Credit Card Fraud Prevention And Detection

 

Will banks and credit card firms use the IP address as a way to detect and prevent fraud online?

Registering your devices as a way of fraud detection (the IP addresses of the devices).

When you make a purchase online you are asked for a credit card number and sometimes the CSC, Card Security Code,from the back. What would be interesting is, if the IP address was recorded by the seller site and sent to the financial payment provider to see if there is a match. When there is not a match, a higher level of security screening can be enabled. This would enable a customer to register their devices before making purchases to enable better fraud detection. This should prevent a false positive, which interrupts the customer unnecessarily.

The reason this comes up is, as of late, I’ve made a few online purchases with online merchants I’ve not done business with recently. AT&T, Carbonite and Joker.com are a few of the services. After making a purchase with Joker, my phone rang and there was a cryptic message. Hung up and within a minute another call came across. The second one was clearer, but not clear enough. One of the purchases was listed as being from Alpharetta, GA for $25. It was not a charge I recognized as I have not been to or knowingly done any business with a firm in the location recently. Well, after logging in to my bank website, I saw a $25 charge from AT&T. Oh, that’s a legitimate charge I thought. Who knew they used Alpharetta, GA as their billing location. Time will tell if that charge is rejected and causes my AT&T account to be suspended.

Apple Ping – A Social Network For Music

 

Apple Ping is a social network of sorts. My use of it is still in the earliest stages. Since that is the case, I am only following a few users currently. One of the things that is interesting is seeing other music people have liked or recently purchased. The ability to hear a sample of these songs makes for an interesting way to discover new music. When one finds a track one likes and enjoys, one can buy it on the spot or add it to a Wish List. I’ve added two songs to the wish list.

What would be cool is if in the Wish List there was a way to see who the user was that brought the song to my attention. If there are certain users that inspire more people to buy more music they could be considered to be industry influencers.

Questions

• How important is it to know who the influencers are?
• Would top influencers be able to monetize their position as such?
• Will Apple create an influencers list? If so, will they make it public or will they sell or share that data with people that want to distribute their music?

Google Realtime Timeline

 

Was doing a search for Detroit on Google Realtime and noticed that the timeline can be scrolled. This means you can see what the topic was that spiked activity at that time. Detroit is a rather common word and has frequent activity posted. It looks like there were two small spikes after 6 PM and another at what looks like 11 PM.

See image below. You can try the Detroit search here.

*Perhaps I should have done a screenshot of one of the spiking periods for analysis.

Is Guy Kawasaki Tweeting Live?

 

It looks like Guy is tweeting via TweetDeck. One could safely assume that he is actually at a computer tweeting (could be TweetDeck for iPhone or perhaps on an iPad). If you wanted to reach him via an @ reply or a Direct Message (DM) it’s a good idea to be able to tell when he in online and watching Twitter.

He probably gets hundreds of @ replies and Direct Messages a day. So, if he isn’t watching as your messages comes in, it will probably get pushed to the bottom in short order.

Lesson: Send your message at a time when it will be read.

Interesting Google Ad

 

It appears that a someone named Dave Palmer is seeking to sell his talents to Google. It would appear that he is trying a different tactic in finding a recruiter that finds employees for Google.

 

This tactic has worked in the past. The example that comes to mind was for someone in the advertising or media business. In that case the person bought the ads against the names of people that had the power to actually hire him. People Google their own names.

A Google search lead to this → CNN: “Man lands job with $6 Google campaign”

UPS delivers 'amore' - WSJ.com

Third-party logistics is a growing area at a time of globalization and cost-cutting of in-house supply-chain operations, said Kevin Sterling, senior transportation analyst at BB&T Capital Markets.

via online.wsj.com

*Possible area for students to study and become experts in. How to integrate complex supply chain distribution channels.

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Gillmor Gang: Smart People

Hope to watch this complete episode of the Gillmor Gang soon. In addition to Steve Gillmor it appears that “Loic Le Meur, Robert Scoble, Danny Sullivan, John Taschek, and Kevin Marks” are also in the program.

Realtime Search

 

Recently several real-time search services have come to my attention.

48ers.com and Google Realtime

You should check both of them out and add them to your toolbox.

