How to be less stupid in 2009

How to be less stupid in 2009 | Irregular Enterprise | ZDNet.com

2009 is reality check year. 2008 was a lot of fun but this is the year when IT really needs to look at itself and ask what it can do best to deliver value back to the business. It has been doing so in pockets here and there. Business needs to stop treating IT like a bunch of journeyman plumbers and realize that without many of these people, we wouldn’t have the ability to be faster and smarter.

Social versus Pipeline Communication - what fits?

Cafe-Shaped Conversations | chrisbrogan.com

Chris Brogan has written and linked to some very interesting discussions about what social sites can and cannot do.

The thing with all this talk about social media and how it changes marketing is that I don’t think you’re going to like it. I don’t think the end state is what most companies are thinking about. Google doesn’t buy other companies because they seem neato. Pepsi doesn’t want to talk with a few hundred people at a time, do they? It’s just that all these businesses have built huge platforms, huge sales funnels, huge marketplaces, and I think what social software is setting us up for are cafe-shaped conversations.

Twitter makes $1Million for Dell

Digitalmedia has picked up a story about Twitter making $1Million for Dell this last year and a half by notifying twitterers of special sales. Many web sites are now using Twitter as a supplement to RSS to get notifications of change out.

Twitter has made Dell $1 million in revenue » VentureBeat

Everyone loves talking about Twitter’s business model — because there isn’t one yet, and they’ll keep talking about it until there is one. But it’s becoming more clear that while a business model is of course important, Twitter is perhaps the perfect example of a company that can afford to take its time in finding the one that is perfect for it. That’s because other businesses are building so much on top of the micro-messaging service and using it for their own services. If worst came to worst, and Twitter had to sell, there would probably be a bidding war of a magnitude that would make it seem like this country wasn’t in the midst of a recession.

InternetNews has a good rundown of the Twitter/business phenomenon. Buried in it is this gem:

Less altruistically, some businesses have discovered that Twitter is an effective way of communicating with consumers. Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) says Twitter has produced $1 million in revenue over the past year and a half through sale alerts. People who sign up to follow Dell on Twitter receive messages when discounted products are available the company’s Home Outlet Store. They can click over to purchase the product or forward the information to others.

Entrepreneur 10 myths reality check

Rednod » Myths entrepreneurs tell themselves
I like Alistair croll - and he adds a good dose of reality check here:

4 December 2008
Myths entrepreneurs tell themselves

Posted by Alistair Croll under: Startups .

My friend Raymond Luk has a great post on the ten tough questions entrepreneurs need to ask themselves before starting a company. He’s right on all counts, and if you’re considering a startup, you need to read them and answer them honestly.As I was reading the list, it reminded me of a recent conversation about some of the delusions that first-time startup owners have, and that need to be dispelled before they can really get to work.

Enhance Twitter effectiveness with Mr Tweet

Mr. Tweet Helps You Make More Meaningful Connections On Twitter « Demo Girl
An explanation of Mr Tweet, how to use it and why.

Mr. Tweet is a service that wants to help you create more meaningful and effective relationships on Twitter. It calls itself “your personal twitter assistant” and after using it briefly, I completely agree.

mrtweet1

First, you need to follow Mr. Tweet on Twitter. Then you need to be patient, and wait. You’re waiting to receive a direct message on Twitter from Mr. Tweet with a link to your report. It took about four days for me to receive my message but I hear it’s quicker for some people.