tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30154242011-04-21T18:42:18.431-04:00Commentary, opinion and thoughts on the web, ebusiness and marketing -- a weblog by Rob Poel.Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1136827416123753452006-01-09T12:21:00.000-05:002006-01-09T12:23:36.136-05:00

Ok ... so the last time I posted was almost 4 months ago. I think it's time to bid farewell to Poelog. My first post was in May of 2001. I was pretty active posting for the first 3 years but then slacked off over the last two. I'll keep the site up for nostalgic reasons but that's about it. See ya! Rob

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1126803408115971792005-09-15T12:54:00.000-04:002005-09-15T12:56:58.460-04:00

This is how more companies should write job postings. Too many HR folks get all caught up in boring, HR lingo and forget that when trying to find a candidate you also need to sell/market the job/company. Seth Godin understands this. I don't have the skills to fit this position but after reading the job posting, I wish I did. Sounds like a great place to work.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1124312349709536982005-08-17T16:58:00.000-04:002005-08-17T16:59:09.716-04:00

Just found out about this today: http://www.37signals.com/svn/.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1123171678481764242005-08-04T12:03:00.000-04:002005-08-04T12:07:58.490-04:00

I'm always interested in what those in the venture capital industry have to say because they have a great vantage point to observe trends in the technology industry. Here's two blogs I'll start keeping an eye on: Brad Feld and Fred Wilson (via Venture Blog).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1115400158792604452005-05-06T13:22:00.000-04:002005-05-06T13:22:38.920-04:00

Another cool site from the folks at 37signals. I just signed up for a free account. I'll have to review this in more detail later. What is it? Personal and small business information management. Sounds boring ... but I think it's pretty cool.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1115224938082428902005-05-04T12:42:00.000-04:002005-05-04T12:42:18.186-04:00

Great article on change and why it's so difficult. The solution to getting people to change lies in framing and how you go about trying to bring about change (hint - bigger changes are easier than smaller ones).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1113496301405812552005-04-14T12:31:00.000-04:002005-04-14T12:31:41.406-04:00

Yes .... I'm alive. Been forever since I posted. Hard to say if I can pick this up again on a regular basis ... but I'll try. Anyway, interesting VentureBlog post on corporate blogging at Hewlett Packard. The key statement: if there is one thing that I think is the hallmark of a successful corporate blog, it is the willingness of the corporate blogger to speaking candidly about the good and

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1101924625206439782004-12-01T13:10:00.000-05:002004-12-01T13:10:25.206-05:00

Merriam-Webster says the most searched word on its Web sites in 2004 was "blog." The dictionary publisher defines the word as, "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer."[Read more]. Although the word of the year may be "blog" I'm having a hard time even posting once per month. Fantasy Football hasn't helped!

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1098879928847966172004-10-27T08:25:00.000-04:002004-10-27T08:25:28.846-04:00

How can you not become an Apple convert after seeing what they've done with their iPod. And the timing is of course perfect as the Christmas shopping season begins in earnest following Halloween. Although I don't own an iPod yet I'm really tempted to get the new iPod Photo especially since we're planning on buying a Digital Rebel for Christmas.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1098721065417691272004-10-25T12:17:00.000-04:002004-10-25T12:17:45.416-04:00

Interesting article: The New Road to Riches - If anyone out there is a programming genius and needs to hook up with someone with marketing/operations experience, drop me a line. Rather than come up with the next Google or eBay it's more realistic to "build and flip."

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1094662635175498302004-09-08T12:57:00.000-04:002004-09-08T12:57:15.176-04:00

This could be a big deal.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1094662169941102172004-09-08T12:49:00.000-04:002004-09-08T12:49:29.940-04:00

Dare to Be Different - As I still search for that elusive lightbulb moment that gives me a great idea to start a business around, I need to remember that more than a great idea, a great company is about great execution. This articles discussses the likes of Southwest Airlines and Walmart and shows how great companies can thrive in lousy industries by tapping their own insights -- and saying no to

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1091636655744621932004-08-04T12:24:00.000-04:002004-08-04T12:24:15.743-04:00

