(* Source: Dan Gould *)

Dan from PSFK says...

Vinyl is dead. Long live vinyl! Now, it pains me to report this, because records are great, but it seems like it may be the end of the road for the media format (at least as far as a DJ staple). Stanton has released the DaScratch media controller which is one of many new ways to control digital music. The multi-functional device lets DJ’s control playback of music files using popular programs, including Serato, Traktor and Ableton. DaScratch can manipulate music files like a traditional turntable but also adds in effects, eq controls and loop trigger buttons. Look for more devices like this to become the new standard for DJs, as they open up new creative possibilities.

Stanton - Enter the System

[via Hack a Day]

Posted by brian tiong at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Chris Anderson *)

Posted by brian tiong at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: BusinessWeek *)

The 25 Most Influential People on the Web

Each year, we turn to readers and BusinessWeek staff for the Best of the Web list, asking them to contribute names for a list of the Intern­et's movers and shakers. Take a look at the slide show to see which people have the most impact on the Web these days.

More here

Posted by brian tiong at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Tony Hung *)

Tony says...

At the most recent BlogExpo Twitter was a huge topic, and with good reason. Although it started more than a year ago with fairly geeky roots, it continues to grow at a breakneck pace. Has it crossed over to the mainstream, yet? I think we're on the cusp. I certainly think that when anchors on CNN start using Twitter to monitor conversations on live television -- it's probably time.

Like a few others, I happen to be quite bullish on the topic of Twitter, not just as a singular web application, but as a medium, and microblogging service. As Mike Arrington of TechCrunch believes, services like Twitter are becoming more and more like a utility, much like the telephone service.

But what about its application in branding? Specifically, its role in brand management?

1. Understanding twitter (AKA microblogging) in the ecosystem of conversation

Whether you Twitter, Plurk, Pownce, or Friendfeed (or all of them), the role of such services for the purposes of brand management is primarily to listen. When Twitter launched, there was some angst about how crushingly banal some of the conversations were. However, like blogging, Twitter had some maturing to do -- and we're maturing still. People still Twitter about what they ate for breakfast, what bus stop they're at and where they plan to have dinner, but its also used for communications of other sorts.

Questions about particular services. Opinions about particular brands. Blog alerts on postings. By average folks. By opinion leaders.

The wonderful thing is that, for the most part, these conversations are public, searchable, and trackable. With this emerging ecosystem of live conversation and thought, anyone with any particular interest can follow ideas, topics, names and places as they happen.

The role of Twitter in brand management first is to listen. Find people who are talking about products, services, and experiences with your brand. Then find their friends. Then find who is driving those conversations and who those opinion leaders are.

The best way to do this is probably starting with Twitter's own search function which was acquired via Summize a few months ago. Search for names of products, services, brand names, competitors and people. Then select the feed icon for that search and follow it actively throughout the day in your favorite feed reeder. Done.

2. Engaging in microconversations

Once you've found your conversations of interest, take a deep breath. Because these are live, unfilitered and unmetered opinion, some of it may also contain a lot of raw emotion. After all, when you only have 140 characters to express yourself, it doesn't lend itself to appropriate self-censoring all the time.

Then, reach out.

I presume you already know about your brand, what it stands for, and what your brand "ideal" experience ought to be. You're probably intimately familiar with tag lines, logos, and all of the literal and visual elements of the brand. Now, with all that in mind, it's time to try and sculpt the experiences of others ... but not in a cynical or sinister way.

I firmly believe that there is a lot of banal conversation on Twitter, but there is a lot of important stuff as well. People talk and reach out when emotions are at their peak, whether it be happy, sad, or frustrated. For many folks, they Twitter during these times not only let themselves be known, but to share in the emotion, to get a response, and for some, a hope for answers as well.

The great thing about reaching out on Twitter, much like the blogosphere in some ways through comments, is that the expectation is close to nil that brand representatives of any fashion are present. Furthermore, the expectation that anyone will actually listen, or even do anything supportive or rectifying is also, for many, close to nil.

If you're able to answer questions, respond to opinion, and engage in a real human way (such as the admission that you don't know the answer), you'll shock and pleasantly surprise most Twitterers.

If they've got issues, and you've been empowered to use Twitter in this way, take ownership of the problem. Point them in the direction of someone who can solve it, or work with it until you can.

Because the bar on Twitter is so low, the mere act of appearing on Twitter can be a powerful first step that gets people noticing. Listening is better. Fixing and solving is, of course, best, and can generate word of mouth traffic and notice that is difficult to put a number sign to.

3. Dealing with "thought leaders"

Of course you should try and engage each Twitterer you meet equally. It's critical to keep in mind, that someone who has 5 followers should, in all seriousness, be treated with an equal amount of respect. Every conversation is searchable, and for folks who looking for particular problems, they'll find the exchange just as easily as you could.

However, like in any democracy, there are some Twitters who are, in some ways, more equal than others. And the relative "importance" of these individuals is sometimes, but not always, easy to recognize in the number of followers they have. I say "not-always" because sometimes a person's relative worth or importance may not always be measured by such metrics. They might be well known off line, or be followed by a few popular Twitterers, for example.

