking for business and investment ideas. As Dustin Woodwards says: There are many magazines dedicated to investing and personal finance topics. It is common for investing magazines to be full of hype which typically reduces your investment returns. With the help of a couple industry professionals, I came up with the following ranking of investment magazines (note: sadly, Mutual Funds magazine and Bloomberg Personal Finance are no longer published, but originally made this list).
1) Smart Money
This magazine lives up to it's name by answering investor's questions rather than hyping the 'hot stock.' Published by the same company that brings you the much-respected Wall Street Journal.

2) Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Great source of information about personal finance topics like taxes, insurance, retirement planning, and of course - investing.

3) Business Week
Weekly magazine that focuses mostly on business news, but also touches on investing topics from time to time. Great way to keep up on the latest on business trends and news.
Compare Prices

4) Forbes
A variety of articles, reviews and guides. Does a good job of finding personal finance Web sites for you to use with its 'Best of the Web' specials.
Compare Prices

5) Worth
A little more focused to those with a high net 'Worth', this magazine provides direction on a broad range of personal finance topics.
Compare Prices

6) Bloomberg Markets
This magazine is more appropriate for the professional investor. It focuses on the people who move the markets.
Publisher's Site

7) Red Herring
If you have a technical background, then you may enjoy this magazine. Touches on investing from time to time and keeps you up-to-date on company happenings.
Compare Prices

8) The Economist
Keep track of worldwide news with this intelligent economy-focused magazine. The articles and data are highly analytical.
Compare Prices

9) Money Magazine
Not my favorite investing magazine because it focuses too much on hype to draw readers. Still, the magazine does have some valuable information.

Links of the day: 29.09.2006

Today it's only two links:

* The Economist describes the Second Life phenomenon --> it's interesting to see that such a serious magazine talks about new technologies and virtual worlds...
Mark: 7/10

** How to write a business letter to say thank you --> I used it once and it seems to be sth of great value...
Mark: 7/10

Photo of the day 29.09.2006: RSS...

Links of the day: 28.09.2006

* Top 10 Dumbest Online Business Ideas That Made It Big Time --> no comment
Mark: 7/10

** Ideas for startups --> some of them are obvious, but some might inspire some of you
Mark: 7/10

*** trendwatching.com: Consumer trends and insights from around the world --> this is something that will allow you to observe trends qnd consumer expectations
Mark: 8/10

**** Business 2.0: Bulletproof Startup
Mark: 8/10

Cartoon mania...

if you are a child or you simply like cartoons... have a look at... it is not a web 2.0 application or a bew piece of software..; it isjust a list with links that will allow youi to spend hundreds of hours watching cartoons... very useful epecially if you don't have a tv set at home...
Where? link

Photo of the day 28.09.2006: Geek's Business

Best social bookmarning sites about business...

I have recently come across some social networking websites that are particularly useful for business professionals... let me share my impressions on them and details available on the net:

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business oriented social networking site, mainly used for professional networking. As of September 2006, it had more than 7 million registered users, representing 130 industries.

Registered users maintain lists of contacts of people they know and trust in business (these are called connections). These lists are then used to provide a network of contacts which can be used in a number of ways. Each person's network consists of their direct connections, each of their connections connections (called 2nd degree connections) and also the connections of 2nd degree connections (called 3rd degree connections).

This network can then be used to find jobs, people and business opportunities recommended by the user's direct contacts, or by individuals connected to a contact at the 2nd or 3rd degree.

The "gated-access approach" (where contact with any professional requires either a pre-existing relationship, or the intervention of a contact of theirs) is intended to build trust among the service's users.

Employers can list jobs on LinkedIn and search for passive candidates and job seekers can review the profile of hiring managers, HR professionals and/or recruiters, and then discover which of their existing contacts can introduce them.

Alumni and professional organizations use LinkedIn for Groups, members-only areas on LinkedIn that facilitate networking among their members. Many of these organizations have groups that also exist under the Yahoo! Groups domain.

LinkedIn participates in the EU Safe Harbor Privacy Framework and is certified to meet the strict privacy guidelines of the European Union. All relationships on LinkedIn are mutually confirmed, and no one appears in the LinkedIn Network without knowledge and explicit consent.

Mark: 8/10

2. ActiveRain

The ActiveRain Real Estate Network is a social networking service for real estate professionals in the US and Canada. The Network was launched June 2006, and currently hosts over 5,000 real estate professionals from across the United States and Canada. The ActiveRain Real Estate Network allows its members to blog together in a group blog, as well as discuss real estate related issues in forums, and via direct messaging.

Mark: 6/10

3. OpenBC

openBC (short for "Open Business Club", new name XING to become effective soon) is a social software platform for enabling a small-world network for professionals. It is used by people from over 160 countries, albeit the majority of users are Germans. openBC is the only multilingual social business network allowing professionals to establish networks internationally. Languages currently available include English, German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Chinese, Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, Turkish and many more. By displaying how each member is connected to any other member, it visualises the small-world phenomenon.

