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More and more businesses are relying on YouTube to share video: Realtors show clips of their properties, developers show product demos, and so on. Now you can edit and gussy-up those videos using YouTube Remixer, a free tool powered by Adobe Premiere Express. All you do is choose a video you'v...
One of the benefits of having a laptop is that when the power goes out, it simply switches over to battery power and there's no harm done. But if you happen to experience a California brownout--or even an ill-timed kick to the power cord under your desk--you'll notice that desktops react somewhat ...
Are you always running late? If not, I'll bet you know someone who is. Either way, check out Lifehack.org's "Are you late?", which outlines the negative aspects associated with tardiness, the positive aspects of being punctual, and ways to train yourself in the art of the latter. For example: Me...
Today is tax day (for those of us who file quarterly, anyway), which reminds me how important it is to keep good records in case the taxman cometh for an audit. For example, if you deduct your mileage, it's critical to have a log that meets IRS standards--meaning it includes dates, odometer readings...
For a small business, effective marketing can mean the difference between a healthy bottom line and an unwelcome visit from the bank. Marketing guru Calvin Harvey lists five "deadly" small-business marketing mistakes you'll definitely want to avoid. For example, confusing talent with business savv...
In the New York Times today, there's an interesting article about a computer problem for PCs that has happened to me several times. I'll be getting set up in an airplane to watch a movie or presentation on my laptop when the sound stops working. Once, it was because I downloaded something that alter...
Can a browser make you more productive? It can if it's Firefox and you've installed these six extensions: Auto Copy This extension performs the simplest of functions: It automatically copies selected text to the clipboard. It may not sound like a big deal, but it saves you having to press Ctrl...
More and more businesses rely on team members who are spread out across the country, if not the globe. How can such a team stay connected, communicate effectively, and operate efficiently? With a virtual office, of course. Read/WriteWeb explains how to build one that includes various essential com...
The best way to win a pricing war is to avoid the fight entirely. These products do battle in tough markets, but they generate profits without competing on the basis of price.
It's every company's nightmare: a competitor enters your market with a similar product priced at a fraction of what you currently charge. You need a strategy for beating the low-ballers. So what's the best way to proceed? On the one hand, all you need to do is drop your prices below the competition, and buyers will beat a path to your door. On the other hand, this approach will land you in a price war, and there are no winners in a price war — only survivors. Even if you manage to run your competitor out of business, chances are you may not have much of a business left when the battle is over. Luckily, it is possible to beat a lower-priced competitor without crippling your profits. That's the good news. The bad news is that you'll need to make major operational changes, and you'll need to rethink how you communicate with customers. The changes required may not be for the faint of heart, but they're better than the alternatives. So gird your loins, corporate warriors; you're about to embark on one of the biggest strategy challenges you'll ever face.
Need advice on how to fend off a low-cost rival? These books are good places to start.
What does it take to win against the low-ballers? We asked executives from two highly competitive markets — general interest magazines and consumer electronics — how they get customers to pay more.
Or if you don't use one yet, get one now. Really Simple Syndication is a really simple way to manage the articles, blog posts, and web searches that you want to keep up with--without actually having to take the time to go to each site. Web-based Bloglines has treated me very well, as my crotchety D...
These days, who needs a fax machine? That's the question posed by Web Worker Daily, which argues that faxes are barely necessary in the modern business world, and when they are, you can usually turn to Internet alternatives. An excerpt: The precursor to the modern fax machine was patented in 1843....
Want to know what kind of traffic your site is getting? Where that traffic is coming from? How your ads are performing? Google Analytics provides that kind of information and a lot more. It's a free service that any site owner can use; all you do is sign up for an account and add a snippet of code...