For Twitterers who have followers in the hundreds or thousands, engagements *will* be noticed by their followers, and so be prepared to engage in a way that's relative to the audience. However, if you've gotten this far in the article, congratulations, because you've probably identified this as a great opportunity.

It's hard to get any opinion leader to talk about your product, service, or brand (ask any start up about TechCrunch, for example). True, it's never ideal when it's mentioned in a less than flattering light, however, Twitter provides a great way of turning this into a fantastic opportunity. Unlike blogs, where the author may or may not respond, and the author may or may not append their original blog post, on Twitter, especially if you respond in real time, you can literally change people's opinion on the spot.

A great example was with Mike Arrington himself, when he was bitterly complaining about the service he was getting with Comcast. Turns out Comcast was listening, and worked on things in an expeditious fashion. Problem was solved, and Arrington went on to blog about it.

It would be tough to measure how much that good publicity would have cost.

At the end of the day, every conversation about your name, service, products, or brand, should be treated as an opportunity to engage people -- in real time -- with their experiences, and no matter how good it is, try and make it better, in the way that the ideal brand experience ought to be.

Using Twitter this way is not for the lazy, uninterested, or the disempowered. It necessitates a melding of great customer service and the knowledge of what the brand is, how it ought to be, and the integrity to realize that there are always going to be shortcomings. As trite as it sounds, when you engage people in Twitter, you are live and you are searchable. And in many cases, you may not get a second chance if you flub the first.

But in a time when expectations are so low, it represents, in many cases, not just an opportunity, but an easy opportunity to engage in a way that's human, real, and in a way that proves that your brand is listening and willing to help.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Paul Glazowski *)

Searching for things through a service that scours multiple engines is one thing. Searching for things through a service that scours certain aspects of the news and social discussion space is another. This is what a new invention called Social Mention allows you to accomplish.

Employing Yahoo’s increasingly noteworthy BOSS search platform, Social Mention, an Ottawa, Canada operation, distinguishes its results by their variety of source. If you’re looking for items to do with, say, today’s official debut of the T-Mobile G1 device, you can specify that the engine find blog posts, microblog posts, bookmarks, comments, events, images, links from social news websites, or videos.

Adding extra flavor to the mix is an asset labeled “Hot Conversations.” Everything deemed of the moment is listed, though these are not specific a category. If you search for the abovementioned handheld, and transition from left to right through the available tabs, the picks in the right-hand column stay largely the same.

Everything seems to work without much trouble at all. While it’s a bit difficult to gauge for relevance for links, at least given our brief test of it, the delivery of information is pretty much how you’d expect it to appear. Yet, you’re likely to notice the length of time it takes for the engine to provide information, both from the start and through successive moves to all sections of the results page. A 5-second wait time is what I sense is the average to see results. Not terribly extensive, but noticeable for sure. Keep in mind, if one aspect is cached, the time spent twiddling thumbs is less. Images and videos, meanwhile, may take longer to display.  This is in part due to its aggregation of material from sources like Twitter, FriendFeed, Delicious, Flickr, Reddit, Digg, YouTube, and coComment, as well as the many blogs that inhabit the Web.

What has me most excited about Social Mention is its take on keywords and how they are used in the blog world, the new media space, and conversations had in numerous places. Companies and organizations undoubtedly find it valuable to track mention of their names, brands and products to register trends, pinpoint troubles, and generally involve themselves more in the chatter, as they have been known to do in a venue like Twitter. Social Mention simply broadens the scope. Its speed could be improved, but to begin with, its quite an admirable piece of kit.

Posted by brian tiong at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Michal Lev-Ram *)

Posted by brian tiong at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Dean Takahashi *)

Technorati has searched through its own search index of the world’s blogs and released new data on the state of the blogosphere in 17 months. And my, there are a lot of us bloggers out there. It’s time for some serious navel gazing.

Technorati has indexed more than 133 million blogs since 2002. The last report was posted in April 2007. At that point, Technorati reported there were more than 70 million blogs, with 120,000 being created every day. But the creation of new blogs hasn’t necessarily slowed. Rather, Technorati has become better at weeding out inactive or spam blogs and deleted tens of millions of them.

Under Dave Sifry, founder of Technorati, the company had been tracking the blogosphere every six months or so since 2004, when there were less than 2 million. Under new chief executive Richard Jalichandra, the company has taken longer to come up with a new report that documents the state of the blogosphere. And now it has done a formal survey with bloggers for the first time.

“It’s much more interesting to define the active blogosphere now than it is to count the total number of blogs,” Jalichandra said in an interview. “At this point, it’s hard to define what a blog is, given things like Twitter and MySpace blogs.”

Those platforms as well as Facebook blogs aren’t counted in Technorati’s current definition of blogs, but they could be in the future, Jalichandra said.
Technorati is now focused on the activity level and growing influence of blogs. For evidence of the latter, consider that four of the top ten entertainment sites on the web are blogs: OMG, TMZ, Asylum and PerezHilton. Blogs are represented in the top ten web sites across all key media categories.

“Blogs are media,” Jalichandra said. “That is the difference now. They are as relevant as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. The blogger with 5,000 readers may be just as credible a source of information for those 5,000 people as anyone else.”

