This morning I started out fairly early to get some work done before the mad rush and to be available for a client (East coast). I went into the office which was as quiet as a church and thought – this is going to help me get some good rem sleep .. or I can go elsewhere.

I decided to pop into Java (6th and Idaho St. in Boise). This is my kind of place. First let me say that even at the ridiculous hour at which I was in here on a Monday morning, the people (baristas) were friendly. The quality of the drink is always the same – great, and they offer free wi-fi and power outlets. What else could a mobile worker ask for?

Many of the businesses around Boise could learn a lot from Java. Make yourself unique, make a consistent and quality product and invite me to stay a while. I want to be where people are .. invite me and invite others .. we’ll linger, but you’ll reap the reward. Thanks Java! 

If you think of the universe of technology—and for that matter-social media, Intel seems to be constantly at the center of it. The devices we use, what we see on them, the companies that provide them, almost completely depend upon Intel for the processing power needed to make it work.

I spent some time with Paul Otellini, who became Intel CEO, after moving up the ranks for 30 years, and with Ken Kaplan, one of Intel’s most passionate social media enthusiasts.

This clip will give you some idea of how Intel is using social media internally and at least a hint of where Otellini thinks it will go during his daughter’s lifetime.

We have an opportunity. An opportunity for people like us, an opportunity to define the future of our home – Boise.

Did you know that we have the oldest legislative body in the entire nation? Our state representatives, many senior business leaders and officials leading the education infrastructure are not tech savvy. Worse, they glaze over and talk in circles whenever tech is mentioned (most of them anyway).

Meanwhile the evidence is clear that Idaho is becoming home for many of the lowest paying jobs in the nation. These are comprised of service industry (McDonalds, Taco Time, etc.) and call centers (T-Mobile, CitiCard, etc.) where the bulk of the positions range from $5.25 to $12 an hour. The reality of life is that it takes much more than that to live in our community.

Tech jobs are skilled and pay better.

The median tech professional in Boise makes ~$25 / hr. That means half of wage-earners are below and half are above, but the reality is that this lumps in tech workers in semi-skilled manufacturing positions. The higher end of the spectrum are people like you who code applications or architect solutions. These are great jobs and not only promote quality of life monetarily, but also create a quality of life that is consistent with the culture and lifestyle of Boise.

Tech jobs (software development, etc.) are green jobs. Tech jobs are are not dependant on distribution lines (and the costs associated therein). Our geographic isolation does not hinder the delivery of the product / service. Boise is a perfect location for this type of work. We have a strong engineering base, strong tech corporations, and a state university in our city core. What we lack is:

• entrepreneurial spirit,
• legislators who will get out there and press the flesh with those from other states to discuss the resources we possess.
• Tax considerations for small and mid-size businesses.
• No charge or low charge resources to educate people on starting and running a business focusing on areas that are not core to their competencies.
• mentors (yes I am talking to you.)

We have an opportunity to become great – good to great is not a far leap!

Great communities like Boise are rare. TechBoise seeks to surface the tech community, build upon it and create awareness of our technical powerhouse for the entire world to see. It begins with a discussion at a TechBoise FREE event which is the catalyst for great innovation, imagination and opportunities yet to be realized.

Now ask yourself, shouldn’t you come to the next event?

8020’s publications are filled entirely with content generated by online readers. But will people pay for it?

Weary of his job as an urban planner for the city of Portland, Ore., Sloan Schang dreamed of making a living as a writer. How, exactly, he wasn’t sure. But he quit his job, sold his house and, with the proceeds, some savings and his girlfriend, set off on a trip that took him to Asia, Europe and across much of the United States. Today, not two years later, Schang, 32, is a published travel writer with a busy schedule of decently paid freelance gigs. “It’s worked out well. I don’t really plan to go back to urban planning,” he says.

A decade ago Schang’s transition almost certainly would have been more difficult. But there are more opportunities than ever for aspiring writers to get published. Schang credits his breaking into the travel writing business to 8020 Publishing, a San Francisco-based magazine publisher with a unique twist on the conventional model: its paper pages are filled entirely with content submitted by readers through its Web site.

The Internet, of course, has given citizen-journalists, amateur artists and Wikipedia warriors a virtually limitless platform for exposure. It has also roiled the traditional magazine business, which in recent years has seen circulation and ad revenue drop as more readers shift their preference for media consumption from paper to pixels. But 8020 may have found a way to take advantage of the move to online. Funded by CNET.com founder Halsey Minor, the company, which was started in June 2006, is pinning its future on actual newsstand sales of content that originates online. “Magazines are great at inspiration, whereas the Web is really good at data. But people tend to think only in terms of the Web versus print magazines,” says Paul Cloutier, chief executive of 8020. “We say they can come together to become an even better magazine.”

Complete Article >

Social networks have flooded the market with inventory, pushing down ad rates based on CPM, according to one Microsoft executive.

Dean Carignan, Microsoft’s director of ad business strategy in the entertainment and device division, made that disclosure during a panel discussion today at the McGraw-Hill Media Summit in New York City.

After the panel discussion, “Advertising Next: Social Networks, User Generated Video….”, I approached Carignan and asked him to elaborate.

He said the pricing decline doesn’t apply to specific verticials, such as automotive, financial services, and news.

However, he acknowledged that social networks (Facebook included) have increased online inventory by about 15 percent this year.

