CPM has the benefit of costing bandwidth. To show 100,000 CPM, it requires 100,000 pageviews. Provided the image is loaded off a 3rd party's server, you can check the IP, referrer (not a dummy page, but actual page on the site), and rate.
Affiliate doesn't get as many clicks... but actually translates into cash.
Problem is, per click is cheap. They hand out a penny (or fraction) each time they get a click. Easy to track, monitor.
But not an effective business practice.
IMHO these companies weren't well concieved. Poor business planning. You don't run a business if you can't validate your method of income.
I love the principle of advertising covering website costs. Why? Because I don't feel like giving out cash to read the news.
If ads, don't cover enough of the bill, were going to end up with micropayments. Using something like Amazon.com as an intermediary... and you pay perhaps $0.25-0.50 to read an article. IMHO I'd rather not get to that point.
I don't think banners are such a big deal. I prefer the subtle google ones.
IMHO the best model uses the following: - Banner Ads - Subscription service for no ads - Micropayments
Just the other day I started resurrecting MacVillage.net. I did that as well. There banner adsads (I'm considering a subscription service if people want it). And there's the ability to give a micropayment ($1).
On the bottom of the page is a simple request. If you can spare a dollar, and want to keep the minimalist ad appearance, consider giving a dollar.
In the past life of the website, it prevented popup ads and such. Hopefully this time it will as well.
The ads IMHO aren't obtrusive or in the way. There will be one Google text ad in the content area (I'm experimenting with that). But intentionally text so it doesn't stick out to much.
I like having very few ads. And hopefully enough people like it too... and will help keep it that way.
1. Make it acceptable in the TOS to run a *non-commercial* server on the home plan. Many home users now like the idea of file sharing so they can access their stuff from work/school... but Comcast can (and occasionally does) pull the plug on you for that.
2. Deliver bandwidth. I so rarely can reach 3Mbps right now. It's not that the sits I download from can't deliver that (I get it from other places). It's the busy comcast network. Stop advertising "capable", and start advertising "you get".
Comcast isn't nearly as bad as it used to be (used to have constant outaged... now it's rare). But comcast is far from perfect.
I'm personally not very certain the bloated Office for Mac will continue forever. Not certain at all. Each time it looks like less and less of an effort was made.
OpenOffice is fast, pretty sleek, and pretty dang compatible. If Office SBE didn't come with my XP laptop, I would have just passed on it, and used OpenOffice. It's more than enough for most users.
This makes Apple depend more on Microsoft for it's remaining business market. This isn't good. AppleWorks/i{Product} isn't good enough for corporate use.
IMHO Apple would be wise to invest a bit to bring OpenOffice to the Mac. Even if it's not quite Aqua. Something simple to install, fast, and stable.
Apple needs a business suite. OpenOffice is currently the only non-microsoft product with potential to stand up against Office. It's got the necessary features, and compatibility.
Apple would be wise to put a few employees on OpenOffice and get some builds churning. Apple needs that security.
The point is wizards can be made to use some machine logic... and put various elements together.
That way the design has more variation.
This is a little short of AI.
Call it a glorified rand() function if you want.
The company that will break into this market is the one who delivers something like this. An easy way for someone not creatively inclined to make something unique that looks good.
Think about it... storage is pretty fast already. The average consumer doesn't need any faster. Those who need speed are using Serial ATA, SCSI, RAID, and other acronyms.
What is really *necessary* (marketable)? Size? Do consumers care about the size of the HD in their computer? Nope. Accoustics? Modern drives are pretty quiet. Consumers are used to noisy fans anyway... most don't care.
What consumers want is cheap. That's why dell makes money. That's why Apple released the mac mini.
IMHO the thing HD companies need to figure out is how to get the fast large drives they have now, at a lower price.
*THAT* is the forecast for 2005. Cheaper drives.
I do think though we'll see marginal improvement in flash storage, and small HD's... for mp3 players, PDA's and other devices. But nothing groundbreaking.
This year's economy is about *price*. People want more for less...
the company that delivers it, will be rewarded with customers. The ones that fail: will not succeed.
I've got a feeling, give it about 2-3 years, and mp3 players will be pretty cheap. This just proves that it could be done (limited) in a somewhat low cost method.