The “active blogosphere” is an ecosystem of interconnected bloggers and readers, where journalism and conversation converge. The company collected the data for this year’s report by taking a random sample survey of the more than 1.2 million bloggers registered with Technorati. The survey, conducted by a third party, received 1,300 responses. That’s a statistically random sample, but it’s definitely skewed to serious bloggers, or people who care enough about their blogs to register them with Technorati.

In this latest report, the number of blogs that have updated in the past 30 days drops to 3.5 million. Those who posted in the last week amount to 1.5 million. In the month of June, the number of blogs with an authority rating of 50 or more was 76,000. (The authority rating — a measure of influence– refers to the number of other blogs that have linked to them during the last six months. Nearly half of active blogs have some authority.)

Newspaper journalists are no longer looking down on blogs. About 95 of the top 100 newspapers now have reporter blogs. On average, bloggers cover an average of five different topics within each blog. They use an average of five techniques to drive traffic to their blog and seven different publishing tools.

Technorati indexes just about every blog post that gets published in real time. But it has as good a handle on the state of blogging as any big search company. The report is mostly about ordinary bloggers such as Lori Stewart, a 45-year-old blogger who started a nonprofit group, Toys for Troops, which has sent 10,000 beanie babies to soldiers in Iraq.

During the month of June, Technorati noted that there were always more than 600,000 blog posts each day, with a couple of days surpassing the million-blog mark. On average, bloggers have been writing for about three years. Half of bloggers are on their second blog.

Based on the blogger survey, two-thirds of bloggers are male. About 50 percent are ages 18 to 34. They are more affluent and educated than the general population; about half earn more than $75,000 a year in the U.S. The mean annual revenue from blogging is $6,000. That’s not bad, considering the average investment is only $1,800. And bloggers are earning CPMs (clicks per mil, a measure of ad revenue) that are comparable to large publishers, which earn $3 to $6 CPMs.

Jalichandra considers the profitability of blogging as a whole to be an indicator of the strength of the medium. While many pundits have been predicting an over-abundance of blogs, a shake-out, or the collapse of ad revenues, Jalichandra foresees only a growth in blogging as a revenue-generating platform. He notes that a lot of bloggers consider themselves to be professional, but only 28 percent are using display ads. That suggests considerable room for growth in revenues ahead, Jalichandra said.

The profession is becoming more international. Technorati tracked 81 languages and bloggers from 66 countries in June. About 43 percent of those polled were in the U.S., and 72 percent publish in English. About 27 percent blogged in Europe, while 14 percent were in Asia and 7 percent in South America. About 3 percent were in Australia and 1 percent in Africa. They spend 3.5 times as much time on the Internet as they do watching TV.

Among the benefits of blogging: bloggers report high personal satisfaction, career advancement, and receiving publishing or speaking opportunities. About 69 percent of corporate bloggers also identified themselves as personal bloggers, while 65 percent called themselves professional bloggers, the latter meaning they blog about the industry but not as an official spokesperson for the company.

As for brands in the blogosphere, about four out of five bloggers post brand or product reviews. About 37 percent of them do so frequently. About 60 percent blog about company information or gossip that they hear. And about a third of bloggers have been approached to be brand advocates.

More here

Posted by brian tiong at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Cameron Chapman *)

A great list from Cameron on what's out there today for running your own business...

Cameron says...

Last August we featured a post with more than 230 online apps for running your business. Since there are hundreds of new apps coming on the market every year, we figured it was time for an update. This year we came up with more than 270 additional apps. Some are completely new since last year, others might have been overlooked, and still others made significant improvements that gained them a spot on the list.

Accounting, Billing, Invoicing, Estimating & Contracts

LiteAccounting - Invoice and track payment from your customers without a bunch of extra, useless features.

Invoice Journal - Free invoicing program.

endeve - Issue invoices, manage clients and check revenues all in one place.

ContractPal - Take your contracts and forms paperless and have them completed, validated, signed and processed online.

Bootstrap - Online bookkeeping software that lets you track sales and expenses, organize your records for tax time, and more.

Citrus - An online billing website that allows your customers to view, download and pay their invoices by credit card or direct debit.

Zapproved - Create and send proposals, manage the approval process and reach agreements without any hassle.

Mumboe - Online contract and business agreement management app.

FinanciFY - Easy to use online financial management tools for small businesses and individuals.

Invoice Place - Online billing software that lets you track invoices, quotes, receipts and more.

Zoho Invoice - Manage invoices and payments, format invoices and quotes, set up recurring invoices, and more, with free and paid plans.

GoToBilling - An online app that manages invoices and payments, marketing, customer relationship management and more.

NetBooks - Marketing, sales, inventory and financial control in one place.

Pulse - Cash flow management app for small businesses.

Shoeboxed - Online tracking and organizing of your receipts.

FreeAgent Central - Accounting and money management app for freelancers.

CurdBee - An online billing application that integrates with payments through PayPal or Google Checkout.

Clarity Accounting - Online accounting for small businesses and professionals with multi-user support.

Calendars & Scheduling

Appointy - An online appointment management tool.

