August 2010

First-Time Web Entrepreneur Delighted by Ease of Business Blogging with iePlexus

The term blogging often sounds awkward and intimidating to newbie web entrepreneurs and emerging small-business owners, however, the concept behind the wording is quite the contrary. In fact, e-commerce go-getter Gloria McQuade insists that blogging is as simple as keeping a pen and paper handy to scribble down creative thoughts and ideas as they come to you.

“It’s important to be a multitasker to succeed in the competitive world of e-commerce,” McQuade said. “As a full-time employee by day, I have to take advantage of every free moment I get to help market my web business.”

Blogging allows business owners to promote their products/services in brief, engaging articles while dually encouraging interaction and discussion among consumers. It also happens to be a key concept behind the professional marketing strategies of iePlexus – the company that helped McQuade formulate a business blog of her very own.

Developed in May 2010, www.PrincessAndTheBlog.com was created to educate readers about the numerous functions and exciting features presented by McQuade’s collection of dollhouses that’s available for individual purchase through her web store. In recent posts, she has discussed important tips for assembling a dollhouse, the similarities of dollhouse doors to life-size doors as well as the dramatic difference dollhouse accessories – such as winding staircases and decorative furniture – make to each miniature home sweet home.

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Are Google and Verizon Teaming Up to Take Down Net Neutrality?

One of the most amazing aspects of the internet is that, by and large, all traffic and content is treated equally. This concept is known as net neutrality, and it governs intent usage in the US. Frankly, it’s somewhat baffling that the US government and large corporations haven’t been successful in garnering more power over what takes place on the internet, but courts have been reluctant to rule in favor of regulation. But according to a report today in The New York Times, Google and Verizon have a deal in the pipeline that could change net neutrality as we know it.

The Times reports that Google and Verizon are finalizing a deal to institute a tiered service model, which would allow Verizon to stream content from some companies more quickly—for a price of course. This would allow large sites, those that need lightening-fast speed like Facebook, YouTube, to receive priority treatment. If the deal takes place, it has the potential to lead to higher service costs for internet users.

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Managing Your Company’s Reputation on Google Place Pages

It’s an inescapable fact of modern business that the public’s impression of your company will be shaped in large part by what they find about you on the search engines, particularly if you are a small business. A couple of negative reviews or a few people venting on a Ripoff Report can deter customers from your business for months or even years to come. Up until recently, many of the channels for voicing your opinion were catered to the consumer, but Google is looking to even the playing field for those on the business side of things.

This problem has been an acute concern for locally based businesses in particular—such as restaurants and service companies—that pop up in a section of Google Maps known as Place Pages. Essentially, this works as an online directory, complete with directions, reviews and details about the company. Traditionally, customers have been able to post reviews and comments at will, but there has never been a formal avenue for a response from the company. Google recently announced that businesses will be able to respond to these comments, offering an opportunity to manage their public image.

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Founder of Blip.tv Shares Business Strategies for Entrepreneurial Success

Just five years ago, Dina Kaplan co-founded a video sharing platform for independent web shows called Blip.tv. And during these five, short years she watched as her business blossomed from a small niche of professional video bloggers to an online hotspot where thousands of users now host their own TV shows and upload self-produced videos.

Needless to say, Kaplan has learned a tremendous amount about what it takes to make a business flourish. In fact, her website has scaled to 96 million video views per month and payouts to content producers have increased a whopping 77 percent just from quarter one to quarter two of this year.

Below, thanks to Mashable.com, Kaplan has put together five essential business tactics to live by as an entrepreneur.

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How Will Your Business Use Social Media in the Future?

With the fluidity of social media, it’s difficult for anyone to effectively predict where the future lies. What is for certain, however, is that social media is incredibly popular and will be around for some time to come. According to a new Nielsen statistics, internet users now spend about one-quarter of their time on the web visiting social networking sites, more than double the nearest competitor (online games).

Part of the reason for this trend, at least in my opinion, is the immense breadth of social networks. Not only are there networking giants like Facebook and Twitter, we also have a litany of smaller, niche sites offering a specific service. These types of sites allow people to personalize many aspects of their online experience, eliminating the need for many traditional channels, such as e-mail, search and general entertainment sites.

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