MarketWatch Ad in The Wall Street Journal iPhone App

 

A few months back I saw an ad for MarketWatch in the Wall Street Journal iPhone app. It’s an ad for their Twitter account.

 

Foursquare: Mayor Special From The Sterling Heights Public Library

 

Foursquare Mayor Special from the Sterling Heights Public library. Free tote bag. The current mayor has 3 checkins.

Foursquare venue.

Location Services on iPod / iPhone

 

Was looking around in “settings” on the iPod Touch when I came across the screen below. It lists all the location based services (LBS) that are on the device.  Each of the services listed is looking for location data when you use their service. It finally came to my attention what the purple arrow means. When it appears it means that an app has requested location data within the past 24 hours. Was just in the Yelp app previous to visiting this screen, hence the location data indicator was on.

 

LinkedIn App on iPhone: Connect VIA Bluetooth

 

Apparently LinkedIn has a way to connect with people via Bluetooth. Saw this on an iPod Touch using the LinkedIn app.

 

The Flickr App for iPhone

This is why the Flickr app is so awesome. It makes it easy to see the pictures friends and family post to Flickr.

New Technology to Lure Shoppers - WSJ.com

Some of the most sophisticated in-store technology is tied to consumers' mobile devices, ad executives say. Marketers are experimenting with ways to use mobile phones to provide customers with services and promotions as they shop. These range from truck reviews at car dealerships to allergy information tied to certain foods at supermarkets, Mr. Ross says.

via online.wsj.com

Sounds like Location Based Services (Foursquare etc) are on to something here. Who can get the first score?

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Top Sites Visited as of 8-7-2010 #Plancast #LinkedIn

Top Sites Visited as of 8-7-2010
Originally uploaded by @Admore

Was looking at the icon shortcuts on the Google start page.

In order the sites are...
1. Twitter
2. Gist
3. Plancast
4. Google Latitude
5. Twitter Search
6. Wall Street Journal
7. Foursquare
8. LinkedIn

Plancast has moved up a lot in the past few weeks. Seems that a few of the people that I follow on it have added a bunch of events recently. The more my contacts use Plancast, the more valuable it becomes. It's my understanding that Facebook events are exported to Plancast. This is good for several reasons. The first is that it brings non Facebook users, but still contacts, in to the event game. The second reason is bringing a more curated calendar of events to ones attention. Past experience on Facebook included the creation of too many events. Part of the problem with that is email and time management becomes challenging. As I recall, people would indicate they were going to a Facebook event and not make it for whatever reason. It seems that if some says they are in on Plancast they are really going. This is good because if you want to meet someone face-to-face at an event, a "Count Me in" it is highly probably the person will show up.

Plancast is a relatively new service.
Questions:
1. Have you taken a look at it or are you already using it?
2. Do you see the sharing of events as important?

It's been a long time since LinkedIn has made the home screen. This might actually be the first time. LinkedIn has made some changes recently. Perhaps they are not new but that they came to my attention. It is now possible to follow people that one is not connected to directly. If there is a shared group between both people, you can follow updates of not direct contacts. This enables one to follow smart and perhaps influential people that only connect with people they know or have worked with. Here's where it gets interesting. If the smart person you are following posts to LinkedIn, it's my understanding that you can comment on their thought, comment or post. This engagement may lead to a discussion and from there... all things are possible.

Another interesting part of LinkedIn is the Groups. Recently I've joined a few groups that have active questions and discussions. One such group is the one for Marketing Over Coffee.

Questions:
1. Are you actively using LinkedIn?
2. Are you getting more value out of it than before?
3. What changes have you liked or disliked?

Plancast: Idea For Monetizing

Plancast is a website that allows for a person, or entity, to create, broadcast and invite people to come to an event.
Currently, most users are individuals. It seems that many have only entered a few events here and there. People enter events that might be fun to have others tag along.


What would be really interesting is if professional sports teams created their own Plancast Channels. The channel could include preseason and regular season games with home an road dates included. A sport like football has a lot of fans that will travel to other places to see their team play. Lots of Chicago Bears fans come to Ford Field in Detroit when they Play the Detroit Lions. For traveling Bears fans it would be intriguing to see if any of their friends were also planning to travel to Detroit for the game.