What I really wish would happen is someone would turn my cell phone, pda, and iPod into 1 good product that doesn't require me to take out a loan.
I know it's a dream. But how many more pockets do I have? I have my cell phone on my belt, pda in one, wallet, ipod... come on!
I'd be a bit more impressed if this person managed to squeeze an mp3 player into the battery of his phone (granted a bit bulkier), or PDA. That way it's possible to carry less, and have more.
I'm walking around like I have a "geek boner" in my pockets. With all those things in there.
If you really think about it.. there's quite a few software developers without an office.
The Mac community has some great shareware developers. Some work out of their own homes. No office, no staff. Just their own place.
Some collaborate online. Look at all the open source products now. Not all have their own office (like the Mozilla Foundation). Quite a few projects are 100% virtual.
I think this model will have even more of an impact in the next 10-15 years. It's not really necessary for someone who programs all day to have an office to themselves... it's wasteful.
It's perfectly acceptable for such an employee to work from home, or any other environment, and perhaps spend 1 day, or perhaps 2 afternoons a week in the office. You can then used shared work space and cut down on costs.
With the availability of high speed connections, VPN's for secure network access, VoIP providers providing cheap phone access....
the only thing is human interaction. And even that. Think about how often your actually "need". A few meetings a week. Now how many of those can't be done over the phone?
Really, only a much smaller sum of work needs to be done at the office.
Provided good management skills are used, to keep employees on target, and on time... there's nothing wrong with a virtual company.
In fact... it's much more efficient.
Don't forget the time you save people. If you work 1 day in the office a week, that's only 2 commutes (one each way). With an average commute time of a little under an hour (being generious). That's several hours a week that an employee can then use to either conduct work, or extra family time (or time at the strip club).
Why not hire the guy who lives in Kansas when the office is in NYC? If he's good, it's great. You can teleconfrence him in, and fly him in for a day or two every several weeks. He can work from home, and code just like the guys in the office. You don't need office space (which in a city like NYC, just a few square feed for a cubicle is expensive). Just pay his office phone, DSL/Cable line, and send him some hardware.
Wiki's, Bugzilla-like systems, Intranet Portals, Email, VoIP, they all make it much easier to do.
Virtual Companies will be playing more and more of a role in the future. Especially true for IT jobs. Since they are very easy to do remotely.
As someone who has spoke to many in the position of hiring, here is what they always say they are looking for:
- Well Rounded... not just knowledge of the job, but working with people!, - proven ability to learn something new. - Experience - overall industry knowledge - Has previously handled job of equal stress/commitment - has reason to be a long term employee (show job commitment)
explanation
1. All jobs require working with people. From dealing with the boss, to clients, to fellow employees on a group project. Most inefficiency is from bad communication between employees.
2. Need to show that you can evolve with the job. Industries are moving faster now. You need to show that you can adapt and keep the company on the leading edge. Not trailing behind.
3. Experience is self explanatory.
4. Lots of people get a good job... then decide they don't like the lifestyle, or stress, and quit. It's expensive to hire an employee (between searching, interviewing, and training... it costs thousands, if not more often tens of thousands of dollars)... losing a new employee is a major loss for a company. Getting a good one that stays on: that's a major gain.
5. Long term is key. Besides for higher morale, less absence, they tend to be more productive (because they know how to do their job well from experience), capable, and have good relations with fellow co-workers. These are the gem's in the company... they know exactly how things work. They require little effort on behalf of management, and can do a whole lot.
The US would benefit so much if we required electronic licenses to follow such a format. EULA's, TOS, AUP's, SA's, etc.
A standard of icons, and formatting.
So anyone, can have the option of viewing in that format, or the legal jargon.
Some more useful additions to the Creative Commons icons: - Monitors Traffic or Usage - Commercial Mailing - Advertising Included
You get the idea.
Every program, with the option to view the license in an easy to read visual format.
Then everyone knew what they were installing or signing up for.
Would be much better than the "canned spam act", or "anti-spyware" bills in progress.
What about the budget
on
Carnivore No More
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
They budgeted quite a bit of hard cash to develop Carnivore...
so who is going to be held responsible for that wasted cash due to bad planning?
IMHO that's a ton of money that can be used for many useful things... it was taken from our taxes... and now just sits on some cvs server (assuming they save it).