It wasn’t lost on anyone in the crowd that Microsoft made a $240 million equity stake in social network Facebook late last year.

“In most environments, the ads showing up have no context. People talking to people [isn't] relevant to one product category,” he said.

He and other mentioned growing interest in “cul de sacs” on social networks focus on special interests such as consumer electronics or travel.

When asked about Facebook, he offered a quick: “No comment.”

Now that they’ve tapped out their inventory how do they stop their investment potential from bleeding out. Note though that I am not fool enough to think they are sucking air – yet. 

What is drip marketing? Drip marketing is a direct marketing strategy that involves sending out several promotional pieces over a period of time to a subset of sales leads.

Is this process effective and how can you begin planning your drip marketing campaign?

The phrase drip marketing comes from the common phrase used in agriculture and gardening called “drip irrigation.” This is the process of watering plants or crops using small amounts of water over long periods of time.

It was developed in response to the “Law of 29″ in which many marketers believe that an average “prospect” will not turn into a client until they’ve viewed their marketing message at least 29 times. While I do not necessarily agree with the Law of 29, I do believe in the need to stay in touch with your current and prospective clients in order for them to purchase from you.

There are way too many competitors out there, not to.

The method of drip marketing can help you avoid the sell-produce curve. An effective way to use drip marketing is to consistently do something each month to keep your name in front of your current clients and prospective clients. By doing this you diminish the sell-produce curve and will find that you will have a steady amount of business coming in the door.

The best thing about drip marketing is it requires a plan of action. By creating this plan and following it throughout the year you can guarantee that you will be consistent with your marketing all year long. I suggest that you develop your drip marketing campaign when planning your yearly marketing calendar.

It all sounds great, but where do you start? To help you I’ve listed a plan of action to get you well on your way to developing a productive drip marketing campaign:

• Step 1: Develop your Plan (Plan something EVERY month)
• Step 2: Strategize the Execution of Your Plan
• Step 3: Decide who your Target is.
• Step 4: Create consistency by developing your slogan or phrase. Then place it on every promotional and marketing piece.

What methods can you use for your drip marketing campaign? Here are a few that will get you started:

• Postcards
• Newsletters
• Email Newsletter (You’ll have to be careful of spam filters)
• Promotional or Sales Brochures

Think of your drip marketing campaign as a way to nurture your current and potential clients. You campaign should keep them aware of your products and services. With this thought in mind your campaign will succeed.

KPCB’s iFund is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform. The iFund is agnostic to size and stage of investment and will invest in companies building applications, services and components. Focus areas include location based services, social networking, mCommerce (including advertising and payments), communication, and entertainment. The iFund will back innovators pursuing transformative, high-impact ideas with an eye towards building independent durable companies atop the iPhone / iPod touch platform.

“A revolutionary new platform is a rare and prized opportunity for entrepreneurs, and that’s exactly what Apple has created with iPhone and iPod touch,” said John Doerr, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “We think several significant new companies will emerge as this new platform evolves, and the iFund will empower them to realize their full potential.”
“Developers are already bursting with ideas for the iPhone and iPod touch, and now they have the chance to turn those ideas into great companies with the help of world-class venture capitalists,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait to start working with Kleiner Perkins and the companies they fund through this new initiative.”
The iFund will be managed by KPCB Partner Matt Murphy in collaboration with partners Chi-Hua Chien, John Doerr, Bill Joy, Randy Komisar, Ellen Pao and Ted Schlein. Apple will provide KPCB with market insight and support.

For more information or questions, please read the iFund FAQs or email iFund@kpcb.com

> http://new.kpcb.com

Starting is the hardest part. I have this idea in my head that I have been rolling around for a while. The idea has to do with a fairly simple business that requires very little capitol to begin and a straight-forward, easy to understand product. I’m no rocket scientist, so the type of product I might come up with has to be easy – but that is where the risk comes in. If I can do it so easily, why wouldn’t the major players in the market do it?

So I got this idea and I rolled it around with some people in the vertical and it has been received with sheer excitement. I even had one guy beg me to PLEASE DO IT. So I should, right? Well here is where I request your feedback.

People Resources

First, I have a finite number of hours in a day. I have a family, a day job and a life. Something would have to give. I am not independently wealthy so to hire someone to run the business is out of the question.

The Product

The “product” would only take a few thousand dollars to build and would not require a retail or commercial space to sell it out of. It would truly be sold word-of-mouth and would not require capital expenditure for marketing. It is unique, meaning that it does not exist today. As unique as a blender, the day it was introduced, but as replicable as a blender as well.

Commodity & Elite

There is a high risk that people in the business would replicate the idea very quickly. The only thing that would keep it from becoming a commodity are my connections, my relationships, or rather the relationships with those who have relationships. Let’s face it, I’m a marketing nerd and I live in Boise to boot.

This is a gated community idea. It would be hyper-personal and hyper-local. So word of mouth would definitely grow it. There is a low cost threshold to get into the game, but it offers significant power to the business that buys into it. It creates an elite environment that not everyone can gain access to. That’s what makes it special and unique.

The beginning.

So how does one begin really? I don’t care about being rich. I want to grow the business organically and without venture or angel investment. I am slightly distrusting of business counsel as I have been burnt in the past. Do I need a partner that can help shoulder the load of work that actually would need to get down? I don’t need their money, but walking together down a path is somehow motivating.These are my random thoughts. So ….