Take the Leap, is a great blog that profiles entrepreneur’s and startup stories. The blog is sponsored by the company Creative Hub. We had the pleasure of being interviewed by Jennifer Spivak about KikScore and our growth.
To check out the interview, please visit the Take the Leap Blog and the interview is titled From Lawyers to Entrepreneurs.
Please let us know what you think.
I have had the Sprint HTC EVO 4G for a little over a month now and recommend the 5 Android operating system applications below for small businesses to use on any Android phone.
Exchange by Touchdown- This application integrates with the desktop version of Microsoft Exchange and automatically syncs your email, calendar, contacts, and tasks wirelessly with minimal setup. I really like this application because it cleanly separates my work and personal email and is works just like I am sitting at my work computer. This is actually the only application on this list that isn’t free and does cost $20 per license after a 30-day free trial.
Jorte- This is a calendar and “to do” list application that I think works much better than the calendar tool that came with my Android phone. This application seamlessly integrates with multiple Google calendars and also gives you over 10 different widgets to add to your homepage in order to better access your events and tasks.
Google Voice- Google created the Android operating system so it would make sense that they have some of the best applications for the platform and the Google Voice app is no exception. This application essentially replaces your default carrier-provided voicemail while adding a bunch of great features. You can create custom voicemail messages for any of your contacts, get voicemail messages transcribed and texted and/or emailed to you, visual voicemail, and also can be used to place extremely cheap international calls all over the world.
BuzzBox- This application can be configured to provide any RSS feed directly to your phone and comes pre-loaded with hundreds of the most popular feeds for you to choose from in many different categories. This application also comes with a handy widget for automatic updates and quick viewing.
Fring – This application integrates with Skype (and many other IM/chat applications) to bring video conferencing to your mobile phone for free. I actually prefer this application to the included (and highly promoted) Qik application on the HTC EVO because it is easier to use and has less latency. I would recommend using the video chat feature while connected to 4g or wi-fi but it works great and automatically imports your existing Skype contacts for easy calling.
What is your favorite Android application and how much more do you like Android over the iPhone 4?
I was reading this article in the Denver Post today when I realized that the next large source of consumer behavior-related data may not be Facebook or any other social networking site…heck, it might not even be sourced directly from the Internet! Judging from the fact that the “smart grid” is supposed to be rolled out to 52 million people by 2015, the next source of data that marketers may very well be trying to get about you and I may be obtained by determining the patterns and type of electricity we use on a daily basis.
If companies were able to get their hands on this data they could apparently not only determine how many loads of laundry you do each week, but they could also figure out what kind of TV you own, how many times you shower and how many people are in your household! I never really thought about it this way, but the way we use electricity can tell a lot about a person and an entire family. Just think how powerful this data would be to consumer goods companies that could market certain products to people based on this information!
Another use for this data is law enforcement…this electrical data could point police to homes that are using certain lights to grow marijuana in their basements or to other criminals who use certain power-consuming equipment to make methamphetamine.
To nobody’s surprise Microsoft and Google are already all over the management of this smart grid data. Microsoft’s Hohmproduct and Google’s PowerMeter application are already being used by the 200,000 early adopters of the smart grid being tested in Boulder, Colorado, that now monitor their electrical consumption online using these tools.
What could your business do if you had access to this data?
A few weeks ago I was eating at a local sushi restaurant here in Denver (Banzai Sushi - highly recommend it) when something happened that has never happened to me in a restaurant before. After my wife and I finished eating our delicious dinner we asked our waiter for the check and instead of bringing us a money holder with the bill in it, he reached into his back pocket and placed a miniature credit card processing machine on our table with a paper copy of the bill and left.
After my wife and I stared at it and then each other for a second we read the very basic steps on the machine and in seconds swiped our own credit card, printed the bill, signed the check, and left. What a great idea! I am not sure why or how this idea was formulated at this specific restaurant but I imagine that it started with some fraud complaints of some type from customers. I thought that this solution was a great opportunity for the restaurant to not only resolve the possible fraud issues around customers giving a perfect stranger their credit card but it also saved time. Other than the obvious additional expense of the credit card readers that would be needed I am not sure why more restaurants have not started implementing this new process.
