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  • Why Etsy, Kickstarter, and AirBnb Succeeded While Others Failed

    Chris Dixon, serial entrepreneur and investor in Kickstarter, recently wrote a post entitled “An internet of people,” where he asks why companies like Etsy, Kickstarter, and AirBnb are succeeding now when others like them have failed before.


    Before Kickstarter there were these metal things that started motorcycles.

    One of my most popular posts is on why Collegeclub.com failed when Myspace and Facebook succeeded and in that post I propose that the reason was bad management and the high cost of technology at the time (Leslie Perlow argued that Collegeclub was ‘Saying yes when they really meant no’), but when Chris Dixon asked Roelof Botha the “why now” question regarding web-based marketplaces, “He said something I thought was really interesting: marketplaces depend on trust, and trust requires knowing the reputation of a prospective counterparty. Today, for the first time, you can get background information on almost any prospective counterparty by searching Google, Facebook etc. Or put more simply: we finally have an internet of people.”

    Google’s authorship markup verification process has helped make the web less anonymous and so has Google+, which doesn’t allow pseudonyms, only real names. Brian Manning commented that, “eBay has been doing this successfully since the 90s. In the beginning their key hurdle to success was a lack of trust among buyers and sellers. At the time, they built extremely innovative tools that helped make users comfortable that they weren’t going to get ripped off; ratings and recommendations, slick complaint process, good customer service, etc. This was critical to their success. I recall reading that as trust among users increased so did eBay’s site usage and revenue. ‘Trust’ was their key revenue driver,” to which FAKE GRIMLOCK responded for the need for a “REPUTATION SYSTEM FOR INTERNET”. I agree, which is why I started YourSCOR, which was supposed to use metrics from eBay, Facebook, and Twitter to create a new type of credit score that people could control instead of corporations. It was supposed to be the “FICO for the Masses!”

    Apparently banks are starting to think the same way as this article points out, As Banks Start Nosing Around Facebook and Twitter, the Wrong Friends Might Just Sink Your Credit. Of course sites like Reputation.com have been around for a while, they are more like a super-sized Google alert with a dashboard (please correct me if I’m wrong). What’s lacking is a Klout-type mechanism for trust in people on the Internet. I may not be the one to bring it to the table, but surely someone will.

  • How to Auto-Forward Text Messages to Email in Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, and the iPhone

    It may seem counter-intuitive to some to forward a SMS message to an email address when most devices that can receive text messages can also receive email, but sometimes you don’t have access to your phone, yet you still need access to the text messages. This could happen if you lose your phone, leave your phone at work or in the car, or simply not be able to bring it to work or some other restricted location.

    I personally started using it when my customers started texting me long requests that I’d have to retype or manually forward to get into a usable form on my computer. It could also be useful for those of you who run a business on the side and want to keep your day job. You can use tools like this to forward text messages as emails to a personal assistant or your partner. For whatever the reason, you’re probably here looking for the answer, just like I was before I found the solution.

    Below are solutions for how to auto-forward your text messages to email for Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, and Apple iPhones.

    Android Phones

    TextBusy by Gatehill Software – $1.23

    I use TextBusy, which works great. It requires you to use a Gmail account to forward the emails so all of the SMS messages will be coming to you from whatever address you specify. Whatever bad reviews you see out there from August – disregard as those have been fixed by now as you can see by the latest review on September 15th. For $1.23 it’s well worth the money. It currently has 9 reviews on the Android Market.

    txtForward by Electric Pocket – $3.19

    txtForward txtForward automatically sends a copy of your SMS text messages to any email address you specify, for backup or as a handy way to get your messages at your desk.
    Send your SMS messages automatically to any email address, and easily back them up or read them from your desktop email client. It’s available for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile too. It currently has 38 reviews on the Android Market.

    SMS2Gmail by EireApps – FREE

    SMS2Gmail forwards SMS and missed call information to Gmail account. This application allows you to forward your SMS messages and missed calls to a user defined gmail account, and you can activate it remotely. If your phone is at home for example and you are not, send it an SMS from a friends phone or webtext and activate this service. It currently has 57 reviews on the Android Market.