Great piece on VentureBlog about Web 2.0. So what do I hope for from Web 2.0? What do I want to invest in? Technology that actually reduces the technology footprint in my life. Applications that result in a net increase in productivity. And most importantly, technology that enables me to strengthen interpersonal and family relationships. The point about strengthening interpersonal and family

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1090428652118495742004-07-21T12:50:00.000-04:002004-07-21T12:50:52.116-04:00

I know it's been around for forever but just know I'm adding Gizmodo to my list of frequented blogs. For those who haven't been there, Gizmodo is an online review dedicated to gadgets, gizmos, and cutting-edge consumer electronics.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1089996858245152692004-07-16T12:54:00.000-04:002004-07-16T12:54:18.246-04:00

Great story about Starbucks and a bold, new initiative. Think iTunes meets Tower Records. With lattes. Although it will definitely be a stretch, I think it's a great business idea and just may very well succeed.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1088439097177124362004-06-28T12:11:00.000-04:002004-06-28T12:11:37.176-04:00

You know blogging has hit the tipping point when there's a blog devoted to my home town, and current residence, Grand Rapids. Introducing Grand Rapids Pundit. [It] aims to provide commentary on local politics, economics, and society.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1086268578958709922004-06-03T09:16:00.000-04:002004-06-03T09:16:18.956-04:00

Masters of Design: No matter what you do for a living, design matters. Meet and learn from 20 visionary men and women who are using design to create not just new products, but new ways of working, leading, and seeing. Steelcase owned IDEO is one of the featured "masters."

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1085762733981819142004-05-28T12:45:00.000-04:002004-05-28T12:45:33.980-04:00

So much for my early new years resolution in which I wanted to get back to regular blogging again. It's been 6 weeks since my last post - probably my longest hiatus since I started this blog 3 years ago. I have been busy ... but who isn't. Hopefully this small post will mark me turning over a new leaf.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1082043715695125802004-04-15T11:41:00.000-04:002004-04-15T11:44:47.403-04:00

The developments in the search industry have been fascinating to watch. Early this morning, Reuters reported on Amazon's entry into the search market: A9. I've logged in, downloaded the toolbar and am ready to start testing. Pretty cool.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1081961125670550922004-04-14T12:45:00.000-04:002004-04-14T12:48:16.810-04:00

I'm a big stickler for using terms and labels that clearly communicate so I appreciate Kottke's article on syndication and what it really is.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1081531429229158212004-04-09T13:23:00.000-04:002004-04-09T13:26:35.263-04:00

Looking for a better way to sort through all the weblogs and sites you want to read on a regular basis? Check out Kinja, the weblog guide. Developed in part by Meg Hourihan of Megnut.com fame, Kinja is a web-based alternative to all the blognewsreaders that exist out there. My initial thoughts are positive but it's going to take some getting used to. No matter how slick the solution to helping me

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1081268260477284352004-04-06T12:17:00.000-04:002004-04-06T12:20:23.530-04:00

Interesting post from Kottke regarding what he thinks Google is truly up to. All I know is that I'd love to get my hands on some of their stock when they go public. They are definitely the most interesting company on this planet right now.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1079979243344127372004-03-22T13:09:00.000-05:002004-03-22T13:16:31.496-05:00

Venture Blog: Great article about companies that have inspired passion in their user base but have struggled to take that next step to "hockey stick" exponential growth. Examples cited include Tivo and PayTrust. I would just love to work in marketing at one of those companies where users are so passionate about their product. The

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1078855909591354792004-03-09T13:11:00.000-05:002004-03-09T13:14:04.793-05:00

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of Google. The March issue of Wired provides a whole section for people like me that enjoy following all things Google: Googlemania!. Wish I could get my hands on some shares of their upcoming IPO.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1077745426210155102004-02-25T16:43:00.000-05:002004-02-25T16:45:48.106-05:00

A co-worker of mine forwarded me this article today. It's a 1997 Fast Company article by Tom Peters called The Brand Called You. I remember reading it back in 1997 and it's still very relevant. Peters' closing line: It's this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this:

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1076360409358170552004-02-09T16:00:00.000-05:002004-02-09T16:01:55.763-05:00