If a fan saw a friend had already indicated they were going to a game on the road, another fan could click the “count me in” button for the event. When they do that it might trigger a pop up where that person would be offered the opportunity to buy a ticket. An advanced feature might even allow for the buyer to get a seat as close as possible to their friends seat.


When first thinking about how Plancast and a sports league might integrate, the  National Hockey League (NHL) was the first. Could definitely see the Detroit Red Wings creating a channel for their fans to participate. Fans that are attending a game can spread the event to their contacts (Sell more tickets etc). This information distribution can be done via Facebook, Twitter and email.


Lets say that a local university is doing a get together at a sporting event. The alumni association might use the teams Plancast Event Channel to invite people. Those that want to RSVP can buy a ticket right there in the Plancast Event Channel.


Meetup is a way for people to organize their own events and classes. People use Meetup to organize things like floor hockey, photography or knitting. Some hosts charge fees to cover the costs incurred running the event. It would be great if Plancast had a partnership with Meetup to distribute group events and to create revenue for hosts and venues.



Below is the note card that was where the first thoughts went.




*This post was not diagrammed out in advance. It was spell checked, but it was not printed, edited and revised. It was edited a little bit. Errors may remain.

Innovation Unleashed

 

The velocity of innovation is increasing.

Q: Do you know what that means?

A: Creative Destruction *Look it up

Browser Home Screen - Top Sites

 

 

Above is a screen shot of the start page in Google Chrome. It's my understanding that the images are in order left to right, then down in order of most visits. In this case Twitter is the most visited site and Gist is the second most and so on. What is amazing is that Gist, a contact knowledge engine is up to number two. It's only been about six weeks since I started using Gist. The ranking algorithm in Chrome might be for most visits in the past 30 days.

Google Latitude – Traffic Jam I-94

Above is a image from Google Latitude. From the data you can see that the distance between geo blips is very short. The back up was about a mile as the freeway was completely closed west bound as the result of a car accident. Traveling one mile took about forty-five minutes.

Google receives geo blip data from users of Latitude. This data can pinpoint traffic congestion and perhaps one day areas that have a lot of traffic jams. Perhaps the causes of the traffic jams could be investigated and solutions implemented to improve traffic flows and driver safety.

What would be interesting is if Google called people (Google Voice users) that are in the traffic jam. They could provide insights about the cause (construction, accident etc). Perhaps first responders could be contacted with data live from the scene.

Ford to End Mercury

via online.wsj.com

The pace of change has quickened during the recession. This will reduce the friction caused by marketing support (ad money and dealer marketing) required for weak and dying brands.

This consolidation may lead to more models per company. This might occur to differentiate a firms model lineup against its competitors.

Marketers may find more niches to target against. Single firm car manufactures can more readily make positioning moves to serve the unmet needs of unique markets.

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Creating a Startup?

If you are thinking of creating a web-based startup, it is suggested that you review the following podcasts.
The first is from Jason Calacanis ( @Jason on Twitter) via thisweekin.com
The second is from Jason Fried ( @jasonfried on Twitter) and David Heinemeier Hansson (@DHH on Twitter) via the Signal Vs. Noise blog.
Note: There is some language that may not suitable for all audiences.

• 
  TWiST #49.5 Interview with Nathan Lasche
  
• 
  [Podcast] Episode #13: Addressing criticism of 37signals (Part 1 of 2)
  

Both episodes, at first glance, appear to be on topics not related to startups and entrepreneurship. Each episode has excellent insights on both.

Book Review: The 1% Windfall by Rafi Mohammed

 

Suggested Readership:

• Business students (Learn about pricing)
• Business people (Learn how to maximize profits)
• Marketers (Learn new pricing methods to reach more customers
• Anyone selling a product or service (See above)

Notes:

This is not a book filled with complicated equations. The text is written in everyday English.

The book is sprinkled with figures that bring data together in an easy to understand way. Chapters One through Seven each conclude with “Key Takeaways.”

Personal tweets from the book.

The notes below were posted to Twitter as I read the book.