I did a little research online and also found out that a new device called the SmartSwipe is becoming more popular recently as well. This at-home credit card swiping machine that connects to your home computer through the USB port takes another part out of the fraud equation when shopping online, a virus on your computer, by immediately encrypting your credit card information and sending it to the merchant securely. This device makes it impossible for trojan horse-type viruses that may unknowingly reside on your home computer to secretly grab your credit card information while you type it into your browser. I think this is another great invention that speeds up credit card transactions and makes them less liable to fraud.
Have you noticed any great new inventions out there that have reduced fraud while shopping online or in stores? (besides KikScore of course)
Let me just start by saying that I fully admit that I am a “gadget guy”. I love having the latest gadget that can make my life easier and/or more efficient. Let me also start by saying that I think that Apple is a great company that has made some innovations over the last decade that have single-handedly advanced technology and changed the way people live their lives.
Let me continue by saying that I believe that the newly released iPad from Apple will not be nearly as successful as the iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, or even the iMac. There is no place in my life for the iPad…believe me, I looked…I just do not have a need for a device of this size at this price with it’s current capabilities. Everything that I can think of that I might want to do on the iPad I already do on either my smart phone or my laptop. I would also argue that my smart phone or my laptop are more appropriately equipped to do those things as well.
If I wanted to send an email while I was on the train I would go straight to my smart phone…it is more compact and can connect to the Internet through a mobile hot spot or a cellular connection. Why would I want an iPad to do this? Not only does it only connect to the Internet through a wi-fi signal (unless you add a data plan from AT&T for a monthly cost) that I may not be able to get on the train, but it is also the size of a text book so I can’t hold it in my pocket.
If I wanted to work in Microsoft Excel I would use my laptop because the screen is larger and I can easily edit the spreadsheets using a full size keyboard and the processing power of the latest laptop chip set. Why would I want an iPad to do this? The screen is smaller so I would have to scroll all over to find things, I have to type out letters using a smaller touch screen keyboard, and the processing power isn’t that of my laptop.
Sorry Apple, I really tried but I just can’t legitimize throwing down $500 (and up) for the iPad just so I can read an eBook in color, assuming that I would even rather do this on the iPad than on the Kindle from Amazon that also already has received rave reviews, is $240 cheaper than the iPad, and is already readily used and supported in the eBook industry. I hope all of you Apple supporters out there don’t hate me for saying these things…remember, Apple has had other minor failings in the last decade, the Apple TV player (iTV must have been taken) from a few years back comes to mind, so it isn’t unheard of.
Again, this is just one person’s opinion, let me know if you think I am wrong!
Late last week, PressTV asked to interview KikScore about some recent developments in cybersecurity and cybercrime. PressTV’s Rhonda Pence sat down with me to discuss a number of topics related to online fraud, safe online shopping, the security of our networks and the rise in power and damage that hackers inflict on the public. Her report also covered a recent study that found that 1 in 5 online shoppers have experienced a cybersecurity issue when they shop online. This echoes what we previously covered in an earlier post about a March 2010 government report that found a 22% increase in cybercrime complaints.
Take a look at the video report. It is short and about 2 minutes long.
After watching the video, you may want to take a look at our 5 Must Read Tips for Safe Online Shopping. It will help you increase your chances of staying safe. Also special thanks to Rhonda and Nick Ewing for helping me with getting a copy of the video interview. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the National White Collar Crime Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is set up to receive complaints of crime on the internet. The Complaint Center is known as IC3 and annual issues a report notifying the public of trends that they see in complaints that they have received from the public about cybercrime. IC3 received complaints across a wide spectrum of cybercrimes including online fraud, computer intrusions and hacking, theft of trade secrets, identity theft and international money laundering. The 2009 Internet Crime Report was just published in mid-March 2010 and here are some of the key findings:
1) There was a 22% increase in cybercrime complaints in 2009 compared to 2008 (336, 655 total complaints)
2) More than a half billion dollars in monetary losses were reported in 2009 – $559.7 million – from cybercrime
3) The top 5 categories of reported offenses from victims were: a) non-delivered merchandise(19.9%); identity theft (14.1%), credit card fraud (10.4%), auction fraud (10.3%) and computer fraud (7.95%).
