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Auctioning The Startup on eBay?

January 16, 2007 By 3 Comments

An interesting auction I stumbled upon via an article at Read/Write Web.  It seems that a startup company I have been seeing around has now decided to move their company to the next level.  This is a different way of approaching a sale of a startup company.  I would think that the people behind Talkr Audio, LLC would want to get the best dollar for their assets, but I’m not sure eBay is the best approach to doing the deal.  Apparently, they have completely bootstrapped the company and that is a great thing when it comes to making the biggest amount of return on the investment of the LLC but then selling it via an auction site won’t get the right buyers in my opinion.  The assets of the company are listed as:

All assets of Talkr Audio, LLC, including:

  1. The domain names talkr.com, talkr.net and talkr.org.
  2. The site located at Talkr.com, including all code, html, images, designs, etc.
  3. Server leases for the current servers. (These servers are month-to-month rentals, which can be terminated with the providers).
  4. A Google Analytics account integrated with Talkr.com
  5. A DynDNS account for managing DNS
  6. A SiteUptime.com account for managing site monitoring.
  7. Up to 20 hours of my time to transition the site over to its new owners. We can arrange a consulting fee for additional hours if necessary.

Read/write Web has a statement that caught my attention most out of the news of the startup auction. 

"How many more web 2.0 startups are going to put themselves up for sale or stop development? It seems like a bit of a trend right now…"

This statement caused me to think whether we are seeing a new trend in online business 2.0?  We hear of the VC’s not having anything to sink their money into because of the new environment, but here is a company that could use an investor with the proper vision and has to resort to auctioning the business on eBay.  It’s as if we are returning to a time when farms are going into foreclosure.  Can we expect that companies that don’t make the grade with funding can be abandoned no matter how great their business plan?  This seems like a good stage for those with a little cash to snap up some of these companies.  Perhaps someone with an entrepreneurial spirit such as Jason Calacanis with a little extra in the wallet could go on the hunt for these companies and tie them up in a neat little bow for the likes of Google or Yahoo and walk away without much of a worry for the big price tags being spent on other such startups.  At the moment Talkr.com carries with it a reserve of $10,000.00 but not really a "Buy It Now" amount.  I’m sure with an email or two this could be accomplished.  The auction ends on January 25.  I will follow how the story ends and I am going to try to contact the people at Talkr.com to find out more details.  In the meantime, do your own research and let me know if you want to get in on this auction.

I should disclose that I have nothing to do with Talkr or any other part of this sale on eBay.  I’m an entrepreneur that would love to see how this plays out.  I would be involved, but like I said I’m an entrepreneur and I’m broke, and I have yet to figure out a way to make a buck off the sale. ;)   Good luck to the folks at Talkr. 

Tags: Talkr, , , , , , , ,

Filed Under: Blog Revenue, Bloggers and Blogs, Blogging News, Business Blogging, Marketing, Partnerships, Services

Blog Advertising To Become More Popular With Smaller Companies

January 12, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Business Week Online Magazine has published an article that discusses the paid search campaigns of medium to small sized firms and reveals that the larger companies are begging to nudge out those companies that thrived in this arena previous.  This is forcing medium and smaller companies to begin to look elsewhere for their advertising real estate.  The article ends with a quote from Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim:

Still, many small and midsize marketers are buying far fewer "keywords" and phrases. Merchants are also trying out ads on MySpace and YouTube, or advertising on blogs and niche shopping sites. Says consultant Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim: "The free lunch is over."

I disagree with Andy’s premise that the free lunch is over, I just think it’s time for the medium and smaller firms to look for lunch elsewhere.  These companies will be one step ahead of the big boys and continue to try new markets and new technology.  The smaller companies are more likely to be able to try certain avenues that are unavailable to the large companies just because of their size.  Being a small company that can be an early adopter and on the cutting edge is their only fight against the large budgets spent by the those with the cash.  They must adapt to new ideas and let the big boys continue to clean up after they have had their lunch. 

I see more targeted marketing efforts  beginning to take shape with advertising buying up space on specific oriented blogs.  The blogging communities are beginning to take shape and I think Yahoo has decided that groups like MyBlogLog that they recently purchased is the next phase of early adoption.  In the article by Business Week, they use the example of BabyAge.com.  This company will now leverage the parenting and baby site communities for their targeted marketing efforts.  They will be able to identify these communities through blog networks and companies like Blogads and MyBlogLog.  What do you think Andy?  Let’s have lunch, you can pick up the tab.