SuperSaaS - This is online scheduling software that allows you to accept appointments booked directly on your website.

BookingPad - An online bookings system that can be integrated into any website.

clickbook - A free online booking and scheduling program.

eXpireTrack - Track and plan for the date that products are to expire.

Scheduly - Add your business to their directory and then let your clients pick their own appointment time slots (from your available slots).

When is Good - Find out the best time for everyone to meet without the hassle.

Shiftboard - Online scheduling for businesses to coordinate worker schedules.

Robyn - Easy online scheduling for service providers.

ScheduleOnce - Scheduling engine to get everyone who needs to meet together at one time.

TimeBridge - See the availability of everyone you need to meet with.

Charts, Diagrams, and Whiteboards

Exploratree - Online mind mapping software that provides ready-made thinking guides.

Wisdomap - A simple mind mapping application.

Best4C - An online charting and diagramming tool.

Scriblink - A simple, free online whiteboard.

Gliffy - Online diagramming and charting software.

Mindomo - Free online mind mapping software.

Mapul - Online mind mapping that allows you to create organic looking mind maps.

WiseMapping - Free mind mapping software that allows you to publish and share your mind maps.

Collaboration & Workgroups

Homecourt - Homecourt is a Web-based collaboration tool.

blogtronix - An enterprise social platform that includes blogs, wikis, documents and social media so that users in large and small organizations can collaborate and build communities inside and outside their company.

WorkflowPerfect - A Web-based business process tool that facilitates collaboration.

ClientSpot - A project collaboration and time tracking software specifically for virtual assistants and other freelancers.

skrbl - Online collaboration and white board space.

Planzone - Secure and private collaborative project workspace to share files, manage tasks, and communicate with others.

Nuospace - On demand collaboration software that provides online document management, allows you to edit pages in your browser, and offers tools to engage your colleagues.

DeskAway - An online project collaboration app aimed at small businesses and teams that organizes, manages and tracks your online work.

Mentat - A free project-sharing service accessible from a browser of supported devices (including BlackBerry).

Easy Projects .NET - Project collaboration software that offers both a downloadable option and a hosted version.

Ecto Connect - An online collaboration, communication and content sharing app.

Clearspace - An online collaboration suite that includes documents, blogs, discussions, projects, and more.

Twiddla - An online conference tool that allows you to mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or brainstorm on a blank canvas.

Sosius - Online workspace that includes a contact & group manager, custom workspace, file management, calendar, blog, discussions, chat, and more.

CollectiveX - Create free group sites for collaboration and networking.

Yammer - A twitter-like app for getting updates from your co-workers.

BrightIdeasLab - An online home for all your brilliant ideas that also offers collaborative brainstorming space.

Ximdesk - Collaboration and social networking platform for enterprise.

Status - A Twitter-like app for keeping your work group connected.

GroupSwim - Social collaboration and community tools to bring your employees, customers, and partners together.

Kindling - Idea management and collaboration tool that lets you vote on ideas.

Conferences, Presentations & Meetings

Expectnation - A conference program organizing software.

KinetiCast - Create online presentations, deliver them, and then track who’s watching.

Gretastudio - Create on-demand presentations for your company’s products, record training and e-learning materials, or other types of presentations that require audio or video content.

280Slides - A free online presentation software that allows you to import existing documents, download to PowerPoint, publish to the Web and more.

SlideRocket - Design professional quality presentations and then deliver them in person or over the Web.

vcasmo - Presentation software for business presentations, academic teaching, seminars, conferences, sales pitching, live events and more.

slideboom - Allows you to share PowerPoint presentations live online.

Empressr - A visual storytelling and presentation application.

Zoho Show - Create embeddable presentations online, present from a remote location, or share and collaborate on presentations.

slidelive - Present Microsoft PowerPoint presentations live online with this browser-based meeting solution.

Text The Mob - Collect feedback during presentations and seminars by posting polls or message boards on a large screen and having your audience send their input via their cell phones.

ReadyTalk - Online Web meeting and audio conferencing solutions.

Persony - Inexpensive Web conferencing service.

Calliflower - Conference calling tools that include Skype integration, invitations and reminders, and more.

GoToMeeting - Online meeting and conferencing software.

buzz2biz - A free online meeting platform.

MyCommittee - Online tracking of meeting agendas and minutes.

GroupLoop - Web-based committee organizing software.

Crowdsourcing, Networking & Community

Wild Apricot - Online tools for clubs, associations, and communities that include email newsletters, blogs, discussion forums, a member database and more.

OctopusCity - Build your online business network, keep in touch with people through mini-feeds, messaging and free teleconferencing, and save time by keeping one universal address book system.

LittleEngine - A community of small businesses and their patrons that are committed to buying locally and supporting local businesses.

Advisor Garage - A social network that connects entrepreneurs who need advice with advisors on just about any business-related topic.

Xing - A global networking and contact management site for business professionals.

Cambrian House - A free crowdsourcing app.

Socialcast - Private online communities of all sizes to help organize enterprise communication that allows employees to decide how to find and use information while reducing email clutter and unproductive communications.

