An insurance company owner with a changing clientele, two brother boomers trying to launch a product to the college audience, sisters wanting to sell their products on line, a former big company executive selling toys internationally.

I’ve been taking my own personal survey with fellow business owners about whether or not they know what Glee is. Or if they’ve seen Avatar.  I’m surprised by how many say no to these questions.

Further, I’m surprised to see how many intend to watch Avatar “on video” skipping the 3-D version when 3-D is precisely what all the fuss is about.

Why do I ask them this question?

Because it used to be that the prerequisites for being a successful entrepreneur were along the lines of focused, persevering, resourceful. 

Old techniques will not work in new times..

Now, the word is IN TOUCH.

Yes, in touch, in tune, knowing what is happening in the world.

See Avatar in 3-D.

Watch Glee.

And Gossip Girls.

And the most popular You Tube videos.

And things that you’re not watching.

Because your new customers are.

Young, pregnant, sharp as hell and knowing that a degree in nutrition would help her begin a career to fund her new child’s life, she also knows she doesn’t have the funds to make it happen.

From India and low on funds, he’s brilliant, almost done with his degree and unable to attend all the classes he needs, he must work to save some money first…the money, that is, that he doesn’t send home to help his family

Local boy, self-taught on computers from age 5, one semester away from finishing his degree, he funds his life doing IT work for individuals…finds them on Craigslist…took a leave of absence…saving money to complete his education, putting his dreams on hold.

True stories from ONE WEEKEND spent with my kids’ friends.

I think about how many thousands, millions of young people have similar stories.

I mused about when the day might come that college will be attainable by all, no matter what the financial barriers.

It seemed to me that kids no longer need to travel far away, drive to campuses, pay for overpriced housing, and BOOKS (noting that ONE of my son’s books cost $125 Friday)… trudge to classes…when the web can access the best minds in the world at a click.

Then I read this on TechCrunch. My heart skipped a beat.  Leave it to Bill Gates to bring it to the forefront, leave it to a world full of people with great ideas to bring this goal closer.

Techcrunch reported today on Chomp.  Put simply, Chomp rates iPhone apps using feedback by users.

Apps, 3 Billion sold for the iPhone.

Apps that do everything imaginable, from scanning in your keytags to clinking virtual glasses at midnight on New Year’s Eve.  Sky’s the limit.

And many of them are free

There’s much to be learned from the app makers…namely, that all bets are off and a new world has emerged where anything can be made limited only by your imagination.

AND an understanding of what other humans want.

AND the boldness to just make it happen without overthinking…speed matters.

Add these to the ability to reach millions with the click of a button, and KAPOW.

To everyone in Small Biz, take notice.  The new world is upon us.  What are you doing to capture the speed, imagination and unprecedented access to the world?

~Tweet Like A Rock Star~

So Techcrunch did an article on the fact that the group, Pearl Jam, is giving away copies of their song “Just Breathe” in exchange for a Tweet.

What an idea.  Geekson says, imagine what would happen if your small business gave away a ______ in exchange for a Tweet.

Fill in the blank and watch your traffic grow.

Here’s how it works:

1. A person talks about your product on Twitter.
2. They link to your product or service in their tweets (this is the part of the tweet process where tweets must be monitored to see how many times your product or service has been mentioned).  There are tools to trend and monitor Twitter conversations.  (more on this in a later post).
3. After you see that the person is linked to your product or service, they get their freebie (in the form of a free trial or something to entice them to buy your product or service in the future.)
4. This generates buzz on Twitter and gets publicity about your products and services.

Remember, every person’s tweet can be seen by their followers, so the publicity of your product or service is exponential.

P.S. you can also see how often your company has been mentioned in the twittersphere and the blogosphere…and it’s FREE!

~ 3D World Map of The Internet~

I just read an article about a company called “Future Tap.”What the hell is Future Tap and why does geekson care about this???????

Well, here’s the deal:  Future Tap uses mobile devices and text messaging to tell people who are really cool and spend lots of money WHERE they should go.

DON’T YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS TO BE THAT DESTINATION??????

Here’s how it works:

1. People go to a location .

2. They use their mobile phone to let everyone know where they are.

3. They tell their friends what they think of the place.

4. Other people see that their friend is at the place.

5. Other people go to the place to meet up.

6. Or they go to the place to talk about it.

7. It feeds the need people have to be the first to discover a new place or lead the pack.

Whoa.

So what if you are “Jennie’s Doughnuts” And you have a sign in your shop that says, “’Future Tap’ us and get a free coffee.”

Whoa.

You get traffic and you are on “the grid”

What are some other things to look out for with SEO?

• owns shadow domains
• puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
• offers to sell keywords in the address bar
• doesn’t distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear on search results pages
• guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
• operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
• gets traffic from “fake” search engines, spyware, or scumware
• has had domains removed from Google’s index or is not itself listed in Google

There are a few warning signs that you may be dealing with a rogue SEO. It’s far from a comprehensive list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk away if the SEO:

If you feel that you were deceived by an SEO in some way, you may want to report it.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ and click on “File a Complaint Online,” call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to:

Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C. 20580

If your complaint is against a company in a country other than the United States, please file it athttp://www.econsumer.gov/.

Stay away from the SEO companies touting top rankings and such. The whole idea of a flat price for top ten ranking is possible but a promised ranking is impossible.

According to Google:

Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a “special relationship” with Google, or advertise a “priority submit” to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.

Ask for explanations if something is unclear. If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content on your behalf, such as doorway pages or “throwaway” domains, your site could be removed entirely from Google’s index. Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire, so it’s best to be sure you know exactly how they intend to “help” you. If an SEO has FTP access to your server, they should be willing to explain all the changes they are making to your site.

While Google never sells better ranking in our search results, several other search engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion results with their regular web search results. Some SEOs will promise to rank you highly in search engines, but place you in the advertising section rather than in the search results. A few SEOs will even change their bid prices in real time to create the illusion that they “control” other search engines and can place themselves in the slot of their choice. This scam doesn’t work with Google because our advertising is clearly labeled and separated from our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO you’re considering which fees go toward permanent inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.

This video explains how to lead like the greatest musical composers in the world.

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

TechCrunch recently published a story regarding “What “on-demand” media really means and why your cable company should be scared”

Here are examples of iphone apps and apps for your iphone as well as for your computer. Sites are included such as http://surfthechannel.com and http://hulu.com

TV.com iPhone App

Joost Videos:

What ZipCar Is – Explanation

ZipCar iPhone App

According to TechCrunch – The ZipCar App needs to stop sputtering and come into existence.

This was cool stuff—remember, this was Apple’s first release of an iPhone with GPS–but the duo wowed the audience even more when Schneider described how Jonathan nears the parking lot, taps on a virtual key fob and—voila!—the car horn honks. Next, Jonathan reaches the car, taps on his fob once more, and the Mini unlocks, as if by magic. The crowd applauded enthusiastically.

It was a sweet victory for Zipcar. The press picked up on the futuristic idea of smart phones controlling your car. Bloggers got excited. And the company said its App would be available this summer.