    Blackberry Phones

    SMS Auto Forward to Email Pro by Value Apps – $3.99

    SMS Auto Forward to Email lets you forward all incoming SMS messages to an email address automatically. Very handy if you keep changing your handsets or like to delete your text messages. Keep a log/backup of all your text messages. Once installed and running, you don’t need to do anything. The app runs in the background and send every incoming text message automatically to an email address of your choice.

    txtForward automatically sends a copy of your SMS text messages to any email address you specify, for backup or as a handy way to get your messages at your desk.
    Send your SMS messages automatically to any email address, and easily back them up or read them from your desktop email client.

    Windows Mobile

    txtForward automatically sends a copy of your SMS text messages to any email address you specify, for backup or as a handy way to get your messages at your desk.
    Send your SMS messages automatically to any email address, and easily back them up or read them from your desktop email client.

    Palm Pre

    SMS Auto Forward/Reply by Grabber Software

    NOTE: This app does not work on webOS 2.x. SMS Auto Forward/Reply forwards text messages to the mobile number of your choice (number must be in your contacts). You can also send an auto-reply message to the sender. Your phone must be turned on and in coverage for this application to work. While this isn’t text-to-email, it may be the best a Palm Pre user can get. If you know of another app for Pre’s let us know in the comments.

    Apple iPhones

    Unfortunately, there are no apps to auto-forward text message from the iPhone (this is an opportunity for app developers!). For iPhones using firmware 3.0 or higher, manual forwarding of SMS messages is a built-in feature. To manually forward a text message, simply:

    1. view the SMS text message you’d like to forward
    2. select EDIT at the top of the screen
    3. check off the message(s) you’d like to forward
    4. tap FORWARD at the bottom right of the screen

    iSMS/weiSMS

    For those using older firmware, there is a third-party application for the iPhone, iSMS/weiSMS, with which it is possible to send text messages to multiple individuals as well as forward text messages.

    SMSD

    SMSD is a free and easy to use iPhone SMS management application which lets you delete individual Messages, backup all message through mail, manually forward messages, and manually Send/Forward messages to multiple contacts.

  • 6 Ways to Install Android APK Files

    MID Tablets had a post on how to add the Android Market app to a Coby Kyros tablet without rooting, but I wanted to revise the article to be about different ways to install Android APK files in general.

    Different Ways to Install Android APK Files

    There are various ways to install Android apps, which are really just “APK” files, besides using the Android Market. APK stands for “Android Package Kit”, which would be like an “EXE” on Windows PCs. While Android Market is the most popular and most trusted way to add and install APK files to your Android device, there are other ways to go about it. Here are some of the most popular:

    • Android Market – an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program (“app”) called “Market”, preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers. Users can also search for and read detailed information about apps on the Android Market website.
    • Amazon Appstore – a mobile application store for the Android operating system that includes a “free app a day” feature. Every day, an application, frequently a game, is offered for free. The Amazon Appstore is currently only available in the US and no official announcements have been made about increasing availability to other regions.
    • AppsLib – A marketplace aimed at all kinds of android devices; Appslib specializes in android devices that can’t get google certification; tablets, eReaders, PMPs and more. With over 30 thousand applications available, worldwide, it has a simple, hassle-free certification process, and all updates to Appslib are automatically pushed to users.
    • GetJar – GetJar is the world’s largest free app store with over 2 billion downloads to date. The company distributes more than 350,000 mobile applications across a variety of operating systems including Android, Blackberry, Java, Symbian and mobile web. 395,000 developers have registered with GetJar to distribute their apps.
    • Android SDK – a comprehensive set of development tools for Android. These include a debugger, libraries, a handset emulator (based on QEMU), documentation, sample code, and tutorials. Currently supported development platforms include computers running Linux (any modern desktop Linux distribution), Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later, Windows XP or later.
    • Easy Installer – a free Android app from Infolife, LLC that installs apps from APK files on SD cards. It lists all the apk files on the SD card, allowing you to select apps that you want to install. Click the “Install Selected Apps” button for easy installation.

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  • December 2011 Update

    This has been a busy month. We’ve been developing a new WordPress theme for use with all of our sites and it’s working really well. Let’s cover the sites recently converted to the new theme this past month.

