Social Bookmarking in Plain English

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Mar 4 under socialmedia

Have you heard of Social Bookmarking, but are confused about what they are and how they work? (Digg, Reddit, Del.icio.us… what does it all mean?) Well, if so, this is a video you MUST watch. Enjoy…

1 Comment

I want to be a spy hunter

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Mar 4 under Cool, Technology, virtual worlds

When I read this BBC News article I thought, “Wow! I could totally do that job!” Plus it would really feed into my James Bond fantasies. (Smile)

Here is a snippet…

James bond “The US government has begun a project to develop ways to spot terrorists who are using virtual worlds.
Codenamed Reynard it aims to recognise “normal” behaviour in online worlds and home in on anomalous activity.

It is likely to develop tools and techniques for intelligence officers who are hunting terrorists and terror groups on the net or in virtual worlds.

The project was welcomed by experts tracking terror groups using the net to organise or carry out attacks.”

Read: US seeks terrorists in web worlds

Comment

YouTube will be hosting live video later this year

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Mar 3 under Tech News, Technology

Found out what YouTube is up to courtesy of a post on Beta News. Take a peek

While YouTube is best known for its work in promoting social video, the company is looking to live video as its next format. In an interview with NewTeeVee, YouTube founder Steve Chen said that the company plans to introduce a new live feature sometime this year. He said that the company had always wanted to do it, but didn’t have the resources. Now that YouTube is owned by Google, Chen said the resources are now at their disposal.

Analysts say that YouTube is likely to quickly build momentum in the marketplace, which is primarily due to its already strong presence in social video. “Like video, content creators want to be on the service that gives them the most exposure, no matter how good the alternatives are,” Duncan Riley wrote for TechCrunch. “YouTube already has the user base; live video streamers will flock to YouTube like a moth to a flame.”

I agree with the analysts on this one. YouTube going live is going to be H-U-G-E for no other reason than that they have a large fanbase already in place. Keeping my eyes on this development. Make me wonder how long before they begin showing Hi-definition on their channels as well. Or, are they leaving that up to my other favorite video hosting company- Vimeo.

What? You did not know that you could post high definition videos on the web and let others embed them on their sites? Well… now you you know. Check out a sample video below.

Gone in a Flash - HD from Chris Crutchfield on Vimeo.

Oooohh… Don’t that look purrdee?! ( I love Hi Def )

Comment

Coming soon: Movies on flash memory cards! Very cool…

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Mar 3 under Cool, Technology

Oooohh!!!! I found out about movies on flash memory cards from an article on CNet. I like this one and I think it will fly once it hits the malls in America. (At least, among those early adopters like myself.) This is why I think (or hope) movies on flash memory cards is a good thing.

1. Unlimited inventory! Imagine having access to thousands of movies with new titles coming in every hour (if not minute) to a kiosk near you. I could review a bunch of trailers, make a selection of one (or several titles) and then download them instantly to a drive. A lot quicker than my beloved Netflix (sorry guys) and just as convenient.

2. It won’t matter how fast my computer can download huge files. Although I download a lot of things, many people are adverse to downloading files as large as movie files. I think the idea of renting (or buying) a bunch of movies in one sitting and then they sit on a device for me to play whenever I want to is too irresistible. Plus, I can store more Flash drives on my shelf that DVD covers; somewhat the same way DVD covers replace those big VCR tapes I still have scattered about.

My only wish is that Comicbook companies would jump on this bandwagon. I would LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT if I could buy say… the last decade of Batman comics and have them on a flash drive for me to read at my leisure. Pretty much like I do now with my MP3s, but hey, maybe that’s just me.

Anyways, here is a clip from an article that sparked off my little rant…

***

GALWAY, Ireland–PortoMedia is probably the only start-up in the world inspired by the movie Carlito’s Way.

Company founder Chris Armstrong explains: Four years ago, he set out to his local DVD store to rent a movie. First, he stopped at the ATM to get cash. The store didn’t have Twelve Angry Men, the movie Armstrong wanted. He settled for Carlito’s Way instead. He then waited in line, paid for his rental, and returned to his car.

Then he remembered another movie, Gone in Sixty Seconds, the title of which got him wondering why the process of renting movies, from start to finish, can take so long.

While other companies see the Internet as the answer to that question, Armstrong has another idea. PortoMedia is setting up kiosks that will let consumers download movies to a flash memory key or portable hard drive.