• "... Know your product attributes and then stand up for and capture the value of your products and services." #t1pw (p. 23)
• "Understanding how customers benefit from a product is integral to better pricing." #t1pw (p. 23)
• "... most brand-name products have the opportunity to sell to more customers by providing a range of options." #t1pw (p. 70)
• "... the BLS has determined that 94% of airline tickets are discounted coach, 4% are full-fare and 2% are first class." #t1pw (p. 71)
• "It is estimated that snack-size packages are about 20% more profitable compared to larger sizes." #t1pw (p. 76)
• "... bundling a product with others can yield significant growth in value and thus profits." #t1pw (p. 80)
• "Events that don't offer multiple prices are cutting off consumers." #t1pw (p. 82)
• "Rebates are attractive to sellers because approximately 50% of eligible customers don't follow through to get their cash back." #t1pw p. 90
• "At Burger King, bundled meals represnt 51% of total sales." #t1pw (p. 99)
• "Reserve discounts to attract price-sensitive buyers who need an extra incentive to purchase."#t1pw (p. 173)
• "Employees need to be proactively encouraged to collect and report competitor information."#t1pw (p. 180)
• "... it is important to keep up on pricing issues because variables that affect price constantly change." #t1pw (p. 183)
• "If a company doesn't have a culture of profit in place, it is missing significant opportunties." #t1pw(p. 184)
• "The best metric of better pricing initiatives is simply measuring if total profits are increasing."#t1pw (p. 195)

The how to increase profits takeaway from The 1% Windfall: One size does not fit all. Different customers require different options and solutions.

 

Note: A review copy of The 1% Windfall by Rafi Mohammed was sent to me by a publicist.

Page numbers listed above may not correspond to the final book. An uncorrected proof was sent to me for review.

There are several spelling errors in the tweets above. These were left in to conform to the origin of the tweets.

Foursquare: Customer Engagement for Business

 

Foursquare has recently made some changes to their website.

The line below is from an individual users settings page.

“Let local businesses see that I've checked-in at their venue [huh?]”

Clicking on [huh?] in that text brings up a dialog with the following.

We allow verified venue owners to see statistics about checkins at their venue. These stats include recent visitors, most frequent visitors and most popular check-in times. You can always opt out if you'd rather not share this data with the venues you visit.

Each venue now includes a way for the owner or manager to claim their business and gain access to analytics for people that check-in. Claiming your business allows you to offer specials to your customers (AKA: guests or fans) for checking in and for being the mayor. The mayor is the person that checked in the most times in a recent time period.

You can find “Foursquare + Your Business” here.

If you own or manage a business with a location that people visit, such as a coffee shop, bar, or barber shop, your guests may be doing social media advertising on your behalf. You owe it to yourself to check out Foursquare.

Why Social Media is Important

"Social media gets attention by firms because it can become an intense pain point that is destructive to the organizations mission."

The above statement is from a post I recently posted to Twitter.

There is a lot of conversation about why companies are using social media technologies to reach out to people. Social media enables the amplification of angry consumers. In earlier times it was almost impossible for a company to react and respond to a consumers disappointment and anger. With technology such as Twitter, the voice of the consumer is able to be identified on what might be called a radar screen. Search.Twitter.com is a simple way for a firm to see what is being said publicly about them on Twitter. A unique firm name makes this much easier than a generic one. A generic name will have a low signal to noise ratio and make the radar teams job difficult to manage effectively.

When a company gets called out publicly on Twitter and other places online and they do not respond to consumer concerns a firm may gain a reputation as uncaring or worse. This can be a dangerous path to travel. People will see the brand as being different than their previous perception. Firms spend millions (and some billion) of dollars each year to stake out a unique branding position in the mind of the consumer. Negative publicity erodes and destroys the goodwill that has been built up.

Example of what people are saying about Kellogg's on Twitter.

Example of what people are saying about Marlboro on Twitter.

Example of what people are saying about KFC on Twitter.

Here is an example of what one user (@kcscougar) said about KFC and a promotion they are having.

This KFC pink bucket promotion for breast cancer awareness is like Marlboro having a "pink pack" promotion.

Why do you think companies are on Twitter and other social media sites?

Facebook Social Search?

Just saw this in Facebook. When clicking on the "Answer This Question" button up pops a blank window to create and submit an answer.

Is Facebook creating a social search tool that will compete with Mahalo and Aardvark?