Basecamp is another cool new project from the folks at 37signals. Although many companies have entered this space over the past few years, Basecamp looks like it hits the mark as a simple, elegant, powerful, fast, and usable web-based project management and client extranet tool.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1076354723970792232004-02-09T14:25:00.000-05:002004-02-09T14:27:10.060-05:00

My site is now supposedly atom enabled. Unfortunately, I can't get my atom feed to come up in a news reader.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1076094509741025482004-02-06T14:08:00.000-05:002004-02-09T12:27:32.746-05:00

First we had Epinions, where thanks to the help of reviewers like you and me, can tell you what coffee maker brews the best cup of coffee. Now RateMyTeachers.com tells you which teacher to avoid when signing up for history 101. Their list of schools looks quite comprehensive (in fact, here's my highschool). Oh, of course there's also RateMyProfessors.com. What I like about these sites? The

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1076091506411701122004-02-06T13:18:00.000-05:002004-02-06T13:20:09.436-05:00

Fool.com: TiVo's Voyeur Power - The business model upside of Tivo vs. a DVD player? The network. There's a lot higher margin in selling information than in selling hardware (as is evidenced from Tivo's post SuperBowl announcement regarding a partnership with Nielson).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1074883585699361562004-01-23T13:46:00.000-05:002004-01-23T13:47:54.390-05:00

I'm finally trying to get an RSS feed for this blog. Supposedly Atom will allow me to do just that. This post will serve as a test.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1074793730084682132004-01-22T12:48:00.000-05:002004-01-22T12:50:17.700-05:00

Although I'm not a Netflix subscriber. I'm impressed with their business model. And from reading this (Netflix zooms to all-time high on outlook, stock split) ... so is the market. It just goes to show that a simple idea, executed to perfection, and implemented before anyone else, can lead to monster success. Other internet companies that fit this mold? Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo, Google. I admit

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1074533107578053192004-01-19T12:25:00.000-05:002004-01-19T12:26:32.530-05:00

Google does a great job of keeping their home page fresh (but simple) by sprucing up their logo on various holidays. Megnut points to the Google Holiday Logos page for an archive of all their logos.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1074026338441090072004-01-13T15:38:00.000-05:002004-01-13T15:40:17.403-05:00

The Passion Of The Christ - A Mel Gibson Film

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1071250597624292892003-12-12T12:36:00.000-05:002003-12-12T12:37:24.840-05:00

bBlog recently provided a linke to the Remail Website - a site put together by the “The Collaborative User Experience (CUE) team at IBM Research who has spent nearly a decade studying email. The site illustrates a prototype email client called "Remail" that incorporates all the features and functionality that the research team feels would make for the ideal client application. Personally,

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1070993260935342352003-12-09T13:07:00.000-05:002003-12-09T13:08:25.640-05:00

Get back to regular blogging again. For those few readers that still stop by here occasionally - sorry for the lack of posts.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1069270910256488822003-11-19T14:41:00.000-05:002003-11-19T14:42:14.903-05:00

We're back from Korea! Check out the pictures documenting our trip.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1068227655964283422003-11-07T12:54:00.000-05:002003-11-07T13:01:13.790-05:00

I a prior post I think I mentioned that my wife and I are in the processing of adopting a little girl (we've named her Katie) from Korea. Well ... on Monday, we just got the call that the paperwork had been processed and she is ready to be picked up! This is a whole 6 - 10 weeks sooner than we had planned. So although these last few days have been crazy coordinating flights, buying baby supplies

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1067544259065281322003-10-30T15:04:00.000-05:002003-10-30T15:04:18.326-05:00

The latest social networking company that's getting some buzz? Friendster. According to VentureBlog the company was mentioned by John Doerr in a piece in the Wall Street Journal this morning. I've always thought these six-degrees-of-separation concepts were intruiging but it remains to be seen if any of them have an underlying business model to support them. As VentureBlog pointed out: "Does it

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1066251809137549442003-10-15T17:03:00.000-04:002003-10-15T17:03:29.246-04:00

The latest book on my wishlist: Re-imagine! by Tom Peters (via John Porcaro).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1065284204102822592003-10-04T12:11:00.000-04:002003-10-04T12:17:54.746-04:00