    Managing Actions was converted from a management consulting business to a web site about management consulting.  The SDN continues to create fake news and has just recently started posting about individual topics versus news-bytes from its newsletter. eAccessories has had a lot of success this past Christmas season promoting ereader accessories along with Nook Share, which promotes nook covers.  Mobile Devices continues to cover – yep you guessed it – mobile devices, but now with the new, refreshed theme. Suzanne has began writing again on her popular motivated moms blog, And They Lived Happily Ever After, which also has a new, albeit different, theme. An Entrepreneurial Mind continues to add new posts and insights into what Erich is working on, dovetailing with eRich Online, which covers how to make money online. Learning Sets is a brand new site, but is already doing well, helping parents and teachers find educational science kits and toys for kids.  Lost Post, a blog about ABC’s LOST and pop culture in general, was also converted.  Query String, a web site that helps programmers find Google Map query string arguments, was also converted. Digitions, a blog about digital editions of books, magazines, and newspapers, has also been converted.  Geek Hand, which we wrote about in July when it was introduced, has also been converted and will soon be covering board game tournaments. Another one of our new blogs, C’outure, is now promoting high fashion clothes and accessories. Ether Fleet, formerly a network consulting service, now reports on cloud computing and GPS tracking software using the new theme. Stay Alert Energy is as bright as ever, continuing to post on how to stay alert. Erich Stauffer, the web site about the figurine designer for Arnart creations, has now branched out to cover porcelain figurines and other collectibles.  Webories, a web directories catalog, is now up and running after a long planning session.  And the last two new sites, Nookington’s and Item Processing, are both on the new theme and are providing quality content on Wii games, hardware, and accessories and items processing terms, respectively.

    Stay tuned as Cost Publishing continues to grow and provide guides to those looking to find information on the Internet.  Cost Publishing works hand-in-hand with the search engines to bring you relevant information about what you are looking for online.  Follow Cost Publishing on Twitter for more up to date information.

  • Best Android Tablet PCs for Any Budget

    If you’re in the market for a new Android tablet PC, Tablet Comparison has compiled a list of the the best tablet PCs under $300 and the best tablet PCs over $300. You may be surprised how far your dollar can go this Christmas season. Most are Android tablet PCs with the exceptions being Apple’s iPad 2, which runs Apple’s iOS. In the tablet market, Android is like Microsoft Windows and iOS is like Apple’s Snow Leopard or Lion OSX.

    While there are many Android tablets under $300, there were only 5 tablets listed over $300 and of the five, the top two models, Apple’s iPad 2 and Motorola’s Xoom battle it out. While at first glance, the Samsung Galaxy Tab may have seemed like an iPad-killer (especially due to the pending patent litigation in multiple countries between Apple and Saumsung) and more recently, the Kindle Fire, the people actually buying these tablets are the one doing the most comparing between the iPad 2 and the Xoom. The one reviewer who compared the iPad and the Xoom to checkers and chess said it well. If you want easy and repeatable over time, get the iPad, but if you want a more in-depth experience over time, you’ll want the Xoom. The Xoom is an Android tablet. You could just as easily compare any Apple device to any Android device with the same chess/checkers analogy and be right. This is how Apple wanted it to be (and vice versa).

    Of the Android tablets under $300, the three that stick out to me are the Amazon Kindle Fire, the Coby Kyros, and the Nook Tablet. Of those three, although the Kindle Fire is only $199, the Coby Kyros Tablet may just be the best value as it’s models range from $205 for the 10.1 inch tablet to $157 for the 7 inch tablet. For comparison, the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet are both 7 in Android tablets. Not that size or price is the most important factor in choosing a tablet PC, but out of 352 reviews, the tablet is averaging 3.5 out of 5 stars, 107 of those being 5 stars.

