Updates

You know, it's actually kind of nice to have enough content to update people on multiple things at once... anyways, here's what's new in the world of online business.

Treat it like TV

Possibly this would fit under the category of new business models, but you can also consider it a stand alone article, too.

An interesting little article about ESPN charges for online content. Namely, instead of charging the customer, (as has usually been the case), they charge the internet provider, much like how they charge TV Cable packages for content. Then, if a customer actually wants access to the content, they have to buy from the particular internet provider (much like ordering TV Cable channels).

I don't know how well this would work... but that may be because I have no interest in "ESPN 360." I just always assume that people feel the internet is about "choice," so forcing people to select packages may not be too wise. We'll see how that turns out.

Extra! Extra! Blog all about it!

In a little bit of talk about Social Media Marketing (from my first post, not my second, since this is about blogs and freedom of speech as opposed to actual business measures), Kazakhstan has passed a law stating that government officials must keep blogs.

Now, you're all thinking, "hey, that's pretty good - they're trying to keep in touch and be transparent." Not so fast. Seems like the only reason they're doing this is to quell independent blogging in the country, as a political maneuver.

A corporate, government mandated blog in order to shut down independent blogging... not sure how happy I'd be if a big company did this. Or even a government entity...

Web 2.0 Business Models that Work

For all that talk about the business side of Twitter that has been spamming the web lately, there still is no real way to make money. On the other hand, StumbleUpon has just hit 7 million users, and has a business plan that WORKS. Just that nobody is talking about it, since it won't seem like a "new discovery."

I actually went and signed up, and it's crazy addictive. AND it totally works for businesses, with a catch - your ad / website had better be awesome. For example, I stumbled across this, and it totally sold me on the company. "I... I think I love you..." - classic.

Hey! I'm up here!

Where are you staring... that's right, on the first link.

Just another update on the happenings of Google.

This little post should also serve as a warning: if Google ever decides to sell out completely, you can more or less be bought or sold. Same with Facebook and Twitter - doesn't it feel like they're storing up info in order to own all the information of every person in the world? According to Time's Inventions of the Year, having no privacy just may be the wave of the future.

Interesting to note that Google isn't perfect for everything: Here's a few examples.

Web 3.0, coming soon?

If you've ever read xkcd, this comic puts something in perspective. Look beyond the fact that it's pretty clever - see how it's drawn up, with the general sizes of the different social media sites?

In the past, the internet was all over the place, but with things like Reddit and Digg, everything is becoming more concentrated, collecting in particular areas for people to find. Google helps too. It's almost like everything is being aggregated, just like businesses used to be in real life (where before there were a lot of small stores that would sell a lot of different and unique things, like blogs with personal opinions, and now there are a few massive places where you can get everything). Only it's going much, much faster online.

Firefox is coming up with something to make it even simpler. I shall consider this the first step towards "Web 3.0" - the point where the web is so easy to use, that it's going to just out and out replace real life. You may as well plug my brain in now, it's obvious I could learn some coded keywords and do everything by voice command...

The more time I spend working on this blog by searching news sources, the more I worry that I'm going to be replaced by a computer soon. I may as well just write a program for my laptop and say "type opinion," and get it to update my blog on its own... oh wait...