Product or Business

I was checking out my email when I was added as a twitter friend of franticindustries. Previously franticindustries was one of my RSS feeds and now I have a more intimate knowledge of what is going on over there due to the ease of use of twitter. Go ahead and check out this latest blog entry. It has to do with how people create a single product or a business and how they are different yet are related. This is a great read.

Are you creating a product or launching a business?

BBB: interesting blog post

It's funny (or very wise of Don) that we were just discussing the usefulness of the BBB. Check out this blog entry regarding Kodak's recent disassociation from the BBB.

http://funnybusiness.typepad.com/funnybusiness/2007/03/picture_this_ko.html

Vonage: Dead Company Walking?

Here is what could happen to a business or firm, if you do not do your research / homework on your products to prevent infringing on other businesses or firms patents.

Vonage: Dead Company Walking?

Source: http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3667931

Alonzo

Money for this blog

How about adding Google AdSense to this blog. It would be a great way to show the function of the application and how it pertains to our class especially the lesson on affiliate marketing. We could then take whatever money is made and give it to a charity.

To keep up with what is going on with AdSense check out their blog.

Video options

Here is my thought for the evening. With Youtube and a couple of other sites out there I figure why not use their services to host all your video for your site and save on bandwidth costs. I am curious to see how this works since all you are doing is linking via your website as opposed to hosting the video yourself. In this day and age Youtube is so accepted that I don't see any negative aspects of Youtube branding on your own business site.

Please chime in on this one and let me know what your thoughts.
DougO

Obtaining Insurance for E-Businesses

Throughout the class we have been talking about every aspect of creating an e-business, even some students have started / opened an e-business, but we have not discuss the insurance aspect of doing business. Americans love to sue over anything, which means if you get sued, and you are not insured, and you are any other entity other than a “C” Corporation you could lose all your assets (everything). I think insurance should also be a top priority before you open for business. Maybe Don could give us more insight on this subject, and the different types of insurance options.

Alonzo

Need a Merchant Account?

Reprinted from SuperMomPreneur...

Everyone is familiar with PayPal, and now Google Checkout is giving them a run for their money. But my professor suggested I look into Costco's Merchant Account offerings. Here's the lowdown:

• 1.99% plus .27 per transaction.
• Accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, debit cards and corporate purchasing cards.**
• $4.95 monthly statement fee - waived for Executive Members
• One time $25 application fee - waived for Executive Members
• Live customer service 24-hours a day / 7-days a week
• Free basic online merchant account access
• No batch fees

So, if you pay for an executive membership ($100 annually), all your fees are waived. I'm already a member, but I'd have to pay that extra $50, but it would be worth it to avoid a $5 monthly statement fee.

Also, Executive Gold Star members (still $100) get 2% back on their purchases throughout the year. If you bought all your office supplies and stuff there, that would really add up. Plus, executive membership includes a household card, so I guess you can buy your food also, and get the 2% on that. This seems ideal for someone like me starting a sole proprietorship...I'm always looking for those extra little rewards for my family.

I'm still deciding which to use, but it looks like it's going to come down to the extras...any thoughts?

Great eCom blog...

Here's a beginner like us, sharing his knowledge as he learns the ropes. There are some good tips on this blog about using Google AdWords, free publicity opportunities, and good advertising sites.

In the spirit of sharing

Somehow, as I stumbled through the log in process, I created my own Blogger blog. I'm going to try and incorporate it into my new eCommerce site, SoCalChildcare.com.

I already have a personal blog, and I welcome any and all readers and comments - especially book recommendations! Looking forward to sharing our eCommerce struggles and triumphs here with you!

Abi B.

Email Choices

I have been enjoying the functionality of gmail so much I was thinking about using it as my only email application for my upcoming e-commerce site. Who else is using gmail and would you also consider it as your standalone email application? For those of you who don't have an account I strongly suggest getting a gmail account and also check out other features of google such as google docs and spreadsheets.

I just started using google spreadsheets this past month and just being able to have access to your work no matter where you login is a thing of beauty.

Hope this stirs up the coals in your mind to go out and continue to try new ideas. Me being a semi-older guy (46yrs) just shows that you can catchup and enjoy the latest ideas on the web.

DougO

Project Proposals, Questions and Comments

What are your proposals for an E-Commerce business? Do you have any qestions or comments about it?

Welcome

Welcome to eComNext. A place to share thoughts and resources about eCommerce.