What You Want: Goals + Inputs = Results

 

“Inputs drive results, results don’t drive inputs”

For some rare individuals desired results (goals) will drive inputs. A better way for most people is find the inputs you love, then create goals that you achieve as a result of getting better and better at them.

If one wants to be a successful blogger etc, start with the inputs. One must blog often and get better and better. Only the best rise to a level where they create opportunity and income from it as a result. If one wants to be a great podcaster one must make lots of podcasts and get better and better fast. Learn by doing.

Some people certainly have a head start on you. You can make up lost ground by starting right here, right now. PARTICIPATE. Practice, practice, practice. If you persist through the rough patches, you have a much better chance of creating the results that others and you will call success.

Goals lay a rough framework for the inputs that are required. Others will become apparent as one undertakes the goal. Be flexible and willing to make moves that advance you towards your goal. If you see the inputs as something that is enjoyable and workable, you have a chance at creating the results you desire.

NOTE: You can overcome the obstacles you encounter. Some, you will overcome as a solo effort, some will require the assistance of others. Build a network now, so that when you need it, it is ready. Be an asset and a resource to others so they can get past their challenges that require outside assistance.

Meijer's new small-store format in Niles, Illinois, could open door into urban neighborhoods | - MLive.com

For those consumers who can’t find what they are looking for, there is a kiosk online where they can order from meijer.com for home delivery.

via mlive.com

Meijer would be wise to consider free ship-to-store as an option. People could order online, have it shipped to the store, pick it up and buy other merchandise while they are there. This would expand the inventory offered without having to carry it on shelf. Consumers will also like saving on shipping costs.

Large items could be shipped direct to consumer to save them the hassle of transporting. This would be especially useful to urban dwellers that use public transportation.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Snack Firm Diamond Foods to Buy Kettle - WSJ.com

Diamond Foods Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to acquire Kettle Foods from Lion Capital LLP for $615 million, a move that gives the snack-nuts producer a much bigger bite of the premium potato-chip market.

via online.wsj.com

*Sold for approximately 2.5 times sales.

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Fewer homeowners falling behind on mortgage payments - latimes.com

We are likely seeing the beginning of the end of the unprecedented wave of mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures that started with the subprime defaults in early 2007 [and] continued with the meltdown of the California and Florida housing markets due to overbuilding and the weak loan underwriting that supported that overbuilding," Jay Brinkmann, the group's chief economist, said in a statement.

via latimes.com

It's good news that signs of improvement are becoming visible. Consumer confidence should begin to rise and take hold as the mole hill of positive economic data becomes a small skill hill. There are still risks out there, but it appears that the worst is behind us.

Businesses are cautiously looking forward to the future. We should see the total number of people employed rise even as the unemployment rate increases.

Why would the unemployment rate increase if the economy is recovering?

The way unemployment is measured, people become so discouraged that they stop looking for work and are no longer counted as being part of the labor force. If one is not considered part of the labor force one cannot be officially unemployed.

As the economy appears to be entering a recovery stage people regain the optimism that there are job opportunities to be had. These formerly discouraged people will then be counted as unemployed because they are looking for a job again. It would not surprise me if the unemployment rate jumped a bit in the coming months. Government hiring for the 2010 census may reduce or prevent the anticipated jump in the unemployment rate.

Unemployment will remain at elevated levels for the short and intermediate term. There are opportunities out there. It is advisable for people to start getting their resume and network in order. As Harvey Mackay would say, dig your well before you're thirsty. Starting preparation today will bring job offers sooner when the right job opportunity arrives. Be ready for that opportunity when it's right in front of you.

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Wal-Mart Spices Up Private Label - WSJ.com

Private label is growing in dollar sales in the United States. When consumers need to do some belt tightening they look to store brands (Typically lower priced, there are some premium PL brands that sell at higher price points).

A strong brand differentiation is a solid strategy to neutralize consumer private label substitution.

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Textbook Firms Ink E-Deals For iPad - WSJ.com

The features of its iPad deal with publishers include applications to let students play video, highlight text, record lectures, take printed notes, search the text, and participate in interactive quizzes to test how much they've learned and where they may need more work.

via online.wsj.com

The education market is about to undergo a great transition.