That cash could have been used to pay for some armor for troops deployed in Iraq. Or perhaps fund development of improved airline security equipment... something that would be beneficial.
Why the hell did this get approved if commercial equivilants were in the works? What seriously ill planning went into that?
If the FBI were a company... heads would roll. This wouldn't be acceptable.
BTW: This page has a small image of the carnivore logo (for anyone interested).
People mislabeling their posts, just for high ratings.
- Why not put your post about your anger towards your mother under "Tsunami" to get more traffic!
- Spammers?
- Multi-posts? I know myself like many don't always create 10,000 posts a day. Just no reason. If I have 1 thing to say about 10 things, I post once with multiple categories...
So that post appears in 10 places?
IMHO it's a great idea, but I think something like slashdot moderation will be needed to keep the polution to a minimum. +1 the good relevent material. -1 the bad stuff.
Slashdot Mirror
CPM has the benefit of costing bandwidth. To show 100,000 CPM, it requires 100,000 pageviews. Provided the image is loaded off a 3rd party's server, you can check the IP, referrer (not a dummy page, but actual page on the site), and rate.
Affiliate doesn't get as many clicks... but actually translates into cash.
Problem is, per click is cheap. They hand out a penny (or fraction) each time they get a click. Easy to track, monitor.
But not an effective business practice.
IMHO these companies weren't well concieved. Poor business planning. You don't run a business if you can't validate your method of income.
I'm curious.... what do you think of mine?
Sample
To much? Or would you consider it acceptable?
All I block is popups.
I love the principle of advertising covering website costs. Why? Because I don't feel like giving out cash to read the news.
If ads, don't cover enough of the bill, were going to end up with micropayments. Using something like Amazon.com as an intermediary... and you pay perhaps $0.25-0.50 to read an article. IMHO I'd rather not get to that point.
I don't think banners are such a big deal. I prefer the subtle google ones.
IMHO the best model uses the following:
- Banner Ads
- Subscription service for no ads
- Micropayments
Just the other day I started resurrecting MacVillage.net. I did that as well. There banner adsads (I'm considering a subscription service if people want it). And there's the ability to give a micropayment ($1).
On the bottom of the page is a simple request. If you can spare a dollar, and want to keep the minimalist ad appearance, consider giving a dollar.
In the past life of the website, it prevented popup ads and such. Hopefully this time it will as well.
Here's an example
The ads IMHO aren't obtrusive or in the way. There will be one Google text ad in the content area (I'm experimenting with that). But intentionally text so it doesn't stick out to much.
I like having very few ads. And hopefully enough people like it too... and will help keep it that way.
I think everyone benefits.
For any geek who thinks this would be the ultimate job:
Apparantly they want YOU..
Personally, I can't even understand all of the job descriptions... so I don't think it's for me.
Tiny Robots Powered by Living Muscle Cell?
Here in Jersey, we call them Midgets.
I'd personally like to see the following changed:
1. Make it acceptable in the TOS to run a *non-commercial* server on the home plan. Many home users now like the idea of file sharing so they can access their stuff from work/school... but Comcast can (and occasionally does) pull the plug on you for that.
2. Deliver bandwidth. I so rarely can reach 3Mbps right now. It's not that the sits I download from can't deliver that (I get it from other places). It's the busy comcast network. Stop advertising "capable", and start advertising "you get".
Comcast isn't nearly as bad as it used to be (used to have constant outaged... now it's rare). But comcast is far from perfect.
Use an emulator (several can be found here):
Why?
That way you can have a TI-83 on a few GHz CPU(s).
Considering I spent most of High School playing games on my TI-83+...
a bit more CPU performance would have been great for PimpQuest and Frogger.
For those who participate with mozilla's bugzilla installation for reporting bugs, that has been the test site for some time.
So you have had most of those features for quite some time.
Indeed.
If your short... you'll always be lower than the others.
I'm personally not very certain the bloated Office for Mac will continue forever. Not certain at all. Each time it looks like less and less of an effort was made.
OpenOffice is fast, pretty sleek, and pretty dang compatible. If Office SBE didn't come with my XP laptop, I would have just passed on it, and used OpenOffice. It's more than enough for most users.
This makes Apple depend more on Microsoft for it's remaining business market. This isn't good. AppleWorks/i{Product} isn't good enough for corporate use.
