I Advice - Internet and Businesses Online

Neopets: The Power of Children and Their Imagination
If you haven’t heard of Neopets than I have to seriously wonder what planet you come from, you definitely don’t hail from Neopia. www.neopets.com is one of the most popular sites on the whole Internet, and what does this mean to you and me? It’s a kid’s site. Our next generation is finding a home in virtual reality, and they love it. Neopets has over 70 million members from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo, and has had a total of over 300 billion website page views. According to Wired magazine’s Dec. 2005 edition, Neopets is the second most ‘sticky’ website on the whole of our planet’s World Wide Web. Average users are on the site around 6 hours a month…with so many members the mind boggles as to how much time our future generations are spending time with their virtual pets. What is a virtual pet anyway? Why does every kid on the Earth want one? What do you do with them once they’re in your custody?Things have changed since I was a youngster and that wasn’t too long ago let me tell you. I played video games, rode BMX bicycles, and even ‘toilet papered’ the occasional house or two-usually the girls we liked (this last activity wasn’t as socially productive as the former). Virtual reality hadn’t hit the main stage like it has today; computers themselves in my mind were for finding out stuff at school. No one knew what the Internet was when I was ten years old back in 1985. Now all the kids are playing games and participatin

ion affect your business? It depends on your company and your understanding of e-commerce. You may find that selling to customers directly through the Internet is more profitable and has a greater growth potential than a distributor network.

*Know E-Commerce
If you choose to set up an e-business, it is important that you do not rush to set up a sales Web site without understanding e-commerce concepts first. Such action may result in your company being relegated to act only as suppliers to your competitor's Web site.

*Technology and Concepts
Information providers who successfully use the Internet may find themselves out of business if they hoard or try to sell information that is freely distributed through other Web sites. So, it is vital not only to understand the technology, but also the concepts of e-commerce in order to remain competitive and strong.

*Start from Scratch
Structuring your current operations so that they are e-commerce enabled is much easier if your operations are brand new. Companies that start with a blank sheet of paper have the best chance of building operations that take full advantage of the current e-commerce environment.

*Design and Redesign
If you have ever custom built a house you know that after the first few months, there are things that could be better. The same concept applies to building or reengineering e-commerce applications. Often, the most successful new organizations are those that are designed by individuals with a variety of talent and experience that start with a blank sheet of paper.

One company that has successfully moved to Internet retailing is Sears. Sears opened an e-commerce retail presence, and also incorporated its own payment technologies (using Sears credit cards) and delivery methods through partner distribution p

eBay Auction Home Business Tutorial: Don't Charge Too Much ... Or Too Little!
In my last few eBay auction tutorials, we talked about what you can sell to make money on eBay and start your own home business. But whether it's an ebook packed with your favorite recipes or custom coffee cups, one of the most important decisions you have to make is the price of your item.As we all know, the highest bidder in an eBay auction wins the item. There's also a "Buy It Now" feature on Ebay you can use to sell your item for a set price rather than auctioning it off, and that's the way I sell all of my items. If you use "Buy It Now", the purchaser can decide to pay your asking price and purchase the item immediately, rather than having to wait for the end of the auction.If you're selling a physical item, you have to take inventory and shipping costs into account, and we all have to pay various fees on eBay in order to sell items there. These fees vary depending on how much your item is sold for. If you’re selling a physical item, don’t try to cut the price of the item and then charge a lot for shipping. For example, there’s a certain type of computer cable I occasionally buy on eBay, and I’ll see the same cable listed at $5 from one vendor and 99 cents from another. Why? The vendor selling it for 99 cents asks $8.50 for shipping! EBay is really starting to crack down on this behavior, and frankly, it’s a really good way to discourage customers from making future purchases.When de

E-Commerce and Your Company:
E-commerce is the wave of the future, and any company can capitalize on it. However, to be successful at it, you need to understand both the implications of e-commerce, as well as the technology behind it. This course introduces you to e-commerce. You will learn how to plan a strategy for converting your current business to an e-business, as well as learn how to build an e-business from scratch. In this unit, you will learn how you can capitalize on e-commerce. You will also learn how communications technology affects e-business. Finally, you will learn that you need innovation and a firm understanding of e-commerce in order to start an e-business. This course provides information about e-commerce and e-businesses. While we believe that the information is valid and accurate at the time of writing, changes can occur after that date and rules and information may apply differently in various situations. The information is provided with the understanding that the producer of this course is not engaged in rendering legal, investment or other professional services. If you have specific legal or financial questions, or if legal or other expert assistance is required, you should seek the services of a competent professional adviser.

*E-Commerce
E-commerce is a very real thing — a new way to do business, a new way to use technology, and a new way to build companies. It is complex and constantly changing the way people do business, from ordering supplies and communicating with employees, to reaching customers and shipping product. Nothing is untouched by this new wave of business as it sweeps over the world.

*The Future of Business
E-mail, Web sites, and automated supply chains are just the start of e-commerce. Online businesses are starting to design their companies specifically to take advantage of these modern technologies, often completely rebuilding a company from the ground up. This is driving up the value of these companies to unheard of levels, even though few of these organizations have track records or profits. Investors see e-commerce as the future for all businesses.

