A company that’s redesigning its Web site recently called me to discuss the possibility of my firm assisting them with their SEO efforts. First, I congratulated them on being one of the few companies to consider SEO prior to re-launching their site (that’s the way it’s done, people!). Then we talked about their domain name. This company was planning to move their site to a new domain because the old domain (and by “old,” I mean 10 years old) no longer represented the company. As many of us do, they typed in about 100 different domain names into GoDaddy’s search and eventually found an available domain name that was more in line with their core business. One problem: their domain name choice was absolutely horrible. It had five keywords crammed together. It was confusing, hard to recall, and terrible for branding, SEO purposes, and any other measurement that you wanted to put to it. But, the domain name only cost $9.99 per year. What a deal, right?
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) on Monday outlined a host of new features that will be included in its forthcoming Office 2010 home and business productivity suite. Not surprisingly, many are geared toward users steeped in Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other popular Web 2.0 tools. For starters, Microsoft revealed that the Office 2010 release, slated for the first half of next year, will include free Web versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Office, and Notepad. The move is in keeping with the “Work anywhere” theme the company has attached to its new offering.
After Google (NSDQ: GOOG) dropped its Chrome OS bomb last week, there were a lot of questions about Android’s future. Have no fear, says Google’s Andy Rubin. Chrome OS and Android have different futures, and Android’s is full of sweet updates — including three more updates to the mobile OS this year. Google decided to name all its Android OS updates after desserts. Hence the name of Android 1.5, which was known as Cupcake. According to Google’s Andy Rubin, chief mastermind behind Android, the next three updates for Android will be Donut, Eclair and Flan. Rubin didn’t provide any details about when these operating system updates will become available, nor what new features will be included. About the only thing he disclosed is that Google plans to make Android more socially apt.
Washington’s wordsmiths are at it again. A new federal program seems to have changed the very definition of the word “clunker.” A vote, a stroke of the pen, a desire to get Americans buying cars and a mandate to shrink greenhouse gas emissions have turned a fleet of old Audis, BMWs, Acuras and other luxury cars into clunkers overnight. The Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 — also known as “Cash for Clunkers” — will offer vouchers of up to $4,500 for car owners who trade in their old fuel-slurping cars for new models that can really stretch a tank of gas.
While Google, Nokia, and Palm take different approaches to the mobile space, executives from each company agreed that the mobile Web will play a significant role in future application development. At the MobileBeat 2009 conference in San Francisco Thursday, the companies discussed what makes up a winning mobile platform. The executives agreed that the most important thing was ensuring the end user has a good experience with apps, as well as making the platform attractive to developers.
VCs have an unfair advantage when it comes to financings. They simply have more experience doing deals. A typical start-up company will do 2-4 venture capital financings before a successful exit (or, conversely, an ignomious ending). A typical serial entreprenur may lead 2-3 companies in their career before calling it quits (or checking themselves in to an insane asylum). Thus, the universe of financings that even the most experienced entrepreneurs get directly exposed to is typically 5-10 financings over a 15-20 year career. In contrast, the typical venture capitalist, either individually or across their partnership, will do 5-10 financings in any given year. Year in, year out,
(tags: vc Entrepreneurship)
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