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Radical Shifts Take Hold in U.S. Manufacturing

via online.wsj.com

Specialty (unique) vs commodity (general).

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The Economy 2007-2009 / GDP / Wall Street Journal

GDP has gone up two straight quarters, rising 2.2% in the third quarter after a year of contraction. In all of 2009, GDP fell 2.4%, the biggest drop for an entire year since 10.9% in 1946. GDP rose 0.4% in 2008 and 2.1% in 2007.

via online.wsj.com

Interesting to see that both 2007 and 2008 had positive GDP growth. The 2009 GDP drop seemed a lot deeper than 2.4%. The employment situation certainly was a lot worse for people that lost their jobs or had hours reduced.

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The Uncomfortable Conversation, No Not That One

Problem: Guys are not social about their personal grooming

Men do not talk about grooming or the products they use to do so. Example, there is sometimes some ribbing when a spot is missed shaving. This ends conversations before they start.

A brand should create a series of commercials (Internet spots etc) that spark a conversation. These spots should be about how men are uncomfortable talking about this issue. Men should want to look their best and to be their "Own Best Self". Not every guy looks like Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Every man can look his "Own Best Self".

Looking OBS takes some work. There are products on the market that make it faster, easier and more effective. (Insert Brand Name) is the company that has you covered. IBN has products that work right every time.

The conversation would lead to guys asking each other what they use for shaving, skin conditioning, shampoo etc. Conversation is what happens when you get someone to ask a question. When people are doing it (personal grooming) well, they enjoy their efforts being recognized.

Note 1: Perhaps their could be a nomination/contest for the best groomed man in (US, Canada, etc).

Note 2: OBS could be "One Best Self" too.

Bloomberg: "Does the Apple iPad Make Strategic Sense?"

It's hard to bet against Apple. The two things I admire most about the company are its ability to think holistically about business models (iPod + iTues, iPhone + the App store, iPad + iBookstore) and its willingness to keep innovating. Imagine how different it would have been if Apple stopped at the first generation iPod, or just rode the iPod for as long as it could. Its willingness to step out and enter into new categories is an important lesson for all companies.

via bloomberg.com

Apple is certainly one of the five most innovative companies today. They make consumer friendly products that do new as well as old tasks (email etc) for consumers. They have been seemingly able to raise the bar continually.

If one is not risking failure, one is not making the movements that lead to innovation. For the most part, it looks like Apple got past most of the challenges they came across in the development of the iPad.

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Startups In The News

In a sign that 2010 really is a new year, several new start-up "incubators" are slated to pop up around Silicon Valley in the next few months.

Incubators typically help nurture small businesses by providing space, services and mentorship to entrepreneurs, often for a fee or an equity stake in their business. Well-known incubators include Y Combinator and Plug and Play Tech Center, with many venture-capital firms also incubating start-ups.

via online.wsj.com

As the economic recovery becomes more apparent, more people will be reporting on startups. Certainly business publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Business Week will feature them prominently in the near future.

It was not too long ago where the Wall Street Journal had a graphic indicating that every quarter about 200,000 new businesses are launched in the United States.

Link to startup graphic

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Coca Cola Bottle Innovation

Coca-Cola Co., under fire from environmentalists for using plastic bottles, has introduced a new packaging material made partly from plants. The container has "the same weight, the same feel, the same chemistry, and functions exactly the same way" as a regular plastic bottle, a Coke spokeswoman says.

via online.wsj.com

Beverage manufactures are under pressure on multiple fronts.

Environmentalists want things like carbon removed from the CPG supply chain. According to the article plastic (PET) is not recycled at a high rate. Here in Michigan there is a ten cent deposit on beverages that are carbonated. The redemption rate on recyclable containers, including cans, is reported as between 95% and 99%.

The lighter beverage makers can make containers, the more that is saved on fuel costs that are part of distribution. It's a delicate balancing act. Strength must be maintained and the package must protect the contents from changing when exposed to environmental conditions that vary. Heat and light being two that may affect the contents.

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Wall Street Journal: Some Types of Silicon Valley Start-Ups Won't See Venture Capital

via online.wsj.com

Networking/telecom is a capital intense sector with uncertain rewards in todays economic and political climate.