*How to Be Successful
To be a successful e-business, start with a blend of technical expertise in areas such as Web sites, networking, and communications. Add knowledge in building and running businesses using these technologies. Mix in design, information content, programming, innovation, strategy, and marketing skills. Then update these skills daily as new advancements occur.

*Keeping Pace
Just how difficult is e-commerce? It can be as simple as building a Web site or as complex as reengineering your entire company. Because e-commerce technology changes at breakneck speed, just keeping pace with the changing world will be a full-time task.

*Hire Help
It is impossible for an individual to keep pace with all of the technological changes that are occurring today. You may require the assistance of staff, consultants, contracted services, and suppliers.

*Become Knowledgeable
Just one aspect of e-commerce, such as the Internet, requires extensive knowledge of Web languages, such as HTML, XML, or Java. Then there are the thousands of e-commerce-related technologies you might need to know, such as search engines, Web servers, communications, and networking. E-commerce technologies are significantly different than the internal technologies used in most organizations.

To understand the future of the Internet, surf to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web page at www.w3.org. The W3C is a group that has dedicated itself to pushing the Internet to its fullest potential. All Web page references in this course are current at the time of this writing and are subject to change.

*Changing Technology
It is vital to position your company to take advantage of any changes in technology that become applicable to your business. Make no mistake — buying the newest of everything can be a very inefficient use of your cash if the benefits from the technology are not yet available to the organization.

*Your Staff
The task of restructuring your organization requires that you clearly understand the implications of e-commerce and its technology. You may not have the time to restructure, so consider hiring a technically competent staff to help out. However, the best e-commerce experts are often difficult to find, hire, and keep.This is doubly true of individuals who have expertise in both e-commerce and operations.

*E-Commerce Concepts
If the people at the top of the organization understand e-commerce, it will greatly aid in the task of managing your technical resources. The top executives will need to understand e-commerce concepts that may be lost on the most technically competent Web designer. However, for one single person to understand everything about e-commerce and its technology is asking far too much. *Inefficient Communication Any business can benefit from e-commerce, including those that already have an existing Web presence. These companies might benefit from reviewing their operations. Many corporations put a great deal of resources into servicing their customers through retail locations, service departments, and call centers, based on the notion that communications and distribution will never be efficient enough to operate centrally.

*The 80s
In fact, during the 80s, a movement away from the centralized strategies of the prior decades was well underway. This involved using satellite offices, complete with stand-alone accounting departments. Actually, some large organizations had hundreds of legal entities.

*Re-Centralizing
Organizations rapidly realized that they could again capture significant savings by re-centralizing their operations to gain advantage in areas such as data storage, call centers, hub distribution, and centralized management. The results were a more efficient use of resources and stronger overall profitability.

*Ineffective Marketing
With re-centralized operations, communications and delivery became problematic. Without decentralized sales and distribution outlets, there was no way to effectively market or communicate with the end customer. When the Internet became a tool used by the average household, the opportunity for manufacturers to talk directly to the customer opened a world of opportunity.

*Internet Marketing
Through the Internet, customers can get information about products and have these products shipped directly to their home or office. Service returns can be reduced by providing better descriptions online, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. Distribution can be outsourced to courier companies that deliver products faster and cheaper than the manufacturers' own distribution network.

*Online Services
Service organizations have also learned to capitalize on the Internet by providing online services, such as virtual brokerages that sell stock, information and news services, and integrated help services, such as the major search engines. We have passed from the technological age, where data storage and management became common, into the age of rapid, global communications.

*Greater Potential
How will this new age of communication affect your business? It depends on your company and your understanding of e-commerce. You may find that selling to customers directly through the Internet is more profitable and has a greater growth potential than a distributor network.

Hiring - Communicating in the Age of Interaction
Interaction today comes in two ways: human-to- human and human-to-information. As a natural extension of the Information Age, the Interaction Age has come with messaging capabilities and real-time conferencing supplementing office productivity. Yet with all of this technology at our fingertips, it is easy to lose sight of what makes essential and productive communication between team leaders and employees. Of particular concern is the kind of communication that focuses on the upward communication that leads to productivity and high performance.Everyone Has the SkillsAt great companies team leaders actively listen to employees. They also actively encourage employees to talk to each other, customers and to their leaders. The good news is that most people already have the skills to communicate to their team leaders; they simply need to apply them to their manager. This is the power of human-to-human dialogue that constitutes interaction. With it employees are able to see the vision for the company and come closer to a sense of ownership in the company initiatives. In addition, this new interaction breeds an environment where everyone is on the same page and teamwork, organizational flexibility and eventually corporate agility is fostered.Getting the Process Down Ensures End ResultsFor employees to communicate effectively, they need to have a broader understanding of their manager’s style and t

specifically to take advantage of these modern technologies, often completely rebuilding a company from the ground up. This is driving up the value of these companies to unheard of levels, even though few of these organizations have track records or profits. Investors see e-commerce as the future for all businesses.