The platform offers personal profiles, groups, discussion forums, event coordination, and other common social community features. Basic membership is free. But many core functions, like searching for people with specific qualifications or messaging people whom one is not already connected to, can only be accessed by the premium members. Premium membership comes at a monthly fee around 6 USD. The platform uses https and has a rigid privacy and no-spam policy.

openBC started in November 2003 in Hamburg, Germany. It gained high attention in German media and is used a lot as business-network in German-speaking countries. Membership from other countries throughout Europe and the Far East helped growing the network platform to more than 1 million members in January 2006[1].

OpenBC offers the system as well for closed communities, i.e. private clubs, academic clubs or corporate clubs with own access paths and own interface designs.

4. Passado

Passado is the largest social networking website in Europe, with 4.5 million members.

Passado was founded in May 2001 by two school friends who thought it would be interesting if people who left their school or university could just keep in touch. Passado then expanded rapidly and became the most successful European reunion platform for school friends and work colleagues.

In December 2004, Passado launched a new comprehensive social and business networking service covering both the past — with schools, childhood friends and former companies — and the present — with current friends and contacts, current workplace, industry, profession, hobbies, and more.

Members can reunite with old friends, make new friends, buy and sell, find new jobs, hire staff and establish new business contacts.

Passado is partnered with major European and local Internet service providers and portals all over Europe, like MSN, Yahoo, Lycos and Terra.

Mark: 5/10

5. Neurona

Neurona.com is a business networking web site that has been operating in Spain since August 2003. Today, Neurona is the leading business networking site in Spain with more than 570,000 registered users.

Neurona is a powerful networking tool where users can build their own professional network and...

Market themselves as professionals with a personal & unique URL (F.i. my-name.neurona.com) which can be indexed in Google.
Control the privacy level of their professional profile.
Get in touch with other professionals by knowing different degrees of separation with other members on their network.
Participate in Professional Communities or create their own private community.
Get qualified leads and answers by asking to their trusted network with NetMail (a qualified network broadcasted message).
Neurona is located in Barcelona, Spain, and is funded by Grupo Intercom (http://www.grupointercom.com) and Bonsai Venture Capital.

Mark: 6/10

6. Ryze

Ryze.com is a free social networking website designed to link business professionals. The site claims to have over 450,000 members in 200 countries, with over 1000 external organizations hosting sub-networks on the site. Both paid and unpaid membership levels are offered. Founded in late 2001 by Adrian Scottin San Francisco, it was the first of the new generation of social networking services, and was a heavy influence on Friendster, which was founded by early Ryze member Jonathan Abrams in 2002.

Mark: 7/10

Links of the day: 27.09.2006

* how to fund a start up? --> different ways of finding money to set your own business;useful but could provide more examples. Mark: 6/10

** Why A New Idea Isn't The Key To Entrepreneurship --> a good article about business; mark: 7/10

*** A look at eight multi-person SMS services --> a very nice post, but it says nothing really important for non-US users...
Mark: 7/10

**** Jokes for businessmen, soft but effective --> a good site just to relax a bit
7/10

Salary search... a good tool...

If you're looking for a job and you don't know what kind of salary you ,ight expect use: Salary Search

Indeed Salary Search is based on an index of salary information extracted from over 50 million job postings from thousands of unique sources over the last 12 months. Many job descriptions don't contain salary information, but there are enough that do to produce statistically significant average salaries for millions of keyword, job title and location combinations - in fact, most job searches you are likely to think of. As new jobs are added each day, the Indeed Salary Search index is automatically updated with fresh salary data, so the salary results are as up-to-date as they could possibly be.

Investment decisions become social with web 2.0

In the last few years many books have promoted the idea of contrarian trading... which basically means: do the opposite of what most people do... but it is not sure whether this is the correct approach or not... businesshackers are traders so they know how difficult it is earn money trading.. let's have a look at this new project called: Social Picks.
SocialPicks is a community for stock market investors to share investment ideas, exchange market research, and track peers' investment performance. It is a relatively new site, which was created for individual investors.
The screen you will see if you register will look more less like this one:

Advantages:
- it's free
- it's simple to use
- it allows beginners to improve their knowledge about finance

Disadvantages:
- it's hard to establish if there is any benefit as far as investment results are concerned
- the site is sometimes unstable
- grahics could be better

Use AJAX to find a domain name...

This website is aimed at finding solutions to everyday problems and save both time and money... let's assume that you are looking for a domain to register... how can you find one spending hours on the net... use Instantdomainsearch... this site uses AJAX to check instantly what you're typing... it's extremely useful and fast...

Photo of the day 27.09.2006: DotCom Meets Web 2.0 Buy Now

DotCom Meets Web 2.0 Buy Now
Originally uploaded by kyarmosh.

Links of the day: 26.09.2006

Let's see some links that allow to explore the world of technology:

* Geek Entertainment TV --> a nice website showing interviews about web 2.0 and business ideas
Mark: 7/10

** New York Times, Technology --> a good source of information about business and IT industry... it doesn't provide any amazing new, but it's rather good... Mark: 7/10

*** Tech News World --> similar to the one described before, but the quality is not that high... constant updates make it a good source of information Mark: 7/10

**** The raw feed --> An absolutely great website, which i read regularly; it includes many interestin posts on bizarre ideas and businesses... Mark: 8/10