IMHO Apple would be wise to invest a bit to bring OpenOffice to the Mac. Even if it's not quite Aqua. Something simple to install, fast, and stable.
Apple needs a business suite. OpenOffice is currently the only non-microsoft product with potential to stand up against Office. It's got the necessary features, and compatibility.
Apple would be wise to put a few employees on OpenOffice and get some builds churning. Apple needs that security.
The point is wizards can be made to use some machine logic... and put various elements together.
That way the design has more variation.
This is a little short of AI.
Call it a glorified rand() function if you want.
The company that will break into this market is the one who delivers something like this. An easy way for someone not creatively inclined to make something unique that looks good.
IMHO Apple is the most likely to do it.
Think about it... storage is pretty fast already. The average consumer doesn't need any faster. Those who need speed are using Serial ATA, SCSI, RAID, and other acronyms.
What is really *necessary* (marketable)? Size? Do consumers care about the size of the HD in their computer? Nope. Accoustics? Modern drives are pretty quiet. Consumers are used to noisy fans anyway... most don't care.
What consumers want is cheap. That's why dell makes money. That's why Apple released the mac mini.
IMHO the thing HD companies need to figure out is how to get the fast large drives they have now, at a lower price.
*THAT* is the forecast for 2005. Cheaper drives.
I do think though we'll see marginal improvement in flash storage, and small HD's... for mp3 players, PDA's and other devices. But nothing groundbreaking.
This year's economy is about *price*. People want more for less...
the company that delivers it, will be rewarded with customers. The ones that fail: will not succeed.
One thing I hate about "templates" and "wizards" is you end up with the same document.. just your data.
It seems like over 50% of companies use the same MS Word Fax Cover sheet. etc. etc.
I wish someone would come up with some machine logic so that you design a template through a wizard, not just insert data.
So your end product, is unique, catered to you, but still meets the objective.
I know it wouldn't be easy... but please, no more cookie cutter wizards.
Nobody still has detailed their servers.
How many, specs, data centers.
People have guessed, and analyzed everything... but still no true official statement.
That's what I was really hoping for.
Still interesting though.
Compared to most other sites, their HTML isn't to bad. Actually uses some CSS layout.
Why those links on the top are images, and not a css rollover... that's beyond me.
Being a web standards geek... it makes me feel a little better seeing that.
Oh yea... some of the gizmo's (not available at ThinkSecret) are available to view here:
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/technology/
pretty cool stuff.
I've got a feeling, give it about 2-3 years, and mp3 players will be pretty cheap. This just proves that it could be done (limited) in a somewhat low cost method.
What I really wish would happen is someone would turn my cell phone, pda, and iPod into 1 good product that doesn't require me to take out a loan.
I know it's a dream. But how many more pockets do I have? I have my cell phone on my belt, pda in one, wallet, ipod... come on!
I'd be a bit more impressed if this person managed to squeeze an mp3 player into the battery of his phone (granted a bit bulkier), or PDA. That way it's possible to carry less, and have more.
I'm walking around like I have a "geek boner" in my pockets. With all those things in there.
I was hoping one of those sound bites would contain someone else claiming to have had sex with Michael Jackson.
Some short 75 (earth year) old alien.
What an awkward species that mix would look like.
If you really think about it.. there's quite a few software developers without an office.
The Mac community has some great shareware developers. Some work out of their own homes. No office, no staff. Just their own place.
Some collaborate online. Look at all the open source products now. Not all have their own office (like the Mozilla Foundation). Quite a few projects are 100% virtual.
I think this model will have even more of an impact in the next 10-15 years. It's not really necessary for someone who programs all day to have an office to themselves... it's wasteful.
It's perfectly acceptable for such an employee to work from home, or any other environment, and perhaps spend 1 day, or perhaps 2 afternoons a week in the office. You can then used shared work space and cut down on costs.
With the availability of high speed connections, VPN's for secure network access, VoIP providers providing cheap phone access....
the only thing is human interaction. And even that. Think about how often your actually "need". A few meetings a week. Now how many of those can't be done over the phone?
Really, only a much smaller sum of work needs to be done at the office.
Provided good management skills are used, to keep employees on target, and on time... there's nothing wrong with a virtual company.