Tags: , , , , , BabyAge.com, , , , ,

Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Consulting, Blog Mining, Blog Revenue, Blog Tools, Bloggers and Blogs, Blogging News, Blogs and PR, Business Blogging, Corporate Blogs, Findability, Marketing, Media, Professional Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Services

A CEO Who Understands The Blogosphere

January 11, 2007 By Leave a Comment

This should go without saying, but David Sifry, the chief executive at Technorati understands blogging.  The more amazing story is his participation in the conversation be it large or small.  I recently discussed earning money with blogs at the Blogger For Hire blog.  In the post I talk about a Washington Post article that quotes Sifry’s thoughts on the numbers of blogs being used by owners as tools for earning money. 

I published the piece and went about cooking dinner for the family.  A few hours passed and I looked to see if I had any comments to moderate in any of my blogs.  There in the queue sat a comment from Technorati’s leader.  He was the first and only comment, but he wanted to set the record straight on the portion of the Washington Post article that had misquoted a figure he had been attributed to giving to the author.

Here is a classic example of understanding how to stay on top of what is being said about you, your company, or for that matter any topic you want to track.  Dave (if I may be so bold as to refer to him as such) wanted to drop by and make sure that he could clear up any confusion.  This is a perfect example of how to stop what could be a problem down the road just by listening to what is being said and correcting any statements that were incorrect.  He has alleviated any further poor information from being disseminated and stopped what could have been a problem from ever getting off the ground.  This is an instance where I am glad to be corrected.  Thanks Dave and feel free to drop by anytime to chat!

I also wanted to point out that the Washington Post uses Technorati to track the number of links and other information.  Perhaps the MSM is beginning to finally get on the blogging bandwagon.  The real test will be if Sara Goo is listening and tracking what is being said about her own article, and whether she too will want to make a statement in my comments. How about it Sara?

Tags: David Sifry, , Bloggers For Hire, , CEO Bloggers, Sara Goo, Blogging PR,

Filed Under: Blog Consulting, Blog Mining, Blog Revenue, Blog Tools, Bloggers and Blogs, Bloggers For Hire, Blogging News, Blogs and PR, Business Blogging, Findability, Marketing, Media

Building Your Blog Business One By One

January 9, 2007 By 1 Comment

Part of our focus here at One By One Media is to help companies build a community one person at a time.  It’s part of why we chose the name of the company.  A community is not built overnight, and unless you really know how to build that community it can be a difficult task.  We make it easier and provide you with the ability to grow your readers, and build that community.  Someone that recently posted on this is Ben Yoskovitz at Instigator Blog.

His 8 steps are a prime example of what we preach here, but most importantly I think he makes a good point in pushing the idea of networking.  For most people networking is a part of your everyday business.  Getting to know the people in your industry is important.  Having them join in your community is the ultimate goal.  Everything Ben mentions is a great networking steps to get visitors. 

  1. Write to Get More Comments
  2. Reply to Comments
  3. Visit Commenters’ Sites
  4. Email People a Thank You
  5. Email People Links of Interest
  6. Track The Most Popular Content
  7. Make Content Accessible and Readable
  8. Participate in Online Communities

I’m now a member of Ben’s community because he followed his steps and introduced himself as someone that read my blog.  I in turn wanted to read what he had to say.  Both of us built our social network by one reader.  One By One Media is all about growth for your company, even if it is one person at a time.

Tags: One By One Media, Ben Yoskovitz, Instigator Blog, , ,

Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Consulting, Blog Mining, Blog Revenue, Blog Tools, Bloggers and Blogs, Blogging News, Blogs and PR, Business Blogging, Corporate Blogs, Findability, Marketing, Media, Professional Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Services, The Site

When You Know Blogging Business is Bad

January 8, 2007 By Leave a Comment

You know when your business is not having a good day when you wake up in the morning and find that you have been added to Mike Arrington’s Deadpool.  It’s like the old saw that waking up and reading the obits to make sure your name is not in it is the first thing you do before making coffee.  Of course, some of the companies will benefit from making it into the TechCrunch Deadpool.  I for one would see a huge surge in traffic for the day and that might just finance a couple more days of business.

Tags: TechCrunch Deadpool, Mike Arrington

Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Revenue, Bloggers and Blogs, Blogging News, Business Blogging, Findability, Marketing, Media, Professional Blogging, Services, The Site

Scoble To Give Away $10,000?

January 5, 2007 By 3 Comments

Perhaps I may have fudged that title a little bit, but as long as we are dreaming, Robert Scoble asks what I would do with $10,000 at CES in Vegas.  My offhanded smart ass remark was put it all on one spin of the wheel.  Hey I’m a gambling man, and it’s his money.  Actually, I think Robert will need to add a zero or two to that figure to make it realistic. Like my kids always tell me, "It’s just pretend."   I wouldn’t mind a place to stay and a plane ticket if you really want to know Robert.  I would drive but I can’t get the minivan out of the driveway after three snowstorms in a row.  Go ahead and add my name to the list, with $10,000 from you, I can take a Taxi.