I'm posting this blog from the Apple Store on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. This place rocks. Apple has done a great job pulling off an unbelievable retail environment that shows off their product far better than any PC manufacturer. And just yesterday I was browsing in a Best Buy here in Chicago and I was surprised to be greeted by an Apple rep. I must have missed the news that Apple would

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1064950587074026572003-09-30T15:36:00.000-04:002003-09-30T15:36:26.700-04:00

Personalized search firm Kaltix was acquired by Google today. Back in August, CNET ran a piece on Kaltix that mentioned they hoped to out-Google Google. If you can't beat em ... join em.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1064418399812267492003-09-24T11:46:00.000-04:002003-09-24T11:46:39.320-04:00

Business 2.0: Making Broadband Bloom - Interesting piece by George Gilder regarding the state of broadband in the US as compared to Korea. It sounds like our government has really made a mess or our telecom industry. If our govt would ease back on the regulations we could have the broadband to the home nirvana (and the business boom to follow) that Korea has.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1063726314175347122003-09-16T11:31:00.000-04:002003-09-16T11:33:39.640-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Work has just been crazy and life on the homefront has been busy as well. My wife and I are in the middle of the adoption process. We are adopting a little girl from South Korea. On Friday, after 4.5 months of waiting, we received our referral (specific child identified, pictures, information, etc.). Needless to say we're pretty excited. Three - four months

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1063039643779365322003-09-08T12:47:00.000-04:002003-09-08T12:47:23.716-04:00

Business 2.0: The Coming Job Boom - Forget those grim unemployment numbers. Demographic forces are about to put a squeeze on the labor supply that will make it feel like 1999 all over again. I'd love to believe this will be the case in the next year or two. All I know is that in the midwest reports of layoffs continue to dominate the employment news landscape.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1062518732738240622003-09-02T12:05:00.000-04:002003-09-02T12:06:11.416-04:00

CBS MarketWatch: Report: DVDs will soon be obsolete - Streaming and paid downloads will drive people "to connect to entertainment, not own it," the report says. . It seems like it will still be awhile before video-on-demand is in use by your average household ... but ... I have to agree with the assessment. "Hard" media is on its deathbed.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1061575822618780612003-08-22T14:10:00.000-04:002003-08-22T14:10:22.650-04:00

Fast Company Now: I haven't read it yet but I just downloaded the What Should Google Do PDF. It was put together by Seth Godin and posted at Fast Company Now.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1061575052623967112003-08-22T13:57:00.000-04:002003-08-22T13:57:32.770-04:00

Too many blogs to follow. I've had a hard time lately keeping up on all the news and blog sites I'd like to follow. Now I need to add the Fast Company Now blog to my list.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1060962539778152052003-08-15T11:48:00.000-04:002003-08-15T11:53:20.126-04:00

Business Week: The eBay Economy - The company is not just a wildly successful startup. It has invented a whole new business world. How can you not like eBay?? I'd have to say that it's the tech company I admire the most (followed closely by Google and then Amazon). Anyway, I read this article at Barnes and Noble last night. One section talks about how it takes six months for managers to adjust to

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1060088368348211122003-08-05T08:59:00.000-04:002003-08-05T08:59:28.170-04:00

Business 2.0 - Rafe Needleman writes about A Better Way for Businesses to Blog in his latest What's Next column. The article profiles Traction Software, a leader in enterprise weblog software. The big difference between Traction and Blogger? Security. Access is permission based (by individual or group).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1059609346241049692003-07-30T19:55:00.000-04:002003-07-30T19:55:46.290-04:00

On July 18, my wife and I attended our 10 year college reunion. We were pleasantly surprised with how good of a time we had. It was great to catch up with old friends, the meal was excellent and the post-meal improv entertainment was great. Here's a powerpoint slide they put together of our senior year photos next to a recently submitted photo of our family.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1058980019769500552003-07-23T13:06:00.000-04:002003-07-23T13:16:55.910-04:00

The phenomenon continues to grow. And now you can even attend a intimate hands-on weblog workshop for business. Check out the right side of the page for the BloggingWorks Weblog for links to businesses and articles that are using weblogs in innovative ways. Brought to you by the creative folks at 37signals and Coudal Partners.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1058892225019410922003-07-22T12:43:00.000-04:002003-07-22T12:43:45.046-04:00

kottke.org: Business lessons from the donut and coffee guy - great post ... and great lesson.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1058821624286152902003-07-21T17:07:00.000-04:002003-07-21T17:07:04.366-04:00

Inluminent/weblog: 12 days into my test of Google's AdSense program, and I'm happy to report that according to the latest report, I'm looking at a payable of about $52.00 ...