CEOWorld.biz - Global networking for managers, entrepreneurs, and senior execs.

cmypitch.com - Online networking for entrepreneurs, investors and service providers that helps connect people who can help each other succeed.

Customer Relationship Management, Customer Service & Contact Management

Mojo Helpdesk - Mojo Helpdesk allows you to track customer requests, keep your customers and your staff informed about what’s happening with their accounts, and deliver better service.

TagTicket - This hosted helpdesk software is great for managing customer problems as well as in-house issues. There’s nothing to install, and it allows you to manage, track and share your emails and files with other staff.

RightNow - RightNow is an on-demand customer relationship management program that integrates sales, service, marketing, feedback and voice functions.

sfa finity - This CRM software offers all the regular features, plus account-centric, contact-centric and opportunity-centric perspectives, allowing you to view information the way you prefer.

LinkingUniverse CS - This progress-oriented CRM tool helps you work toward your customer goals. They also have a blog with tips for using the program.

Stazzle - Stazzle is a basic CRM that allows you to track information from birthdays and anniversaries to favorite ball teams and restaurants. It also allows you to track who referred which client and why.

HelpSpot - This help desk software allows support staff to easily manage requests from multiple sources in addition to providing powerful self-help functionality.

CRMdesk - This help desk software allows you to automate your online customer support.

insidesales.com - InsideSales.com provides a lead management CRM suite that incorporates an auto-dialer and allows coordination between multiple departments dealing with a single customer.

Free CRM - This is a Web-based customer relationship management software that allows for sales force automation. Track leads and manage your sales pipeline.

bConnections - This is a simple, easy to use CRM system that allows you to shorten your sales cycle, provide better customer service, make informed decisions, and increase your sales.

salesboom - This is a CRM and back office solution that’s user friendly and provides seamless integration.

SalesJunction - SalesJunction is a highly customizable but easy to use contact management system that’s very affordable.

Leadvine - LeadVine can help you increase sales by allowing you to post sales leads and have the community find you new customers.

Bizroof CRM - A free, Web-based contact management program.

Bizzvo - Bizzvo offers contact management, email marketing and invoicing solutions.

BatchBook - BatchBook is a small business CRM that manages contacts, communications, and to-do lists, and offers list and report functionality (including creating things like mailing labels and email lists).

Solomon - Solomon is a simplified Web-based CRM and contact manager.

ClairMail - ClairMail provides account management, mobile payments, customer service, and more, all on your mobile phone.

Appature CRM - A marketing-focused customer relationship management program.

Helperoo - A simple email support system geared toward small teams.

Mzinga - A full set of comprehensive social media and enterprise learning solutions that address talent development, enable support staff to communicate and collaborate with customers and partners, and helps your marketing team increase brand visibility, demand for products and services, and more.

Oprius - A contact management software designed for independent sales people.

b2b CRM - A Web-based CRM that manages contacts, activities, and your sales pipeline, and integrates with Outlook and Word.

zendesk - A branded online customer support system.

helpdeskpilot - Help desk software that includes email integration, a knowledge base and more.

Tactile CRM - A cost-effective CRM that tracks sales, deals, emails and customer contacts.

Nuebbo - Online contact and virtual business card management.

Simple Sales Tracking - An online sales tracking app that offers free and paid plans.

Soocial - A simple contact management app and address book.

Database, File Storage & Information Management

Pixily - An online service that lets you aggregate, organize, find and share your documents.

ThinkFree Docs - Online document sharing.

.docstoc - An online repository of free documents you can download, or upload your own documents to share.

Thinkfree - Online access to files, collaboration space for your team, and the ability to edit documents and post to blogs with a Web-based editor.

SpringCM - Online contract and document management.

ProofHQ - Online management and review of designs, artwork and documents.

Xythos - Online document management and storage.

NomaDesk - Online virtual file server with offline continuity.

Middlepost Docs - An online document manager that also allows you to sign docs.

AirSet - Online document management and sharing.

Email

MailChimp - Email marketing app that includes subscriber management, advanced coding capability, tracking and reports, and more.

Ping82 - Control, manage and track your email using tools made to improve communication between people working together on a project.

eMail Manager - A Web-based email management solution for high volume email environments.

IFM Campaign Manager - A Web-based email list management and marketing tool.

Xpenser - Record your expenses with email, SMS, Twitter, IM, and more.

Synergymail - Online email marketing app that includes campaign tracking.

Mad Mimi - Email marketing utility that allows you to create branded email newsletters and promotions.

EmailBrain - Email newsletter management app.

Employee Management, Payroll & Human Resources

Taleo - Taleo is e-recruitment and talent management software.

Zapoint - Zapoint is a Web 2.0 enterprise talent management platform with integrated performance management, skills mapping, organization mapping, recruiting and succession planning.

Halogen Software - Halogen offers talent management and employee performance solutions.

SuccessFactors - An on-demand talent and performance management platform that gets everyone in your company working together by aligning goals.

Cornerstone OnDemand - This is an on-demand talent management suite.

paylocity - Online payroll, human resources, time tracking and tax services.

Litmos - Create, deliver and manage online training.

Akken - Staffing and recruiting management software that includes email, CRM, accounting, human resources, and more.

