How to Build Online Relationships Into Meaningful Networks | Inc.com

January 26, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

I was waiting for my son’s basketball game to start this weekend, and with the morning’s emails all drained, I turned to Twitter and saw a Tweet from Marshall Kirkpatick.

I consider Marshall a business friend. A fellow thinker and tinkerer of technology. Somebody I respect. And like. But here’s the thing — I honestly can’t remember how many times I’ve actually met Marshall in person. I know him really through being online, and from that we’ve had phone calls to debate his business and such.

It’s an online relationship, and I actually believe that as of 2015 I’ve met more of my close connections in the past five to seven years online before offline. Brad Feld. Fred Wilson. Tristan Walker. And many, many more. Some through blog comments — your place or mine. Some on Twitter.

Airline startup offers one price, all you can fly | UTSanDiego.com

January 23, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

From the passenger’s perspective, what passes for innovation in the airline industry these days are narrower seats and more consumer choice in the form of yet another new fee.

So I was impressed to learn recently about Surf Air, an “all-you-can-fly” startup for frequent fliers that is disrupting the market for intercity air travel in California, offering private jet travel at near-commercial pricing.

What First Graders Know About Getting Millions of Clicks on Your Site | Page19

January 23, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Optimizely founders show you how to improve conversion on your website with a communications tactic that even elementary-schoolers know.

Observe them at play and you’ll find that the average eight-year-old has no compunction about telling others exactly what he wants. Kids don’t circumnavigate, nor are they strategic enough to see belaboring the point through fancy constructions as a benefit to anybody.

As we grow older, however, we learn to talk like grown ups, defaulting to subtler ways of directing others’ behavior. “Come here now!” becomes “Do you have a moment to help me with this?” and “Give me that cable!” becomes, “Might I borrow your iPhone charger for a moment?”

Why Google’s Plan To Sell Wireless Probably Doesn’t Scare Network Providers | TechCrunch

January 22, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Google is gearing up to sell wireless service directly to customers as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), by acquiring excess network capacity from Sprint and T-Mobile and reselling it to customers under its own brand. This is the same approach used by Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, Pure Talk, Republic Wireless and many others in the U.S., but Google’s arrangement apparently required special consideration, according to The Wall Street Journal, given the potential threat network providers perceived in giving the search giant and Android maker too much control.

5 Steps to Automate, Streamline and Grow Your Business | Small Biz Trends

January 22, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Every entrepreneur wants to create a profitable business. But instead of working on their businesses, most of them end up working in their businesses with a go-all-out, hands-on approach. When it comes to growth and scale, this hands-on approach won’t work. What entrepreneurs need is a way to leverage, and a way to scale. They are always looking for a sustainable way to go smart.

Automation is the answer to every entrepreneur’s dream. Businesses face severe competition and a roller coaster ride on the path to success. It helps when a few processes pass through automatically without the involvement of business owners at every juncture.

Weekly Economic Update | LAECD

January 21, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

v.18 n. 54 – Released January 21, 2015

This Week’s Headlines:

SoCal Home Sales and Median Prices in December
December Retail Sales Disappoint
Events of Interest
- February 18, 2015: LAEDC Economic Forecast Event Featuring Tourism and Hospitality

Windows 10 and its long list of features will be a free upgrade — for some | Mashable.com

January 21, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft just took another big step toward the release of Windows 10 — and revealed it will be free for many current Windows users.

The company unveiled the Windows 10 consumer preview on Wednesday, showcasing many new features in the latest version of the operating system that powers the vast majority of the world’s desktop PCs. It also surprised the tech world with an ambitious take on virtual reality, called Windows Holographic, powered by a new kind of device called the HoloLens.

The developer preview has been available since Microsoft first announced Windows 10 in the fall, but it was buggy, limited in scope and very light on new features

Top business tips for 2015 | BBC News

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As one calendar year draws to a close, and another is set to be begin, many business leaders are thinking about their challenges for the next 12 months.

They are weighing up any number of potential choices and factors; from expansion plans, to new products, whether to change suppliers, and how everything fits into the economic backdrop.

It is the time of year when forward planning comes to the forefront of people’s minds.

Here, 10 business leaders profiled in 2014 for the BBC’s The Boss slot, share their top tips on running or setting up a company in 2015.

Report: Google Closing in on SpaceX Investment | WIRED

January 20, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

Google may be in the final stages of investing in Elon Musk’s private space exploration company SpaceX, a move that would bolster SpaceX’s emerging satellite business and would help Google expand internet access around the world.

According to The Information, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the talks, the deal would value SpaceX at more than $10 billion, though the exact terms of the investment are still unclear. But at an event in Seattle last week where SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk first announced the new satellite venture, Musk gave some indication as to the epic scope of the project that lies ahead. He seeks to create a network of hundreds of satellites that could not only connect people on Earth to the web, but also people on Mars—if and when people get there. The total cost of such an audacious project? $10 billion.

Small Businesses Don’t Get Full Value of Security Solutions | Business News Daily

January 20, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Technology and software are among the most important investments a company can make nowadays, especially when it comes to security. The growing demand for IT services and security solutions prove that business owners know the threats that are out there, and want to do something to guard themselves against increasingly cunning cybercriminals.

You might have purchased a well-rounded security solution with all the recommended features a business might need, but was the investment really worth it? A forthcoming report from security solutions provider Trustwave found that organizations of all sizes are wasting their security dollars, and none more so than small businesses.