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1058295704258889972003-07-15T15:01:00.000-04:002003-07-15T15:01:44.176-04:00

Business 2.0: It's All About Who You Know (subscription required to read full article) - The article profiles LinkedIn, a social networking company. LinkedIn is a tool for turning your friends' connections into your own. It allows you to see a list of everybody in your own circle and in the circles of your listed friends. Think a web-based six-degrees of separation. Rafe followed up his first

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1058195728938218212003-07-14T11:15:00.000-04:002003-07-14T11:15:28.963-04:00

So, does anyone know, how long do you have to be on vacation before you're ready and eager to return to work?! I'm drowning in email and trying to get back into the swing of things after taking last week off.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1057252049261618192003-07-03T13:07:00.000-04:002003-07-03T13:07:29.286-04:00

'Starter Clients' Offer Invaluable Lessons - Boy did these examples ring true from my days as a business developer / marketing consultant. It's hard, but you have to learn to say NO to some potential clients ... they're more trouble than they're worth.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1057163764176643692003-07-02T12:36:00.000-04:002003-07-02T12:36:04.213-04:00

First product evidence I've seen (in addition to the fast, reliable servers) of the marriage between Google and Blogger: the Google Toolbar

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1057078739264400872003-07-01T12:58:00.000-04:002003-07-01T12:58:59.280-04:00

Camworld has launched Watchblog: a multiple-editor weblog broken up into three major political affiliations, each with its own blog: the Democrats, the Republicans and the Third Party (covering everything outside the two major parties).. As I may have mentioned before, I loathe politics, but I also recognize its place and importance so I do my best to at least stay up-to-date on what's going on.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1057077116054278992003-07-01T12:31:00.000-04:002003-07-01T12:31:56.076-04:00

Another blog to add to my "Blogs of Note" list: John Porcaro's Weblog. John's another fellow marketing blogger. John blogs from the "dark side" spending "9-5" at Microsoft (as a Mac fan I had to say that ... even though my appreciation for Microsoft has actually grown steadily over the past few years). He gave me a gentile nudge via email to get an RSS feed set-up. Once BloggerPro ordering comes

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-105657442991703582003-06-25T16:53:00.000-04:002003-06-25T16:53:49.836-04:00

MarketingFix: Andy Bourland Buys MarketingFix, Adventive; Launches Up2Speed - I must admit. When I read things like this i miss my days focused purely on marketing (as opposed to the supply chain ebusiness work I'm doing now). It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1056132157536675962003-06-20T14:02:00.000-04:002003-06-20T14:02:37.580-04:00

ClickZ: Does Google's AdSense Make Sense? - A counter opinion on the prospects of Google's new ad program. She raises some good points.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-1055936231811211042003-06-18T07:37:00.000-04:002003-06-18T07:37:11.726-04:00

Reuters: Google Expands Content-Based Internet Ad Services - Learn more here: Google AdSense.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-954363132003-06-08T17:04:00.000-04:002003-06-08T17:05:28.000-04:00

Business 2.0: Putting Online Ads in Context - I would have to agree with Scott Moore, who oversees MSN.com and Slate for Microsoft: "It's potentially revoluationary." So what is it? Contextual advertising: the auto-placement of commercial links adjacent to relevant content. Why is it so big? Everyone wins. Companies like Google and Overture provide the technology, advertisers get better

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-950417282003-05-29T13:17:00.000-04:002003-05-29T13:19:04.000-04:00