TalentMaze - A marketplace for employers to find top recruiters to find the best employees for their businesses.

Rejose - Applicant tracking system that’s simple, efficient and cost effective.

Catch the Best - Online resume and applicant tracking solution.

Feedback

Kumquat - Quickly and easily solicit feedback from clients, superiors, peers, fans, family, or anyone else on projects, plans, on-going activities, blogs, or whatever else you want.

Feefo - Feefo is an independent customer feedback system that is transparent and comprehensive (and doesn’t allow business owners to edit customer feedback).

RivalMap - An online app that helps you monitor and share market news, maintain knowledge of your industry and competitors, and discuss information.

Feedback 2.0 - Collect opinions, expectations, and suggestions from a selected audience and discover the consensus.

ConceptShare - Share media with colleagues and have them leave feedback, reply to comments, approve artwork, and markup on visuals.

Backboard - An online feedback tool that allows users to markup documents (including images, text and websites).

Marketing & Publicity

StartPR - StartPR allows you to monitor your brand on social media sites including blogs, social networks, and more.

Prospect Insight - This is a Web marketing automation suite that provides information to your sales team on where to spend its time in order to maximize your return on investment.

HubSpot - HubSpot is an Internet marketing suite that integrates with your website to track your online marketing efforts.

iKarma - A reputation management service that allows you to compare customer comments, display testimonials, get customer referrals and manage your word-of-mouth.

Survelio.com - An online survey service.

Sonar - An online polling software.

formatpixel - Create your own online magazines, catalogs, brochures and more.

Traceworks - Online marketing software that helps you set goals, plan, execute and optimize your marketing activities.

ReputationHQ - Online reputation management app that searches for your desired information across millions of websites.

WordJot - Business blog hosting platform.

IncSpring - An online marketplace for businesses to purchase brands and logos directly from designers.

Anthillz - Professional relationship and reputation management.

BrandDoozie - A DIY online marketing material creation suite that helps you create professional-looking business cards, brochures, logos, and more.

Shoutlet - Distribute and track viral marketing campaigns across social media outlets.

Money Making & eCommerce Solutions

GoodBarry - An integrated system that runs your website, email marketing and online store that also automatically grows your customer database.

Scrobbld - PayPal and eBay order management app that keeps all your transactions in one place.

Office Applications

Celum Imagine - Software that lets you manage and distribute your photos, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs and multimedia content.

gOffice - They offer Web Word Wizard, a true online word processor.

PDFHammer.com - An online, free PDF editor that allows you to merge/combine files, rearrange, reorder and delete pages, lock your PDFs and more.

Organization & Management

OrderMotion - An order management system for online businesses.

MagSuite - An open source marketing automation, sales force automation, accounting, service automation and inventory control system.

Process Maker - Organize your company’s work flow and eliminate paperwork.

Alfresco - Open source enterprise content management that offers collaboration, record management, knowledge management and more.

minutesinaminute - An online app for keeping track of your company meeting minutes.

SyncWizard - Synchronize your contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and more with your portable devices.

analysis-one - Online tool to help you monitor your financial and non-financial business performance.

Phone & Voicemail

Phonesheet.com - This is a Web-based phone call and contact management program that allows you to track incoming and outgoing calls on a daily basis.

Vontoo - Vontoo provides automated voice messaging on demand.

Task Lists, Planning & Project Management

Torch Project Management - Torch allows you to collaborate using messages, e-mails, files, tasks, Google Docs, and other methods. You can bid, track your time and invoice clients directly. Offers seamless work flow (connecting bidding, project management, time tracking and invoicing).

PlanPlus Online - An online calendar, time management, project management, and contact management suite from FranklinCovey.

Wrike - Practical project management software that allows you to create tasks from emails.

Comindwork - Project management, knowledge management, and collaboration software.

No Kahuna - Project management with no unnecessary features.

Teamness - Organize project data and share it online with customers or colleagues.

Teamwork Project Manager - Online project management that includes custom views and quick access tabs.

PriorityTrack - Gather ideas, prioritize, collaborate, and keep projects on track.

ProjectPipe.com - Project management for small-to-midsized teams.

Planix - Consistently and accurately estimate resources, scheduling and costs of software development projects.

Pelotronics - Project organization and collaboration app.

Task2Gather - Free online task and project management.

ididwork - Keep track of the work you actually do, see what other members of your team are doing in real-time, and get feedback from your manager.

Gtdagenda.com - An online planner for Getting Things Done.

Undone - An online to-do list manager and project management app.

Qcron - Project management and time tracking app.

OnStage - Online project management, workspace and collaboration tool.

Joint Contact - Project collaboration and management tool.

Viewpath - Manage projects and events online.

5pm - An online project management tool with a customizable interface, an interactive timeline, time reports, email integration and more.

Flempo - An online to-do list with the ability to assign tasks and keep track of progress, collect tasks from other systems (using the Flempo API), and more.

TaskAnyone - Assign tasks to anyone via email, and TaskAnyone will follow up until they follow through.

TaskBin - Manage group tasks in a single shared to-do list.

ProjectOffice.net - Online project management that includes issue tracking, expense tracking, and knowledge management.