Tags: , , Bloghaus

Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Consulting, Blog Revenue, Bloggers and Blogs, Bloggers For Hire, Blogging News, Corporate Blogs, Marketing, Professional Blogging

PayPerPost and Performancing The Real Deal In Hindsight

January 4, 2007 By 3 Comments

On December 27, 2006, it was announced by TechCrunch and Mike Arrington that PayPerPost would be acquiring a portion of the assets of Performancing.com.  Later, PayPerPost published the press release confirming that they had in fact:

“…has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire select assets of Performancing LLC, operator of Performancing.com, a popular Internet community site for professional bloggers. Through its purchase PayPerPost gains a number of powerful blogger support tools including Performancing Metrics, the leading, free blog analytics service, and Performancing Exchange, an online “classifieds” for bloggers.” (emphasis added)

Ted Murphy was quoted in the press release as saying:

“PayPerPost is committed to furthering the development of a strong and viable professional blogging community. Performancing has created several very innovative services that help bloggers become more successful in their work,” said Ted Murphy, chief executive officer of PayPerPost. “We believe this acquisition not only helps marketers and bloggers, but also solidifies PayPerPost as the premier destination for those who make their career in weblog publishing.” (emphasis added)

I wanted to emphasize the bold portions of the quotes because I think this gets to the heart of the acquisition and the eventual reason for the downfall of the deal.  Performancing carried some heavyweight contenders in the professional blogosphere, bloggers that had worked hard to make themselves professionals and worked even harder to create a credibility that now seemed to be tarnished by the acquisition.  The press release also reveals this fact about Performancing when it stated:

“Written and maintained by individuals who make their living in the blogging trade, Performancing.com has amassed a community of over 28,000 professionals since its launch in 2005. In addition to information and discussion on the subject of professional blogging, the site provides a means for advertisers to connect with bloggers and place ads on their weblogs based on the site’s subject matter, readership and ad pricing.” (emphasis added)

The numbers may be a bit inflated but the idea was clear–PayPerPost was going to ride the coattails of the community built from the ground up by Performancing “solidifying” their credibility.  The corps of professionals amassed was the real gem being purchased.  The metrics application and the classified advertising section of the community was the gravy.

In just a few days the writing on the wall was clear about the intent behind the acquisition.  The concerns about the intent to purchase the “assets” was questioned  making PayPerPost founder Ted Murphy address the concerns.

In the spirit of maximizing value for existing Performancing members, PayPerPost has created an ad opportunity at PayPerPost.com specifically for existing Performancing Metrics members to review the Performancing Metrics and Performancing Exchange platforms on their blogs and get paid for doing so.

They offered to pay Performancing members $10 to consumate the deal, and all they had to do was sell their credibility for a sawbuck  This is almost too poetic.

A member of the Performancing group was very clear about his consternation as stated in the comments to Ted Murphy’s post:

raj said…

I’m unhappy that my personal posts on Performancing are being transferred to PPP. Nick says that the system makes it difficult for him to delete my posts.

I’m invoking the Berne Copyright Convention, which the U.S. as a UN member nation follows. PPP does not own the copyright to my posts on Performancing, and as such, if Nick is unable to remove my posts, I expect PPP to remove them or completely delete my Per account – whichever is easier.

12:36 PM

The “professional bloggers” wanted no part of the deal.  They were not a party to it but somehow they became collateral damage. After seeing some of the reactions and comments in this post from Nick Wilson, it was only a matter of time before the PayPerPost wolf was exposed for its sheep’s clothing.

If the deal were truly to acquire assets of  Performancing to include the metrics application and the classified portions of the brand, that could be easily accomplished.  In my opinion, the problems began when transferring more than just the applications and the site.  When it came to transferring the trust and credibility of 28,000 users, the game was over.

Tags: , Mike Arrington, , Ted Murphy, , Nick Wilson

Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Platforms, Blog Revenue, Blog Tools, Bloggers and Blogs, Blogging News, Blogs and Politics, Blogs and PR, Business Blogging, Professional Blogging

PayPerPost and Performancing Go Separate Ways

January 4, 2007 By 1 Comment

It’s not always easy to make a relationship work, and that’s true in the real world and the world online.  It appears that Nick Wilson and company were not able to put to bed the purchase of parts of the Performancing machine.

After much discussion, we’ve decided that the deal proposed by PayPerPost just isn’t right for us or our community. It’s regrettable that we should part ways as I still feel that Dan and Ted are stand up guys breaking new ground, but in the end, the deal was just not right for them or us.

I was not real excited about the deal to begin with, because I thought that the cloud hanging over the PayPerPost.com people was not yet settled and it could only mean bad news for the Performancing brand.  I think that the guys at Performancing have the right vision as it relates to where we as professional bloggers will head and they are staying on the right path.  Good Luck in 2007 Nick and keep up the good work.