Forbes: Digital Rules - Decade of Disruption - First, the PC Boom: PC Boom, Act I was not too disruptive. It mostly was cute and additive ... But!...PC Boom, Act II, which began in late 1986, turned out to be anything but cute. It was a serial killer. Desktop publishing wiped out typesetting shops. Computer-aided design squashed draftsmen's careers . Then, the Net Boom: Net Boom, Act II is just

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-950413572003-05-29T13:08:00.000-04:002003-05-29T13:10:43.000-04:00

This kid is unbelievable. Who says Lebron James is the NEXT one? Check out Mark Walker, a 3 1/2 year old that can hit 18 straight shots on an 8 foot hoop (with a full-size ball). My son is 3 1/2 and I'm not sure he can dunk a nerf ball 18 straight times on a hoop that is 3 feet tall (via Trader Mike).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-946429602003-05-20T13:43:00.000-04:002003-05-20T13:43:53.663-04:00

A couple good posts at the always active VentureBlog: It Sounds So 1999 and Google As Navigation

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-945754542003-05-19T07:37:00.000-04:002003-05-20T13:36:41.000-04:00

New York Times: Dating a Blogger, Reading All About It - I was interviewed for this article but based on the direction of the article I'm glad I wasn't mentioned. The writer, Warren St. John, relayed stories from bloggers who draw from their personal experiences — and often the personal experiences of relatives, friends and colleagues — to create a kind of memoir in motion that details breakups

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-942116392003-05-12T12:48:00.000-04:002003-05-12T12:48:35.466-04:00

Forbes: All Eyes on Google - Yes, yet another Google story. Why do I, and some many other bloggers and news sites for that matter, continue to hype Google? Because we're enamored by their success. I love reading about business success stories. Even better is when they are consumer technology success stories. The article doesn't tell anything that hasn't been said before ... rather it just adds to

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-940694312003-05-09T15:44:00.000-04:002003-05-09T15:47:35.000-04:00

Dough!! On Wednesday my stop-market order on NVDA tripped. I had owned it for 5 weeks and was sitting on a 22% gain. I didn't want to see the gain disappear so I set my trailing sell order pretty tight. Fast forward two days to today and read this headline: Nvidia shares jump 25% on growth outlook. Dough!! I know I should be happy with a 22% return in 5 weeks but it's amazing how greedy one can

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-940686292003-05-09T15:26:00.000-04:002003-05-09T15:26:59.730-04:00

As an avid Michigan hoops fan, I agree with Mitch: Wrong folks paying for Michigan's past sins.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-940092552003-05-08T16:08:00.000-04:002003-05-08T16:08:38.036-04:00

Startup Journal: Unexpected Lessons From a B-School Confab - Perhaps the real value of this conference for me was to finally realize that when it comes to being a success, there's often no secret recipe after all. (via Corante).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-939234622003-05-07T08:43:00.000-04:002003-05-07T08:46:11.000-04:00

The music industry may never be the same: Apple sells over 1 million songs in the first week

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-936631832003-05-02T13:53:00.000-04:002003-05-02T13:58:37.000-04:00

VentureBlog: 4 Keys To Google's Success - Notes taken about a presentation made by Google's General Counsel, David Drummend. Drummond pointed to 4 factors as the key to Google's success: 1) Technology 2) Business Model Innovation 3) Brand 4) Focus on The User Experience Not exactly earth-shattering but then again, things that work, typically aren't. They typically just do a better job

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-934879722003-04-29T16:59:00.000-04:002003-04-29T16:59:49.333-04:00

Venture Blog discusses an article by Benchmark Capital's Bill Gurley: Dot-com double take. Bill goes on to document that perhaps everyone was a bit too rash in claiming the demise of everything "dot-com." I have to agree with him. Bill also has a great slam on Barron's, a pathetically pessimistic financial pub that has been claiming for years now that not only was Amazon.com overvalued but that

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-931857402003-04-24T12:41:00.000-04:002003-04-24T12:41:59.520-04:00

In light of Amazon's earnings today ... I thought it would be appropriate to pay tribute (not) to Barron's ... a pathetic financial newspaper that has been predicting Amazon's demise for years now: May 31, 1999 - "Amazon.bomb." Here's another potential threat to Amazon: What's to stop famous authors from establishing their own Websites to sell their books? If Madonna can have her own record