Lighthouse - Simple issue tracking and project management.

@task - Online time tracking, work flow and project management app.

Jumpchart - Online website planning app.

LiquidPlanner - Team management, task management and project scheduling all in one online app.

eloops - Online project management software that includes a calendar, data backup and social networking software.

XPLive - Project management app that focuses on individuals and interactions over processes and tools.

Project Spaces - Project management and online workspace that includes a document library, task list, calendar, announcements and email lists.

Goplan - Simple online project management.

TargetProcess - Project management software that features real-time progress tracking, communications features, and more.

Staction - Group project management and communication app.

Collabtive - Easy to use collaborative project management software that tracks milestones, task lists, time tracking and more.

LessProjects - Project management from the people who created LessAccounting.

Jumptree - Project management that updates you by email, manages accountability and more.

Project2Manage - Free hosted project management that includes milestones, to-do lists, and more.

Mingle - Project management and team collaboration app.

Time Management & Tracking

TrackMyPeople - Track your time and your employees’ time online.

Office Timesheets - Web-based time and expense tracking that’s easy to use and available anywhere.

Tick - A time tracking app for the service industry.

TSheets - Simple online time and labor tracking for small business.

Tempo - Simple time tracking with reporting features.

myHours.com - Online time management, tracking and timesheet solution that is accessible online or via mobile phone.

LiveTimer - Online time tracking service with reporting features, iPhone/iPod Touch interface, and more.

Paymo - Time tracking that includes online invoices and expense tracking.

Time59 - Online time and expense tracking and invoicing.

Paybackable - Online expense tracking that includes mileage expense calculations and expense reporting.

motismo - Online time tracking for creative professionals.

Virtual Office Platforms

WORKetc. - A suite of online tools including employee timesheets, document management, customer support, sales management, project management, billing and invoicing, and more.

ConcourseSuite - This open source online suite of programs offers customer relationship management as well as online presence management, team collaboration, and customer service.

OpenGoo - An open source Web office with text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, task lists, email, calendars, contacts and more.

Website Tools

Outlandish - Landing page management tool for small to medium-sized advertisers.

VersoChat - An all-in-one solution for Web analytics, chatting with online visitors, live Web statistics and more.

LeadLander - Allows you to see exactly which companies are visiting your website to investigate your products.

LEADSExplorer - LeadsExplorer allows you to capture what companies your website visitors are coming from so that you can turn them into leads.

Sharedbase - An online tool to manage your members-only website and your membership database.

SmoothStart - Create online landing pages for generating, managing and tracking new leads.

Industry-Specific

Gympro - A program for personal trainers that allows you to manage your client information, assessments, workouts and schedule.

Practice Fusion - This is a free online electronic medical records software.

Buildium - An online property management program for property managers and associations.

TopSchool, Inc. - A Student Lifestyle Management system for schools.

ekklesia360 - This is a content management system designed specifically for churches to help increase new visitors and provide up-to-date information to their congregation.

Body-Quest.net - This is a business management solution for personal trainers that allows you to track your clients’ progress.

TenantWIZ - A property management program for vacation homes that works whether you own a single property or a large hotel or condo operation.

booktoeat - booktoeat allows restaurants to accept online reservations and bookings.

restaurantdiary - restaurantdiary is a restaurant booking and reservations system with no commission charges and flat monthly fee.

ClubReady - ClubReady is a fitness club management service that helps increase revenues and dramatically improve client and employee satisfaction.

ServiceBeacon - ServiceBeacon provides a Web-based car dealership marketing application for both new and used car dealerships in addition to their consumer services.

openSIS - An open source student information system that tracks student demographics, contact information, scheduling, gradebooks, report cards, transcripts, health records, attendance, cafeteria management, state reporting, and more.

RdEXpress - An online restaurant booking system for single unit restaurant operators that also includes a CRM and marketing system.

Music Arsenal - A business tool specifically for indie bands that helps you manage tasks, projects (tours, albums, etc.), concerts, records, and more, all online.

Plaid - On-demand ministry management software that organizes contact lists, tracks visitors, sends emails to targeted contacts, prints attendance sheets, and more.

Scriggle-it - An online fan management and music marketing solution for bands and musicians.

DonorDrive - Constituent, donation and event management software for non-profits. Includes reporting and exporting capability, e-mail marketing, message forums, and more.

Ministry(Starter) - A content management system geared toward Christian ministries.

RealProEdge.com - An email tool specifically for real estate agents.

fourthbook.com - An easy to use online church management software.

Massage manEdger - An online suite of tools for massage therapists that includes a website with online booking, electronic client files, streamlined daily accounting and more.

rezgo - An online booking software for travel tours and activities.

carbonmade - A free online portfolio showcase.

Planning Center Online - A church worship services planning app.

Creative Manager Pro - Online ad agency management software.

Rentomatic - Simplified property management app that includes an online rent-payment system.

Tuggle - Online ministry management suite that includes communication and event management tools.

CollabTrak - Project management specifically for Web designers.

N2uitive - An online insurance claims interview management software.

Macrocasa - Manage your real estate website and business.

Propertyware - Online property management software that organizes property and lease information, records income and expenses, lists vacancies, and more.