The kiosks will be packed with hard drives that can hold 350 to 5,000 titles. Users then plug in a memory device from the company, enter a PIN code, and buy or rent a movie. When consumers get home, they simply slide the memory device into a dock connected to a TV.

(Click here for the rest of the story)

If anybody stumbles across this tech in a mall, please send me a video? I would love to see it in action. And in case you had no idea what a flash card looks like, a picture is posted below.

Comment

VIDEO - The Positive Side of Failure

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Feb 29 under Business, Entrepreneur

Jake Press discusses the positive side of failure for today’s entrepreneur.

THINK BIG - The Positive Side of Failure from Jim Stroud on Vimeo.

Comment

INTRODUCING: The I Live Online Podcast

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Feb 27 under Business, Entrepreneur, I Live Online - Podcast, Otis Collier

How many times have you received credit card offers in the mail and tossed them in the trash can? What about those bank promotions asking you to open account today? If you’re like me, you’ve ignored them too and just like me… you’ve been ignoring a big money-making opportunity. In the first edition of “The I Live Online Podcast,” I speak with Personal Success Coach - Otis Collier about making money on and offline via Customer Acquisition Programs. Tune in and enjoy…

For more content featuring Otis Collier, I HIGHLY recommend his website - www.OtisCollier.com or Google his name for even more interesting things.

Comment

Blogs In Plain English

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Feb 27 under Technology, Uncategorized

A video for people who wonder why blogs are such a big deal.

Comment

The most popular Social Networking sites in the world

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Feb 26 under Social Networks

Here in the United States, MySpace is extremely popular, but not so much in other places. Check out this cool map I found on LeMonde.

the most popular social networking sites in the world

Comment

There’s gold in dem dar hills!

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Feb 26 under Entrepreneur, marketing

If you ever needed convincing on whether or not you should start an online business, I invite you to read the following press release.

***

Internet Ad Revenue Exceeds $21B in 2007

NEW YORK (AP) — Online advertising revenues exceeded $21 billion for the first time in 2007, although preliminary data compiled by an industry trade group also suggest growth is slowing.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau said its estimates show ad revenues grew 25 percent last year from nearly $17 billion in 2006. In dollar amounts, the estimated gain was $4.2 billion — less than the 35 percent and $4.3 billion growth seen in 2006 over 2005.

Analysts have said the growth rate was bound to slow as the Internet commands a larger share of the advertising pie, taking dollars away from traditional media like newspapers. By most accounts, the Internet still represents less than 10 percent of all U.S. ad spending, meaning there’s room for a lot more growth, even at a slower rate.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which conducts a quarterly survey for the advertising trade group using data from the 15 largest online ad sellers, said fourth-quarter revenues totaled about $5.9 billion, topping the previous record of $5.2 billion in the third quarter.

David Silverman of PricewaterhouseCoopers said the latest record numbers demonstrate that interactive media continue to be important to consumers and marketers.

The IAB said final data and breakdowns by ad types would be available in May. Typically, the most lucrative are keyword ads such as those displayed alongside search results at Google Inc. and other search engines.

Source: Associated Press

Comment

How to make money selling advice over the phone

POSTED BY Jim Stroud on Feb 26 under Business, How To, Technology

There are a lot of ways to make money online, but for some folks, the internet can be pretty intimidating. If that’s you, then no worries! I have a solution for you - Give advice over the phone and charge a premium for it. Sound like a sales pitch for an expensive product? Is “free” too much for you?

I will give you a list in a moment, but let me tell you how these Pay-per-call services work.

1. You sign up and get a free phone number.
2. You advertise the type of advice you are giving. (Tax advice for example)
3. People call your number and the phone service charges so much per minute for as long as the call lasts.
4. Once the call is over, the customer rates your advice on a website.
5. The pay-per-call service processes the payment, takes out a percentage of what you earned, then sends you a check (or wires money to your bank account via PayPal) at the end of the month.

Intrigued? Sound too good to be true? Its not. Here are three companies to check out if you want to explore this option more.

Ether

I like what Ether has to offer and have heard good things about them. In addition to the Pay-per-Call service, you can also:

Earn money via email:

You can sell any digital content, such as reports, photographs, podcasts, videos, etc. Simply send an Ether Mail with the contents you’d like to sell and set the price you’re charging. People will only be able to view the contents when they pay your price.

Sell content on the web:

You can also sell digital content using an Ether Buy Now Button you can place on your website. Simply set up a Buy Now button with the contents you’d like to sell and set the price you’re charging. People will only be able to view the contents when they pay your price.