Cool Domain Name, Cool Blog, Cool Idea

Elliot Silver
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Gordon is a domain investor who I met and had several conversations on  DN Forum  and in person at Grand Central a few weeks ago.  He is  knowledgeable  about SEO and about domain names, and is a  genuinely good person.A few days ago, I briefly noticed a new industry blog at the domain name  DailyBull.com.    Little did I know, Gordon was the person behind this blog.  I think it’s the perfect domain name for a blog, and it’s great to see that it’s going to be a blog in this industry!

I am a proponent of giving back to the less fortunate when possible, and Gordon has a  great idea.  In almost every organization with which I have been involved (college fraternity, Interfraternity Council, corporate job…etc) the group raises funds for a specific cause as a way to help, show unity, and show strength.  I like the idea of working together as a community to help a cause that is important to people of all backgrounds.  Kudos to Gordon for this idea.

No matter what causes we support, it is important to give back and help the less fortunate.  

What a Moron!

Elliot Silver
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When I was visiting my brother two weeks ago, I received a parking ticket for parking “Within 20 Feet of Intersection.” While I disagreed with the officer’s interpretation of 20 feet and didn’t have a tape measure nor the desire to fight over a $25 ticket, I decided to pay the fine.

I logged on to the city website to pay, and they couldn’t locate the ticket. I called the city, and the automated system couldn’t find it either. When I was connected to an operator, she asked for the number and said they probably hadn’t entered it into the system yet.

She said she would manually check for me, and she asked me for my ticket number and violation. I gave it to her, and she replied, “thank you, I manually entered your ticket into the system for you.”  Since it was 17 days after the ticket was issued, I probably would have gotten off.  I should have kept my mouth shut!

Bummer!

Making Purchases Online

Elliot Silver
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Beat the mobs on ‘Cyber Monday’

According to the article and a study from the National Retail Federation, nearly 75% of online retailers will offer special promotions on “Cyber Monday,” which falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving (tomorrow). Up until last year, I had never heard about Cyber Monday, but apparently this is one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.

CyberMonday.com, a website powered by Shop.org and owned by the National Retail Federation, offers links to many retailers who have “Cyber Monday” deals.  

CNN.com  offers some good online shopping tips to help save money and ensure a safe shopping experience.  As with all shopping, people should use their best discretion, and they should use common sense when making purchases online.  

Pump your Gas and Google

Elliot Silver
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Ever find yourself at a gas station looking for directions?   When I was younger, my family pulled into a gas station in the Bronx, New York looking for directions out of the Bronx.   My dad asked the station clerk for directions, and she replied, “fill up your tank and I can help you.”   My dad filled up the tank and went back for the instructions, to which the woman replied “sorry, no hablo English.”

Soon, you won’t have to rely on the gas station service clerks for directions.   According to a CNN article  and the Gilbarco Veeder-Root website, Google has formed a partnership with gas station pump maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root, which just introduced their Applause Media System.    Gilbarco’s  pumps will  now include an Internet connection displaying Google’s mapping service on a small screen.

At first, pumpers will be asked to find their location by scrolling through many popular categories, including hotels, restaurants and hospitals selected by the gas station’s owner.   Once a destination is selected, the pump will print out directions.

This is another way Google is becoming involved in the search business.   Some of the other non-traditional search engine searching you can do include:

  • Dialing 1-800-GOOG-411  for free phone number services.
  • Texting “GOOGL” along with a business and city, and Google will send you the address and phone number.
  • Searching using  a Blackberry or other handheld device – Google.mobi

Someone asked me what I thought the % of people who would use the Google  pump maps  vs. in-car GPS systems.   That got me thinking, why doesn’t Google  develop an inexpensive  Google Maps branded GPS system?   Better yet, why not develop an in-car computer system to allow motorists to connect to the Internet using Google’s technologies?

Online Impact of Writers Guild Strike

Elliot Silver
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When the Writers Guild of America held their first labor strike in 1988, television viewers turned to cable as an alternative to the regular shows they were missing, and they clearly embraced the programming.    That first strike lasted 22 weeks, and the impact of  it can still be seen today in America’s television viewing habits, which continue to rely on cable television as its main source of entertainment.

How will the Writers Guild strike of 2007 impact us in this day and age of the Internet?    If the first strike was indicative of what will happen,  people  will probably  spend more time entertaining themselves online rather than watching reruns on television.    User generated content, which is always  well stocked,  should be in high demand.   Sites such as YouTube will certainly benefit from the strike.

Unique content will be key to turning eyeballs into dollars.  People will be looking to satiate their viewing needs, and if they can get their fix on the Internet, they will certainly be back for more.  This could be a great opportunity for some websites to become more mainstream and capture a new audience of Internet savvy viewers.

I think  Doug Aamoth said it best on Crunch Gear,

“To those of you in the Writers Guild; whether or not I agree with the reason you’re striking, I wish you the best of luck and I hope you consider creating content for the web. And if you do, I hope you’ll realize that you don’t need the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to get that content onto the Internet.” — Source: Crunch Gear

My Introduction to Google Books

Elliot Silver
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I was browsing Google today and noticed they added a feature at the top of the search results. In addition to the “Web” and “Video” links, they also added a “Books” link. When you do a Google search for a person, Seth Godin for example, you are given the standard results and an opportunity to click on the “Books” link, taking you to a page with all of the books that  author penned.

When you click on  one of the author’s books  “Permission Marketing” as an example (a book I read in graduate school) you are taken to a page that offers reviews, images and content from the book. There is also a box to the right where you can click on your favorite bookseller to buy the book.

This  is a HUGE revenue opportunity in my opinion. I receive 4% commission on certain products as an Amazon affiliate, and I am sure Google has a nice deal worked out with these book industry goliaths. I did encounter a problem when I clicked through on the Amazon.com link for this book – a 404 error page.

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