4) Of those victims that reported monetary losses from the cybercrime, the mean dollar loss was $5,580 and the median was $575.
5) The vast majority of the complaints were made from the United States, but IC3 received complaints from victims in Canada, the UK, Australia and India.
6) The perpetrators in the United States tended to reside in the followings states: California, Florida, New York, the District of Columbia, Texas and Washington. A number of perpetrators were also alleged to have been in the UK, Nigeria, Canada, Malaysia and Ghana.
What does all of this mean? All of this reinforces that online shoppers must remain vigilant when they shop online. Cybercrime is only increasing. We have covered in previous posts 5 Steps for a Safe Online Shopping Experience. Shoppers should familiarize yourself with these and other steps to keep you safe online. The Ic3 also listed a good resource at www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com that consumers can look to for consumer alerts, tips and fraud trends. Separately, we have also given online sellers guidance as well on ways that merchants can build, demonstrate and increase trust for their website visitors so they can sell more.
We imagine cybercrime will only continue to grow and so we must be prepared to combat it by demanding transparency online and arming ourselves with information and safe shopping tactics so we do not become another victim.
Please tell us what you think of the 2009 Internet Crime Report and these statistics.
Yesterday at the International CTIA Wireless conference in Las Vegas, Sprint announced that they are releasing the first 4G-powered cell phone, the HTC EVO 4G, in the United States this Summer. 4G is the next generation of cell phones that all the major wireless carriers will be releasing in the 1-2 years and they are called 4G because they are supposed to be the next generation of phones able to transmit data 10 times as fast as the currently available 3G phones.
I know what you are thinking, “Big deal, sounds like another iPhone techy thing that won’t impact my business for a few years down the road.” Well, maybe…but maybe not. Up until now a lot of the really data intensive applications for cell phones have not been able to efficiently run on the existing cell phone networks so many people have only been able to use them while they are at a wi-fi hot spot or at home on their own wireless network. This 4G technology may very well change all of that. Here are a few game changing technologies and applications that these 4G phones are going to make possible in the next 3-4 months:
Video Cell Phone Calls - Not only is there an HD quality 8 mega-pixel camera on the back of the phone but there is also a 1.3 mega-pixel camera on the front of the phone so users can speak into the phone and view video while also transmitting a video of themselves to others. Video phone calls from home still haven’t really gone mainstream and video calls from current 3G phones isn’t really possibly because of data latency but this could very well bring video phone calling to the mainstream public. How would this change your business if consumers started expecting you to answer with a video phone in your store?
Google’s Goggles (Picture) Search – Google just introduced their new Google Goggles search with the new HTC EVO 4G smart phone. This new search technology for the Android operating system allows users to take pictures of objects and then the web browser on the phone automatically searches for information about the object in the picture. If you are drinking a bottle of wine and wonder what part of California the grapes are from…take a picture of the label and Google will automatically search for that information for you. This could be an extremely useful technology for small businesses to take advantage of while also driving additional traffic to their site when consumers search for their products using this new search technique.
4G Mobile Hot Spot - Another game changing technology that this new Sprint smart phone is bringing to market is the ability for up to 8 other devices to use the HTC EVO 4G phone as a wi-fi hot spot to connect to the Internet. In your car with your laptop and need to get online to check your email or the latest football scores? What would normally be impossible without a wireless modem or other device is now possible with your smart phone in your pocket!
Finally, as a follow-up to a post I made here a few months ago, I have finally decided which smart phone to purchase as my first step into this market…can you guess what it is going to be?
Shashi B talking social media at KikScore's and Network Solutions Social Commerce Camp DC
Social Commerce Camp DC speakers and Sponsors Network Solutions, KikScore and MyBusinessAssistant
Last Saturday morning, KikScore, Network Solutions, and MyBusinessAssistant.com put on the first ever Social Commerce Camp DC at the downtown offices of Mayer Brown. The event actually sold out after receiving considerable coverage in a number of places like Techcocktail the Washington Examiner, WomenGrowBusinessand GrowSmartBusiness. More than 70 small businesses, social media enthusiasts and online sellers showed up for networking and learning. The event featured three sessions from social media experts that included practical tips for using various social media tools, a real case study of social commerce success and great PR tips for small business. Pictures of the event, including the post-SCCDC Chipolte run, can be found here.
