Enjoy!!!
>> Broos
. Visualizing things just makes you see it!
Next I read a piece about the Gizmo project and the free calls they are currently offering. I’ve been a fan of Skype ever since they started but the big minus always has been their proprietary protocol, while I am a big fan of open source projects and standard compliant solutions. However, Gizmo does not seem to so open as I thought.
Having an entrepreneurial mind, I always like stories about starting up a business or fast growing companies. The one I came across gives you some tips and shares experiences about hiring your first employee. Insightful read! Since this story is about a design firm, here are some tips on how to live happily with a great designer.
And to top things of, there is this visual treat by Adam Polselli!
That’s it for today. Will be back soon!
>> Broos.
The Preople site lets you search for a first and last name and gives you the popularity of that person on the internet. I was immediately slapped in the face since my rank is 78 
(higher is better). According to the top 10 on the site Harry Potter is the most popular person ranking 17,800,000. Luckily, there still is an excuse for my poor rank, the name “This Is” ranked sky-high with a ranking of 247,000,000. So until these fake names are removed from the index, I will not officially accept my low rank!
>> Broos
Pierre Omidyar created eBay as a company to create a global marketplace that is a level playing field for all market participants. It is probably the market closest to the theoretical ”perfect market” where all participants have equal chances and the ‘best’ price is always paid. The book tells the story in at an always interesting tone, detailed enough and with passion. While reading the book you feel part of what’s happening and can taste the buzz of a sparkling startup around you.
The inside look into eBay the book provide, is educating as well as interesting reading material. Choices as to why at first eBay did not want any publicity, why the founders decided to hire an experienced manager and why they decided to go public (there are more reasons than the money ). It is fascinating to read that the company was cashing in on checks at record speeds but was not able to process all received post bags of checks. The growth rate of the company and its high gross margin levels are unique in any industry. This could only be sustained by operating only virtual.
Ebay is a company that could not have existed in a world without the internet. Its business model is taking full advantage of the internet’s possibilities and it is one of the few companies leveraging the full potential of community. For this alone, Omidyar should be reward (which has already been taken care of!). The books is an absolute must read if you like startup business stories and want to get to know the company that is changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, even in rural Latin America!
>> Broos
“As you probably know, information technology is changing the way we do just about everything.”
Just to remind you (not that I have to).
>> Broos.
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I wish everybody the best for 2005! May all your dreams come true!
I just went to the original Dutch ‘Nieuwjaarsduik‘ in Scheveningen! It was really cool and some of us were real hereos.
The major highlight of the weekend was a fantastic night out in the Crazy Pianos in Scheveningen. Live piano music, a fantastic atmosphere and a LOT of donations for the Tsunami Victims in Asia. What a way to start the new year!
>> Broos
>> Broos
Personally, I’m not a gamer but I was quite amazed with the news. People are willing to pay real money for virtual items. Project Entropia is an online game in which people can become part of an online virtual universe. The game software is free but you need to transfer real US Dollars to virtual Project Entropia Dollars to be able to buy goods in the virtual universe. The idea is as simple as it is brilliant. The owner of the island has the right to exploit the land and minerals on the island and thus can earn back it’s investment.
Instead of selling the game and giving away virtual cash, the company behind the game (Swedish firm MindArk) decided otherwise. This seems to be a very profitable business model. As long as the number of user of the game (currently around 200.000) keeps growing, I foresee no problems. Instead everybody will make a nice profit and especially the producers are happy. However, what happens if the number of players drops? Will they be able to sell back their goods to the producer? Economic laws predict that prices will rise till the highest player numbers are reached, after that prices will most likely drop and people will lose money. This justifies the question whether anyone can start an online game and introduce their own currency?
It still seems to be an interesting concept and business model proving that the online economy is still in its infancy. What will be next…
>> Broos