startups

Myspace, the Sequel

With Facebook surging, cofounders Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson have gone back to their roots -- music, pop culture, and a proven cash-flow ad model -- to spur a next phase of growth. Will that be enough for boss Rupert Murdoch?READ»

• MySpace: A Place for Friends...To Get More Famous
• Robert Scoble Interviews MySpace CEO
• These Brands Are Made for Myspace
• The Box Score
• The Philosophy of MySpace with VP of Product Management
• Talking Tech With MySpace CTO
• Famous Faces on MySpace

The Web's 10 Most Unusual Social Networks

Odd hobbies? Bizarre preoccupations? You'll fit right in.READ»

• The Web's 10 Weirdest Social Networks
• 9 Social Networks That Aren't for Everyone
• How to Build Your Own Social Network
• Ning's Infinite Ambition

Micro Venture Capitalists - Filling the Funding Gap

It used to be that venture capitalists either went big or went home. If the investment wasn’t $1.5 million or more, the deal just wasn’t interesting to them. Unfortunately, this often left early stage companies facing a funding ...READ»

10 Web 2.0 Failures

Business model: RSSCalendar enabled users to create RSS feeds from Outlook and iCal calendars. Lookout Software, L.L.C. purchased it on eBay in October 2007, carrying it on as a similar service.Why it failed: If people aren't ready ...READ»

When Performance Reviews Underperform

If you let subordinates select their own performance criteria, most of the time they will make the wrong choice. Get the best out of your employees by creating effective, high-quality performance criteria documents -- here's how. READ»

Shifting Gears at 105 mph -- Without Flying off a Cliff

Part IX: The Growth of a Brand. Karen Post continues to offer branding lessons from a social-networking startup.READ»

To Grow Your Firm, Put the Brakes on Bad Habits

Learn how using Behavior Change Groups can make a lasting impact on recognizing, and quelling, many of the bad habits that damage employee morale and workplace productivity. READ»

The New Guy

The way you manage the first weeks with a new employee can boost someone's entire career. And if you're the new guy, there's no better time to make new relationships and start your career off in the right direction. READ»

Obscura Digital's High Def Projections

A multi-media design lab out of San Francisco lights up companies such as GM, Google, and Oracle with mind-blowing projections. READ»

• The State of Mobile Advertising

American Apparel's New Image

In the beginning, American Apparel put a "sweatshop free" label on its t-shirts. But sex turned out to be a better sell than good labor practices. Lessons in the limits of altruism.READ»

• 7 Fabulous Things You Probably Shouldn't Buy
• In Fashion, Green is the New Black

Coming Soon: Nontrepreneur Nation

Coming Soon: Nontrepreneur Nation How parenting and education are killing American entrepreneurship and innovation Despite how U.S. students continue to lag far behind those in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and ...READ»

Virtuous Circles

A graphic representation of Ning's "double viral loop" maps the patterns of invitations sent and accepted by new members across its networksREAD»

• Nings Infinite Ambition

Ning's Infinite Ambition

It isn't just a site where users can build their own social networks -- Ning is a model of how to create a perpetual growth machine.READ»

• 9 Social Networks That Aren't for Everyone
• Virtuous Circles

All Systems Go

How General Electric's jet-engine division in Ohio is boosting the company's business in China. A case study in advanced global strategy.READ»

• China's Airport Boom

When the Giving Gets Tough

A nonprofit startup set itself up as a watchdog -- then showed how easy it is to lose your own credibility.READ»

• America the Generous
• 45 World-Changers

The Hot Zone

A Google-backed startup called Meraki thinks it can succeed where others have failed, building citywide Wi-Fi networks. First up: San Francisco. READ»

• Whither Municipal Wi-Fi?

Beyond Ballistic

David Chu Executive Creative Director TUMI Nautica founder David Chu took the creative helm at luggage maker Tumi last year. "Tumi has been around for 30-some years, and it has mostly followed a black ballistic-nylon ...READ»

• Designs on Success
• Homage to History
• A Club is Reborn
• Keeping it Cool

¡Hola Surfers!

When it comes to attracting the lucrative, fast-growing Hispanic demographic online, don't go with what you know--go with what you know works.READ»

Zipcar Makes the Leap

The car-sharing darling makes its play for the mainstream by emphasizing economics and lifestyle over environmental impact.READ»

• Infographic: With Car Sharing, More Means Less

Never Pre-Judge

Never pre-judge. Don't think a person my be too old for a job. A person's work experience can be more valuable than a college degree. When you interview to fill a job position, do not make the mistake of not considering older ...READ»

Rule #1 for a Startup - Develop a Sales Strategy

Develop a sales strategy as soon as possible. This is one of the most important things that you can do. I understand that in the beginning startups focus on technology or product development. However, it is never too soon to think ...READ»

It's the Little Things That Matter

Why do some people succeed and others don't? Two sports teams with equal talent and the same records. One wins the championship and the other doesn't. Why? Two animators or texture mappers enter a contest. Both have the same ...READ»

Avatars and Online Identity

Avatars are important! I believe as online communication increases and as virtual worlds become more commonplace, the avatar we choose to be, becomes part of our online identity. We buy books at Amazon, music from iTunes; we buy ...READ»

What Avatars Say About Yourself

Avatars and virtual worlds are reflections of ourselves. We may enter a virtual world to escape the pressures of the real world or enter a virtual world to explore creations of one's or an other's imagination. However, they say ...READ»

Avatars and Education

Avatars are excellent for online education. They provide the human interaction that is natural in classrooms and in the traditional learning environment. I teach students online. Message boards, email, and instant ...READ»