The morning got kicked off with some early networking, a great breakfast provided by the sponsors and everyone’s excitement about being in the absolutely gorgeous town hall conference room overlooking 19th Street. After some introductory remarks, Network Solutions’ Shashi B got Social Commerce Camp DC going with his rousing, often funny and super useful Social Media 101 for Small Business. Check out Shashi’s slides below that cover a range of subjects on social media including the basics of a small business social media plan which are: 1) Set up Google Alerts about your business, industry and your own name; 2) Start participating in conversations; 3) Become a content publisher via Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, Facebook etc 4) Claim you business on Yelp; 5) Encourage customers to review you and 6) Start using videos.
After a quick networking break, Steve Fisher and Mike Doughtery began the second session with an energetic and highly informative case study presentation on Creating a Killer Social Commerce Website Experience. It featured the very interesting discussion of their launch and promotion of the movie Browncoats: Redemption. Steve and Mike got the audience engaged as they walked through the basic components of building a successful social commerce experience which are: 1) Social Shopping; 2) Ratings & Reviews; 3) Recommendations & Referrals; 4) Forums & Communities; 5) Social Media; and 6) Social advertising.
After setting the baseline for the audience of the basics of the social commerce experience, Mike highlighted how the Browncoats: Redemption experience used a 6 step strategy to create awareness and buzz around the movie. The 6 steps were: 1) Establish your goals; 2) Build the community; 3) Give them good content; 4) Get them involved; 5) Get them investing and 6) Share the success. Check out their slides and the embedded video clips in them for more on the highly anticipated movie, their case study and these 6 steps:
The final session of the day featured the very highly regarded PR and social media specialist, Shonali Burke, who gave the attendees a great hands-on tutorial on PR Best Practices for Small Business. Shonali stressed that so much of PR today for small business is about relationships, presenting yourself in a consistent and presentable manner through your various online and offline channels. The audience got great tips on tools to use to get to know their customers better with survey tools like Survey Monkey along with good press release tools like Pitch Engine. Here are Shonali’s highly informative slides:
Some quick final thoughts. We think it was a great first event and thank all of the participants and speakers. Check out the hastag #sccdc on Twitter for the stream and conversation about the Social Commerce DC. Lastly, look out as the next Social Commerce Camp will be in Denver later this spring. In the meantime, we encourage all participants to keep up the good vibes and connect with each other! Also please check out the KikScore (SCCDC’s sponsor!) website out. We would love comments/feedback/thoughts on our new look and feel. We encourage you to sign up for our service if you have a business online. Its completely free. Try us out.
As you all know, we at KikScore are passionate about small business. We take every opportunity to hype small business as much as we can. Well a very interesting study was released last week about the state of American small businesses. The very informative Small Business Success Index (SBSI), sponsored by Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business had some interesting findings (The SBSI can be found at www.growsmartbusiness.com). In particular, there are some very informative findings in the study about the growth of social media use and adoption by small businesses over the last year and especially during the time of our rough economy. Here are just a few of the key findings in that area:
What may this mean? One theory is that as we went through the rough economic times over the last 18 months, small business may have decided to slow down traditional spending on marketing and focused on devoting more time and resources on using free marketing tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. While we know that these are not really “free”, because there is a precious value that is associated with the time that small businesses spent using these tools, nevertheless the low cost marketing alternatives that these tools offer may have really proved to be great options during leaner times. And that is could very well be why we are seeing this growth in small business social media adoption.
I can tell you this, at KikScore as we have described in some previous posts social media has really been the core driving force of our marketing efforts and it will continue to be in the future. As an example, everyone of the links to the tools mentioned above actually goes to a KikScore social media property. In fact, just yesterday we set up a Flickr page. We have used each of these tools instead of spending our precious cash on traditional marketing efforts. The SBSI findings seem to indicate that we are part of a growing group of businesses that are doing just that.
I do wonder whether these trends will continue as the economy hopefully starts to pick up. What do you think is the reasons behind this growth in social media that was found in the study?
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