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Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Consulting, Blog Platforms, Blog Revenue, Bloggers and Blogs, Bloggers For Hire, Blogging News, Blogs and PR, Corporate Blogs, Findability, Marketing, Media, Partnerships, Professional Blogging

Techmeme: A Technology River Guide

December 21, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Robert Scoble recently revealed to me that the popular technology news site is controlled on the back end by a human river guide.  I refer to Gabe as a river guide because of the now often referred to "River of News."  The guide, in this case Gabe Rivera, picks and chooses news items to appear on the main site based on his own opinion of what is important and what is newsworthy in the technology area.  I’ll be paying more attention I suppose now to Techmeme River.  I’m not sure if Gabe’s opinions and my own are the same about what I would like to read and what I deem important to me.  I think this will turn out to be a service we should get used to in the future.  Once you find a river guide you trust and a you have like mindedness as it relates to news, make sure you tell the rest of us.  I suppose the next thing we will be seeing is "River Guides:  Help Wanted" listed in Craigslist.  Perhaps I have found a new service for us here besides Bloggers For Hire, now we can offer to our clients and customers a  River of News Guide Service.

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Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Consulting, Blog Mining, Blog Revenue, Blog Tools, Bloggers and Blogs, Bloggers For Hire, Blogging News, Business Blogging, Findability, Marketing, Media, Professional Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Services

Coldwater Creek: Can A Catalogue Company Blog?

December 7, 2006 By 1 Comment

Reading Kevin Hillstrom’s take on Coldwater Creek: The Little Engine That Could, made me begin thinking about catalogue companies and their online marketing campaigns.  This is the season for catalogues to begin showing up in our bathrooms of the house with circles around those things in each that are on our respective wish lists.  Somehow those electronic catalogues were thrown away, especially that Apple catalogue.  Maybe I should take the hint.

One reason I decided to click on Kevin’s article was because I was intrigued by a company that I barely known, and only since my wife orders stuff from all sorts of catalogues. Why is a blog mentioning a catalogue that only yesterday was stuck on my office chair with sticky notes flagged to it?  Apparently, this company is a forward thinking business that is making a big splash. Kevin reveals:

After reading comments from Coldwater Creek’s third quarter "conference call", it is obvious management continues to transition this business model into one dominated by the retail channel. During the third quarter, retail sales grew by 48%, and now represents 65% of the total business. Online sales grew by 29% from last year, and now represent 67% of the sales within the direct channel. Catalog now represents just over 10% of the total business. Wow.

Although only one of its marketing channels, here is a company that understands the power of online marketing.  I decided to do a little of my own research into the company.  As always with my research drill I started with Google.  The first thing I noticed is their premium spot on Google’s search in Adwords. They are performing a PPC campaign for their online marketing campaign which is almost a must in their retail business.  A look at the home page and their site map shows that they understand the needs of their customers, making it easy to navigate and BUY.  This is of course the whole point, making people get out that credit card to make a purchase.  I quelled the urge to do so, although I’m sure other family members will make up for my lack of urge.

An unknown is the amount of money Coldwater Creek is spending on the online campaign for directing traffic to their website and online retail center, but with retail sales growing at the rate stated and online sales growing from 29% last year to more than $13 million, they are hopefully sinking some investment into this area.

Now the elevator pitch.  The Coldwater Creek Blog.  This blog discusses the products, the retail centers, employees, provides catalogue information, and overall states the vision of Coldwater Creek. It send me the picture out the window of their offices in Idaho they say are inspiring.  They talk about why they are a better choice than the local L.L. Bean.  Yes, take on that competition and talk about them, they don’t have a blog either.  In the meantime, the blog represents only microscopic amount of their current online marketing plan including PPC.  The blog over time will outperform its conversion rate it is now paying in its premium slot for Google and other search engines.  The remaining pitch has everything to do with the Coldwater Creek mission as gleaned from their "About" page:

The common thread in all our endeavors is service. Service to our customers, our employees, our community. Please explore and enjoy our Web site. We’re glad you stopped by.

It’s time to extend that service to blogging, for your employees, customers and the community we call the blogosphere.  Perhaps the experience would be more enjoyable with a blog, and I will be glad if you stop by.  I know you will because of your Collaborative Intelligenceâ„¢ campaign.

Tags: Kevin Hillstrom, , Online Retail Catalogues, , , , , , , , The Blog Pitch, , L.L. Bean, Collaborative Intelligence, ,

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Filed Under: Advertising, Blog Consulting, Blog Mining, Blog Revenue, Blog Tools, Bloggers and Blogs, Bloggers For Hire, Blogging News, Blogs and PR, Business Blogging, Companies Needing Blogs, Corporate Blogs, Findability, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Services
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