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-931759062003-04-24T09:35:00.000-04:002003-04-24T09:35:01.280-04:00

Charles Hudson's Weblog: Why Consumers Want to Buy Software as a Service (Part I of II) ... followed up by Part II of II (via VentureBlog).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-931753512003-04-24T09:23:00.000-04:002003-04-24T09:23:32.663-04:00

Trader Mike, a blog I found in my referrer logs, is making me nervous. I've enjoyed the market run-up over the past week and would like it to continue. Now I'm trying to decide if I should sell a stock I've been trading which has had a good run and wait to buy it again on the dip. From the looks of the futures this morning ... the market is at least going to be starting in the negative.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-931095592003-04-23T09:11:00.000-04:002003-04-23T09:15:21.000-04:00

Remember Mouse Trap? Check out Honda's latest television advertisement, a two-minute film called "Cog". It suppposedly took 606 takes to get right. According to a forwarded email from a co-worker: Filming was done over four near-sleepless days in a Paris studio, after one month of script approval, two months of concept drawings and a further four months of development and testing. One of the more

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-929911702003-04-21T13:01:00.000-04:002003-04-21T13:01:38.420-04:00

Looking for a great book? I just finished Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. It has 164 reviews at Amazon and is averaging 4.5 stars. There's a reason why so many people have read it and felt compelled to write a review. The book that replaced it on my nightstand? The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. The brief description: In 1941, the author and a small group of fellow prisoners escaped a Soviet

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-927228352003-04-16T12:25:00.000-04:002003-04-16T12:25:09.060-04:00

Wedding Bells for DealTime, Epinions - the news is over a month old but I mention it because I've always been a big fan of Epinions and I was curious how they were faring financially. According to this article, Epinions was profitable on a GAAP basis for all of 2002. Pretty impressive. Although I've never used Dealtime, a quick browse of their site reveals that a merger with Epinions makes a ton

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-926518752003-04-15T10:39:00.000-04:002003-04-15T10:39:55.373-04:00

BookmarkSync - This is exactly the type of thing I've been looking for as I deal with multiple computers and, especially at home on the Mac, multiple web browsers. BookmarkSync is the only real-time automatic synchronization service that allows you to access your bookmarks, favorites and favorite files from any computer or any browser, without changing the way you use the Internet. (via

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-919390632003-04-03T16:48:00.000-05:002003-04-03T16:48:14.950-05:00

August Capital, a Sand Hill Road venture capitalist, has started a blog: VentureBlog. I've always been very interested in the world of venture capital despite the fact that Grand Rapids, Michigan (my home town) is only now about to launch it's first (yes, FIRST) venture capital fund. Even though I'm not too sure of the quality yet I'm going to add this blog to my list of Blogs of Note so that I

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-918490842003-04-02T10:54:00.000-05:002003-04-02T10:54:44.560-05:00

Starbucks innovates again by offering a dual use Visa. The card boasts the reloadable stored-value feature of its successful Starbucks Card, but also works like a credit card. When using the credit card the customer gains reward points that can then be redeemed at Starbucks retail locations. Expect to see many other retailers copy Starbucks and introduce dual-use cards of their own over the

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-912910822003-03-24T13:06:00.000-05:002003-03-24T13:06:11.326-05:00

Not everyone in France is against the US and it's decision to go to war with Iraq. Olivier derides the French extreme leftists who want to "protect the right of the Iraqi people to be tortured and oppressed without foreign interference." Keep speaking out Olivier! I'm not pro-war (who is?), but I believe this war is necessary. I'm just getting sick and tired of all the Hollywood clueless and the

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-909484862003-03-18T16:55:00.000-05:002003-03-18T16:55:05.826-05:00

Fast Company: How Google Grows...and Grows...and Grows - Read this at the doctor's office the other day ... great article about the culture at Google. I can tell ya ... if they had an office in West Michigan I'd be interested in working there. Google says that it gets 1,500 resumes a day from wanna-be Googlers. So, what makes Google tick? Here's the article highlights: Rule Number One: The

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-906609622003-03-13T14:04:00.000-05:002003-03-13T14:04:09.030-05:00

The parody (see post below) explained.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-906607862003-03-13T14:00:00.000-05:002003-03-13T14:02:37.000-05:00

A co-worker just forwarded me this: Go to Google and enter "french military victories" in the search field and then click the "I'm feeling lucky" button (the result). Now look again at the URL of the resulting screen ... pretty clever (the footer disclaimer also gives it away as a joke).