In fact... it's much more efficient.
Don't forget the time you save people. If you work 1 day in the office a week, that's only 2 commutes (one each way). With an average commute time of a little under an hour (being generious). That's several hours a week that an employee can then use to either conduct work, or extra family time (or time at the strip club).
Why not hire the guy who lives in Kansas when the office is in NYC? If he's good, it's great. You can teleconfrence him in, and fly him in for a day or two every several weeks. He can work from home, and code just like the guys in the office. You don't need office space (which in a city like NYC, just a few square feed for a cubicle is expensive). Just pay his office phone, DSL/Cable line, and send him some hardware.
Wiki's, Bugzilla-like systems, Intranet Portals, Email, VoIP, they all make it much easier to do.
Virtual Companies will be playing more and more of a role in the future. Especially true for IT jobs. Since they are very easy to do remotely.
Create a virus
:-D
Then sell the cure
Wasn't that a movie?
That's one heck of an unethical business plan. That violates so many ethics principles it's amazing.
As someone who has spoke to many in the position of hiring, here is what they always say they are looking for:
- Well Rounded... not just knowledge of the job, but working with people!,
- proven ability to learn something new.
- Experience
- overall industry knowledge
- Has previously handled job of equal stress/commitment
- has reason to be a long term employee (show job commitment)
explanation
1. All jobs require working with people. From dealing with the boss, to clients, to fellow employees on a group project. Most inefficiency is from bad communication between employees.
2. Need to show that you can evolve with the job. Industries are moving faster now. You need to show that you can adapt and keep the company on the leading edge. Not trailing behind.
3. Experience is self explanatory.
4. Lots of people get a good job... then decide they don't like the lifestyle, or stress, and quit. It's expensive to hire an employee (between searching, interviewing, and training... it costs thousands, if not more often tens of thousands of dollars)... losing a new employee is a major loss for a company. Getting a good one that stays on: that's a major gain.
5. Long term is key. Besides for higher morale, less absence, they tend to be more productive (because they know how to do their job well from experience), capable, and have good relations with fellow co-workers. These are the gem's in the company... they know exactly how things work. They require little effort on behalf of management, and can do a whole lot.
This guy obviously has some brains. Read just part of that, and you realize that.
IMHO here's what he should be researching and perfecting:
Visual EULA's
Just like creative commons has iconic easy to read licenses (link goes to LGPL sample).
Why? Because they are easy to read, use, analyze.
The US would benefit so much if we required electronic licenses to follow such a format. EULA's, TOS, AUP's, SA's, etc.
A standard of icons, and formatting.
So anyone, can have the option of viewing in that format, or the legal jargon.
Some more useful additions to the Creative Commons icons:
- Monitors Traffic or Usage
- Commercial Mailing
- Advertising Included
You get the idea.
Every program, with the option to view the license in an easy to read visual format.
Then everyone knew what they were installing or signing up for.
Would be much better than the "canned spam act", or "anti-spyware" bills in progress.
They budgeted quite a bit of hard cash to develop Carnivore...
so who is going to be held responsible for that wasted cash due to bad planning?
IMHO that's a ton of money that can be used for many useful things... it was taken from our taxes... and now just sits on some cvs server (assuming they save it).
That cash could have been used to pay for some armor for troops deployed in Iraq. Or perhaps fund development of improved airline security equipment... something that would be beneficial.
Why the hell did this get approved if commercial equivilants were in the works? What seriously ill planning went into that?
If the FBI were a company... heads would roll. This wouldn't be acceptable.
BTW: This page has a small image of the carnivore logo (for anyone interested).
That's what you get when you hire Tim Allen as your electrician at a Data Center.
Al Borland was nailing Heidi behind the stage when the outage occured.
Where were the APC backups?
Here the problems I see:
People mislabeling their posts, just for high ratings.
- Why not put your post about your anger towards your mother under "Tsunami" to get more traffic!
- Spammers?
- Multi-posts? I know myself like many don't always create 10,000 posts a day. Just no reason. If I have 1 thing to say about 10 things, I post once with multiple categories...
So that post appears in 10 places?
IMHO it's a great idea, but I think something like slashdot moderation will be needed to keep the polution to a minimum. +1 the good relevent material. -1 the bad stuff.