RentYield - A property management tool for landlords and real estate investors that allows you to stay on top of your rental income and track performance of your properties.

Shockfolio - An online portfolio site for actors, musicians and photographers.

Weefolio - A free online portfolio creator.

Streetfolio - Property management app that manages cashflow, insurance, mortgages, and more.

Miscellaneous

GigTide - Online creation of resumes, that also allows you to publish, manage and track your resumes, contacts and cover letters.

RB-Apps - RB-Apps provides customized, DIY business mini-applications based on the RB-Apps Platform.

lumifi - Use lumifi if you need to compile research and collaboration from multiple sources, discover information you might otherwise miss, and assemble that research into a well stated case.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Jason Kincaid *)

It has been just over a month since Muxtape, a popular music site that let users share the online equivalent of cassette mixtapes, was shut down by the RIAA for copyright infringement issues. Since then we’ve seen the site reborn in a few incarnations, including an Open Sourced version called OpenTape. Now Favtape, a basic music site that launched last July, is releasing an overhauled new version that has led developer Ryan Sit to appropriately call it “Muxtape on steroids”.

Favtape originally launched as an enhanced frontend to Seeqpod that let users import and listen to full versions of songs from their Last.FM and Pandora playlists. The site’s interface is similar to Muxtape, sporting a very basic layout and a sparse feature set. At the time I commented that the site was too simple - there was no easy way to rearrange a playlist, and there were few features other than audio playback.

The new version of the site addresses these issues, and introduces a host of new features that make the site a worthwhile replacement to Muxtape. Users are now free to rearrange songs on their playlists, and can easily share their Favtapes using a static URL (You can see the one I made here). Other new features include links to music videos for each song, album art, an embeddable player, and playlists of top songs from Billboard charts and iTunes. The new site also supports a mobile interface for the iPhone, so you can listen to your playlists on the go.

One of Favtape’s biggest advantages over Muxtape (but also its main weakness) is its heavy reliance on Seeqpod, a music site that indexes music files across the web but never hosts them. Unlike Muxtape, which asked users to upload their favorite music files to generate a playlist, Favtape is only including links to these files, so it should theoretically be harder to target with lawsuits. That said, if a lawsuit ever brings Seeqpod down (and they have already tried), Favtape will be left an empty shell.

Other sites in this space include Songza, Snuzu, and Streamzy.

Posted by brian tiong at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: Serkan Toto *)

In Japan, girls are crazy over virtual boyfriends. Webkare (Web Boyfriend in Japanese), a mix between a social network and dating simulation site, is Nippon’s newest web sensation. Geared exclusively towards girls, the site attracted over 10,000 members just 5 days after its release on September 10, racking up 3.5 million page views in the same time frame.

The site is a huge hit over here. Girls sign up and become members of a social network but also users of a dating simulation in cartoon style. They have to try to hook up with one of four male Anime characters (who are the “stars” of the site) through “conversations” and must collaborate with other Webkare members in order to move on in the game. Eventually they conquer the heart of the chosen cartoon boy.

It’s pretty weird but clever. Dating simulations have been popular in Japan for quite a while now, but Webkare marks the first time the concept has been brought online and combined with social networking functionality.

Girls choose between one of four different male cartoon characters they want to hook up with upon registration. They can then “communicate” with their digital crush in cartoon-like sequences to try to win over his heart over the course of the game. It’s also possible to meet other boys later in the story, which uses a virtual high school as the main setting.

Interaction is quite limited, as users themselves can neither type text nor “speak” to the characters. Instead, Webkare will display a short cartoon clip if you click on the boy you like (some of the clips include voice samples such as “What’s up?”, “Do you always stay in the class room until dark?” “Leave me alone!” etc.), driving the love story forward step by step.

Important conversations or events can be stored in the album section of the site as “memories”.

On the surface, Webkare’s social network functions are kept to a minimum. There are profiles (including the “Propeta” feature that lets you decorate your profile with small branded icons, similar to the HotLists used in HotOrNot profiles), a direct messaging system, a discussion board and a Twitter-like microblogging function. But the social aspect is actually quite distinctive, as members need to befriend each other and collaborate. LinkThink, the company behind Webkare, is strangely secretive about the game mechanics, however, making it hard to figure out how to advance in the game. For example, it seems to be essential to “talk” to the boyfriends of other users and view their profiles and albums.

Currently usage is free, with display ads and affiliate links as main sources of revenue. Webkare’s future monetizing strategy could include turning the concept into a video game or novel, merchandising, product placement, selling virtual items, expanding the concept to cell phones, developing a version for male users or offering premium memberships.

Another obvious option is internationalization, but here the question is if such an idiosyncratic way of curing loneliness 2.0 could succeed in the US or Europe as well. Reportedly, 52% of members are Japanese females in their twenties, with thirty-somethings accounting for 18% of the user base.

Posted by brian tiong at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(* Source: B-side *)

Its been 4 weeks since my last post and the reason for that is because Yahoo my hosting provider had a few problems.  After numerous emails and a little blogger anxiety, they finally fixed it.  I'm back online.

Posted by brian tiong at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)