What is referred to as Information/Internet above is essentially software and web apps; they are much less capital intensive. These investments leverage the specialized knowledge of the entrepreneur and his/her team. When a VC invests in one of these ventures, the goal is to get in right before rapid growth (sales/profits/valuation).

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Harley-Davidson: Tough Economy & Entry To India

One bright spot for Harley-Davidson has been its performance in international markets, where its brand has strong appeal. Last year, it announced plans to enter the fast-growing Indian motorcycle market and will introduce 12 models there this year.

via nytimes.com

Premium products were hit hard in the '07-'09 recession. Harley-Davidson is a premium product. It's rather amazing that HD was able to retain profitability for much of the recession.

It will be interesting to track how the HD entry to India progresses. The economy in India is growing very rapidly.

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The Wall Street Journal Reports on Foursquare

Tristan Walker, the head of business development for Foursquare, estimates current Foursquare app users to be around a quarter of a million. He says the company hopes to make money by working with “local mom and pop shops” as well as mid-sized retailers. For instance, he said, Tasti D-Lite recently launched a Loyalty Program on Foursquare, through which customers can earn and redeem points by tweeting or checking in on Foursquare while stopping by the ice cream chain.

via blogs.wsj.com

Interesting article. Gaining the support of small establishments on the ground is hard. Perhaps they will have the mayors and super-users (currently there are three super-user levels) spread the word on how Foursquare can help.

Three forces for local to harness.
Visits - Who When and Where?
Loyalty - How often?
Word-of-Mouth - Is the message being spread? New levels of awareness are critical for sales growth.

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via linkedin.com

This is from the sidebar on a LinkedIn profile page. Any name jump out at you?

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Digital Content Moving From Free To Fee?

Many media analysts expect that Comcast Corp.'s plan to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal would give it a significant say in the future of online video -- and accelerate Hulu's move to a subscription service.

via latimes.com

It appears that we may be near an inflection point for online digital media. New powers seek to tilt the field in their favor (content creators and content distributors). You can't blame them for trying to get the full price the market is willing to pay.

Questions
What content has value?
What is the value of that content?
Is there a mix that increases total profits even if the most valuable content is seemingly under priced?

What is the optimal price to maximize profits? This is currently unknown and may remain that way for several years.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Twitter: Less Than Three Years Ago...

Twitter staffers Jack and Alex tell me that the site, which normally carries around 20 thousand messages a day, broke 60 thousand a day this weekend.

via valleywag.gawker.com

Amazing that this is what Twitter was less than three years ago. => 20,000 messages a day.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

YouTube Video Tips, Tricks & Hacks

3. Cut the chase and link to the interesting part

Linking to a video where the real action starts at 3 minutes 22 seconds, wondered if you could make it start at 03:22? You are in luck. All you have to do is add #t=03m22s (#t=XXmYYs for XX mins and YY seconds) to the end of the URL.

via makeuseof.com

Useful YouTube tricks.
HT @DaveMurr

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Apple Grows iTunes Store Revenue

via online.wsj.com

Apple has done a really effective job creating a digital distribution model. Quarterly sales in the iTunes store have increased from $300 million five years ago, to over $900 today million.

Posted via web from admore's posterous

Books: January 2010

 

Books completed so far in 2010

• The Art of The Start by Guy Kawasaki
• Getting Real by 37signals.

Currently reading the Seth Godin book Unleashing The Ideavirus.

Amazon

Google Books

Library Thing

BlackBerry Crash Application

 

One of the most unpleasant experiences is having a BlackBerry fail. The “Reload Software 552” error is particularly unpleasant. The most recent occurrence was caused in part by one of the following applications.

The applications below were all downloaded from BlackBerry App World prior to the system failure mentioned above. The links embedded are for the online store, but are the same downloads one would get through the BlackBerry App World app.

• Pandora
• Seesmic
• iheartradio
• Slacker
• Shazam
• Stitcher Podcast Radio

It is not exactly clear what application is causing the conflict. Unfortunately when the error occurs it leads to a lot of time spent with T-Mobile tech support and a good number of hours spent to recover and reinstall applications an data.

Questions

• Have you used any of the above applications on a BlackBerry?
• Positive or negative results?
• What BlackBerry device are you using?
• What cellular provider is your service from?