    One other factor to consider is the availability of covers, cases, and accessories for your tablets. The Apple iPad 2 and Nook Tablet both have the same form factors as their iPad and Nook Color predecessors, but the Kindle Fire, Motorola Xoom, and Coby Kyros tablets are new form factors that accessories makers may be behind in creating new after-market products for. A new website, MID Tablets plans on covering the different Coby Kyros tablet models (each prefaced with a different ‘MID’ which stands for mobile internet device) and the availability of Coby Kyros cases, chargers, and accessories. The same people who brought you Nook Share, which covers the Nook line and their accessories, are the ones behind this new MID Tablets site and the Tablet Comparison site.

  • It’s Your Life

    As you may or may not know, I’m an Indianapolis web designer who specializes in making custom WordPress themes. I also do affiliate marketing and write on the side. This is one of those posts that’s more traditional to a formal blog, the kind that people like to look down on blogging because of – because the author is just talking about what “he had for breakfast”. Sometimes posts like that are useful if they give you insight into how other people are living and solving problems in their daily life. I’m hoping this post can be sort of like that.

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  • How To Run Google Maps On the Kindle Fire

    The new Amazon Kindle Fire is a full-blown Android tablet for only $199. However, by default, Google Maps is not installed and neither is the Android Market, but this doesn’t mean you can’t install Google Maps – you just can’t do it from Amazon’s App Store.

    The workaround is to use an Android phone which can access the Android Market.

    And the best part? You don’t need to “root” your phone or Kindle Fire tablet to do this PLUS Amazon doesn’t oppose adding apps in this way (like Barnes and Noble did initially with the Nook Color).

    The Kindle Fire can install any app in the standard Android APK format and you can find APKs scattered around the Internet on various sites, but it’s recommended to only use the ones found in the Android Market to avoid infecting your phone or tablet.

    Next, we’ll explain how to move any Android APK app from an Android phone running Gingerbread (Android 2.3 – check your system settings to know for sure) to a Kindle Fire.

    7 Steps to Installing Google Maps on the Kindle FireGet the Google Maps App on the Kindle Fire

    1. Using Astro File Manager on your Android phone, change the Preferences of the Backup Directory to “/mnt/sdcard-ext” or “/mnt/external-sd” or “sdcard”, whatever the MicroSD card is called. Click OK twice, then Back three times.
    2. Still in Astro File Manager, click “Application Backup” then select Google Maps and any other apps you want to move to the Kindle Fire. Click Backup. The Android APK files have now been copied to your external MicroSD card.
    3. Now hook your Android phone up to your PC using a USB cable. Open the drive which appears on your PC, and look for the “backups” folder. Open the “apps” folder within backups. Copy all the APK files from there onto your PC.
    4. Now pick up your Kindle Fire and browse to the Appstore for Android to download “Easy Installer” from INFOLIFE. Don’t worry, it’s free.
    5. Plug your Kindle Fire into your PC using a USB cable and when it’s drive appears on your PC, copy the Android APK files (Google Maps and whatever else you copied) into it.
    6. Now disconnect the Kindle Fire from the PC and open Easy Installer in Apps. You will be able to choose an app to install from a list of the APK files you copied.
    7. Choose Google Apps and any other apps you want to install and click, “Install Selected Apps.” You now have Google Maps installed on your Amazon Kindle Fire!
  • Map Pins and World Maps

    While not expensive, the types of map pins you choose can greatly affect the way your wall maps end up looking over time. Whether you’re displaying your map behind glass, in a restaurant, or in a corporate environment, you’re going to want to choose from a selection of different types of map pins.

    Map pins are different than normal stick pins or push pins because of their balled tops and short pen stems. Choose from red, gold, and assorted colors of map pins here at Map Strings, your resource for online and offline map technology for geospatial analysts working in geospatial information technology.

    Maped Map PinsMaped Map Pins in Reusable Plastic Case, 100 Pins per Box, Assorted Colors – synonymous with continuous innovation, top design and high quality. These 5mm Map Pins are packaged in a handy reusable plastic container that allows you to safely store your pins without fear of poking yourself in the finger every time you rummage in your tool box or junk drawer. They are available in a pack of 100 pins in assorted colors and perfect for all map pinning needs. For over 60 years Maped has been creating innovative, high-quality products and renewing the often traditional school and office accessories markets with an assortment of ergonomic and eye-catching products tailored to the needs of the consumer.