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-903078362003-03-07T11:37:00.000-05:002003-03-07T11:37:12.140-05:00

Although every blogger and their brother is linking to it .. World of Ends - What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else by Doc Searls and David Weinberger.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-903026792003-03-07T09:57:00.000-05:002003-03-07T09:57:45.593-05:00

Just finished Seth Godin's Purple Cow. Great book. If you're at all involved in marketing I think it's a must read. It's also a must read for anyone that owns a business or is in executive management. And the cool thing ... I got the book for free paying only $5 to have it shipped in a cool milk carton (I feel sorry for the mailman). Now, if you want the book, you gotta buy it at Amazon for

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-902554342003-03-06T15:02:00.000-05:002003-03-06T15:02:17.483-05:00

OK ... I figured it out. I'll give this hint: factor of 9.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-902545942003-03-06T14:46:00.000-05:002003-03-06T15:17:14.000-05:00

Like Eric Nolin I have NO IDEA how this works. There has to be an explanation for it. Email me if you know.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-901860182003-03-05T13:34:00.000-05:002003-03-05T13:37:44.000-05:00

Big discussion at Metalfilter about the Dr. Pepper blog and the issue of the blog as an explicit, blatent marketing tool. Tristan (owner of TNL.Net blog) and I have been having a discussion about this via email. He's drawn up a declaration of bloggerdom to address the issue. In a way, it could be looked at as "blogetiquette" ... a terms and conditions of being a blogger. I think it's a good list

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-901849012003-03-05T12:17:00.000-05:002003-03-05T12:17:11.606-05:00

strategy + business: The Better Half: The Artful Science of ROI Marketing - Advances in analytics, systems, processes, and organization design can converge to eliminate the waste from marketing. This LONG article outlines how to solve the oft-quoted problem with advertising/marketing: "I am certain that half the money I spend in advertising is wasted ... The trouble is, I do not know which half."

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-900594172003-03-03T12:39:00.000-05:002003-03-03T12:39:30.590-05:00

Marketing: Flogging on a Blog - Dr Pepper is trying to use the grass-roots power of Weblogs to promote its new drink (Raging Cow). I agree with Doc - it won't work.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-899209312003-02-28T16:03:00.000-05:002003-02-28T16:12:38.000-05:00

And here's my first audio post using audblog: ---Play it!---

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-899173872003-02-28T14:48:00.000-05:002003-02-28T14:48:47.546-05:00

More innovations from Blogger: audioBLOGGER - audioBLOGGER is a service that provides bloggers with the ability to post audio to their blogs from any phone. Pretty cool. There's a free trial post before you have to pay the $3 monthly fee. I'll try it shortly.

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-897270752003-02-25T14:24:00.000-05:002003-02-25T14:24:19.186-05:00

Pretty basic but still a good reminder:The 7 Deadly Sins of Online Selling

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-896540462003-02-24T12:42:00.000-05:002003-02-24T12:42:18.123-05:00

It's getting to be that time of year again. March Madness. Who's on the bubble?

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-894435612003-02-20T12:45:00.000-05:002003-02-20T12:45:39.560-05:00

DaveNet: Comments on the Google-Blogger deal

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015424.post-893689922003-02-19T08:52:00.000-05:002003-02-19T08:52:57.260-05:00

My copy of Purple Cow arrived in the mail yesterday. Needless to say my wife and son were a little bit amused at receiving a milk carton in the mail with purple cow patches on it. I feel sorry for the mailman who had to lug that thing around. Side note: When I first went to blog this entry I just typed in www.purplecow.com into my web browser. I imagine Seth Godin was a bit perturbed that

Rob Poelnoreply@blogger.com