My new article "Four Steps to Better Business Leads From Search" is now available as part of Search Engine Land’s Strictly Business column, which covers topics related to B2B search marketing.
Microsoft Acquires devBiz Business Solutions
Microsoft announced it has acquired .NET software development company devBiz Solutions. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant plans to integrate devBiz’s web client products into its Visual Studio 2005 Team System (VSTS).
Microsoft says the tools devBiz offers will benefit software architects, developers, testers and product managers by allowing multiple ways to access the Team Foundation Server (TFS).
Business Rules and SDLC
Bhaskar Sharma of HCL wrote me a little while ago and asked about business rules and the software development life cycle (SDLC).
Business Rules & the Rational Process
Periodically I get asked about bringing business rules into the Rational Unified Process or RUP. RUP and the Enterprise Unified Process are designed to apply UML and best practices in a formal way.
Small Business and Health Care
As a small business owner, I’m concerned about the growing costs of health care. This year our insurance went up 16%…nothing to sneeze at. We also upped our company contribution to 60% (from 50%), so I’m acutely aware of this cost on our bottom line.
A few weeks back, BusinessWeek ran an interesting story called Get Healthy–Or Else, about how Scotts, the lawn-care company, is tackling the high cost of health insurance. Some might argue their approach is forward thinking (one employee’s life was saved by being nagged to go to a physical) or invasive (another employee was let go for failing a drug test for…tobacco.)
McAfee: The Internet Is Risky Business
It’s no secret that the Internet is rife with phishing and malware sites that look to prey upon unsuspecting web surfers. In a recent study, McAfee decided to take a geographical look at both the safest and riskiest places to surf the web.
MMOs For Mainstream Business?
With the success of World of Warcraft, Blizzard has all but achieved a license to print money based on revenue generated from recurring subscriptions and expansion software.
Mainstream companies have taken notice of the growing interest in online gaming and have taken steps to market their respective brands in virtual worlds, particularly within Second Life.
Giving Away Business Ideas
I had coffee with a potential partner and our conversation ebbed to a discussion about marketing philosophy. He said something like, "I think companies [like yours] just give away many of their trade secrets on their website.
They provide too much information. If I wanted to compete with you… all I would need to do is read your website or blog. The purpose of a website is to solicit interest… you’ve got to get people to respond… to generate leads."
My response…
Prerequisites For Business-Driven Web 2.0 Efforts
Since the beginning of the year, have been asked the following question (in various forms) time and time again: If we want to use this social media "stuff" to connect with customers, how do we get started?
Online Resource For Small Business
There is a new online resource that is focused on providing useful information to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The Biz Info Library launched today providing access to information, ideas and insights on owning a company.
“There’s too much information about entrepreneurship out there, so it’s difficult and time-consuming to determine what, and who to believe,” said venture capitalist and blogger Guy Kawasaki.” What’s needed is a vertical search engine for entrepreneurs and The Biz Info Library delivers on this need.”