    Map Tacks Red1/8 Inch Map Tacks – Red – 1/8 inch red map tacks from Moore Push Pin Co are perfect for marking addresses, sales territories, shipping routes, franchise locations, and more. Medium round head map tacks. 1/8″ head, 5/16″ point, quantity 100. One reviewer said, “I just pushed the little bugger in and there it stayed just like magic! so awesome, I’m so happy!” Moore Push Pin Co are the designers, manufacturers, and marketers of innovative fastener products. These include Push-Pins, Twisted Picture Hangers, Map Tacks, Clip Hangers™ and Sharks Tooth Picture Hangers. Now entering it’s fourth generation of family ownership, Moore continues to produce high quality, market creating items used around the world.

    GEM Map Tacks Plastic AssortedGEM Map Tacks, Plastic, Assorted – Round head map tacks mark locations on maps for easy and quick identification. Made in U.S.A. Head Material: Plastic; Head Diameter: 3/16 Inches; Pin Material: Steel; Color(s): Assorted. 3/8″ is referring to the length of the METAL PIN only. The pin head measures 1/8″ and the full length is just over 1/2″. If you want a container for your pins, get the Maped pins above. GEM map pins are made by Gem Office Products, LLC., which is a part of Advantus Corp., a diverse consumer products company headquartered in Jacksonville Florida. Advantus has been making quality products since 1913. They manufacture over 1,500 products in Jacksonville, Florida, Mequon, Wisconsin, and in Asia.

    Map Tacks Gold1/8 Inch Gold Map Tacks – 1/8 inch black map tacks. Perfect for marking addresses, sales territories, shipping routes, franchise locations, and more. When considering pin colors, think about the background color of the map. Actually, map pins aren’t just for wall maps. Art galleries buy pins with numbered heads to identify artists work and planners use map pins on schematics to identify key tasks in a project. Some Chinese plastic pin heads will crack and break, so look for pins made in America. However, this may be harder to do than meets the eye – just because a company is headquartered in America, doesn’t mean the map pins are manufactured there.

    Map Tacks Assorted Colors1/8 Inch Assorted Color Map Tacks – 1/8 inch assorted color map tacks. Perfect for marking addresses, sales territories, shipping routes, franchise locations, and more. Box contains 20 of each of the following colors: red, green, blue, yellow, and orange. One reviewer said, “The tacks arrived on time and were a pleasure on the wall maps of our world travels. I had to reorder because I did not get enough.”

    World Executive Poster Sized Wall Map

    This elegant, richly colored, antique-style world map features the incredible cartographic detail that is the trademark quality of National Geographic. The map features a Tripel Projection, which reduces distortion of land masses as they near the poles. Corner inset maps feature vegetation and land use, and population density. Winner of the 2001 Premier Print Award from Printing Industries of America for unique ability to create visual masterpieces. Winner of the 2002 Best Reference Map from the American Congress on Surveying & Mapping.

    World Executive Poster Sized Wall Map

    • Convenient, easy to frame poster size (36” Wide x 24” Tall)
    • Scale size: 1:45,366,000

    Founded in 1915 as the Cartographic Group, the first division of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Maps has been responsible for illustrating the world around us through the art and science of mapmaking.

    Today, National Geographic Maps continues this mission by creating the world s best wall maps, recreation maps, atlases, and globes which inspire people to care about and explore their world. All proceeds from the sale of National Geographic maps go to support the Society s non-profit mission to increase global understanding and promote conservation of our planet through exploration, research, and education.

  • Visualize WordPress Categories by Post Count

    This is a cool WordPress charting tool to visualize your WordPress posts by category into an auto-updating chart. It works by querying WordPress for its posts counts and then using the Google API for creating charts to create and display an image. The JPG that is returned is actually stored on Google’s servers, but displayed on whatever post or page you add it to. The plugin currently uses a shortcode (category-chart) to display and doesn’t work in the sidebar, nor does it have a widget. And if you want to change the charts title, width, and height, you’re going to have to manually edit the one PHP file it uses to run. It’s simple enough to figure out where to make changes, but here is what the pie chart looks like by default:

    Thanks to Elvin Haci for making this neat WordPress post charting plugin.