Home Based Business Marketing
A marketing opportunity is a simple step to obtaining a home based business venture. These types of prospects are an excellent source for work from home employment. An individual could gain the freedom and independence through a wonderful source of income. Profit could be had with just a few hours of work a day. This is great for individual's that would like to stay at home with the family, someone that is attending school full-time or someone that is disabled and cannot leave their home easily. Various companies strive on marketing or promoting their products and services. Now it is easier than ever to take a piece of this pie. Through helpful tips and tricks an individual could quit their obnoxious job and begin a fulfilling career with a marketing opportunity. These types of breaks are readily available for those individual who would like to work from the comforts of home and make an extraordinary profit while doing so.There are several methods of completing this goal. A marketing opportunity may begin by various means. An individual could start a website and begin contracting businesses to promote and advertise. If a website is not of interest, a person could be a mediator between two different companies. For a small profit an individual could contact one company and offer them internet affiliate marketing from a different source. Then the two companies both pay the individual to begin their wo

otential. All Web page references in this course are current at the time of this writing and are subject to change.

Productivity Profiles - Blogger Versus Journalist
The Rise of blogging has not really changed journalism yet, but will keep on influencing journalism. The autonomy of the journalist is at stake and cooperation with the blogosphere will be a new requirement.One difference between the two is that the journalist is an official profession, whereas the blogger is much more of an amateur. The journalist – whether freelance or employee of a publishing company – is part of a professional network of different signatures and social ideologies. The blogger is more of an individualist and less dependent. The free and democratic information market is a fertile soil where independent and new information is powerfull and can easily change the hierarchies, by a newcomer. This is actually happening with the newspapers, where free tabloids and free information on the internet is changing the newspaper market. And so is blogging.The blogger is like the old cowboy in a settlers culture. The traditional post that is carried with the "diligence" is overtaken by the man on the single horse who is going faster. This is mainly due to the fact that there are no rules yet in this new marketplace and in such a situation a newcomer can take much of the new space.There is a threat to the blogger however and that is credibility. On a business level companies should already protect themselves from hostile comments about products and services that are left on the internet witho

alized strategies of the prior decades was well underway. This involved using satellite offices, complete with stand-alone accounting departments. Actually, some large organizations had hundreds of legal entities.

Teambuilding by Visiting the Internet
How do you build a team that is already present? The least you want is that the members understand each other. That is an essential first step in team building.This can be done by an external assessment. Companies are not equipped to do this by themselves, nor should they focus on these kind of activities, which occur sporadically. And there is another benefit by using a third party.But first search for a simple online organizational assessment. In such an assessment you will have your team respond to a series of "difficult" questions about their organization (either focussing on the current situation or a new one). Take for example, this question and think how you might respond:There is a new solution available on the market. Your organization is already involved in a project with a fixed deadline. However, the new solution will give you a lot of extra features and will bring more innovation. What is your response? "We continue with the project as is and park the new development for later concern" (A). "We start a new investigation, it could be the opportunity we are waiting for" (B). Different team members will respond differently to such a question. Reckon what will be the outcome if you have fourthy of them.Normally the result of such assessment will be measured in various dimensions.Than you should present the results to the individual mem

*Innovation
Sometimes you need to break rules to maintain innovative thinking. Try to avoid saying, "it can't be done" or "that's not the way it's currently done." Be prepared to choose the best ideas, regardless of their origin or history. Every problem has a solution. Determine whether a solution is feasible based on the ultimate benefit it provides to the company. *E-Commerce Applications Enabling your existing operations requires an extensive understanding of e-commerce applications. You need to understand the functionality of any new technology and how these functions will directly impact your current corporate procedures.

*Proxy Servers
For example, many organizations install proxy servers on their networks that allow multiple users to share modem pools or a router connection to the Internet. Companies understood that access to the information contained on the Web was vital to creating innovative operations. However, it did not occur to them that employees spend an excessive amount of time surfing the Web at the expense of company productivity.

*Internet Video
A second example of the application of technology is the use of Internet video to conduct online meetings. Many companies feel that video technology promotes employee communication. Unfortunately, it also uses most of the bandwidth on the corporate networks and causes them to grind to a halt. You have to estimate the impact of a new technology on your resources and decide which will be greater, the benefit or the expense.

Summary
Many investors see e-commerce as the future of business. While you can convert your company to an e-business, you need to understand both the implications of e-commerce, as well as the technology behind it. In this unit, you learned that in order to capitalize on e-commerce you need to understand e-commerce technology and communications.You also learned that we are moving into a new age of communications and that it can greatly affect an e-business. Finally, you learned that in order to start an e-commerce-enabled operation, you need innovation and a solid understanding of e-commerce.

See you next unit.

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The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today’s competitive world. From the time we're little kids, we're taught to solve problems by trial and error. That's fine if the problem is as simple as a burned out light bulb. When the problem is a muddle of business, technical and political problems, we need something that helps us untangle the mess. Here are five tips and reminders that will help you solve messy problems quickly and easily.

Entrepreneurs and employees think that their hard work will speak for itself. Many don't realize that talking about your accomplishments in a confident way is the best way to get ahead in your career or business. Being able to effectively toot your horn without blowing the wrong tune can only happen if you avoid these four common mistakes.

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