The Big Day

Allright, you have about 11. While I'm sad to see you go, I think I'm worn out and you are all ready for summer. I hop you had some fun and learned something.

The Final Exam

Just wanted to touch base on the Final Exam. The Final is on Tuesday at 10:15 in room 303. I posted a quick final exam tips echo. I spent a couple minutes on each question, so it should help and not take too much of your time. You can find it here and in the "Video Lecture" section on Blackboard. Also, you will find your Team Evaluation Form in the "Assignments" section of Blackboard. Please fill it out and submit it. If you have any questions or need help, send me an email or stop by.

View Final Exam Tips

It's Break Up Time

It's not you, it's me. I can't do this anymore, all these late nights and long project papers. We need to break up. It's been fun, but I need to golf on Tuesdays and you need to get jobs. Seriously, this was a great semester, we covered a bunch of stuff and I'll bet the non-techies are pretty close to techies today. Hopefully you all learned something.

I'll post an echo tomorrow morning (clues for the final and who knows what else).

Online Quiz Due Today at 11:55PM!!!

Just a friendly reminder, your quiz is due today at 11:55PM!!! 28 of you still need to take the quiz. You will find it in Blackboard>Assignments.

--Scott

Team Project Presentation Schedule

April 16 - Thursday
BioTechnology
Mobile Commerce

April 23 - Thursday
Fantastic 5
Wearable Computers
MERG
BlueTooths
Handheld Gaming

April 28 - Tuesday
Virtual Goods
In Game Advertising
Tourzilla
Gesture Control Devices

April 14 -17

This week we will focus on two very important aspects of Internet based business and entrepreneurship: Internet Marketing and E-Commerce Systems. Today we will focus on "How To Catch a Mouse," specifically we'll talk about understanding your environment, Internet Marketing techniques, campaigns and web analytics. Finally, on Thursday we will discuss E-commerce systems and hosting issues.

Assigned reading: 3G Internet Marketing pgs. 93-168
Assignments Due: Team Projects Due April 17

Web Programming & Technologies

I wanted to post a follow up to Jim Daley's talk on Tuesday. Obviously it was very informative and very technical. Here are the top five topics along with an resource to help explain them (in case I ask you on a quiz). Again, if you were confused, the links below will help you!

AJAX
Article: http://webdesign.about.com/od/ajax/a/aa101705.htm
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJXLRLDWjn4

XML
Article: http://www.w3schools.com/XML/xml_whatis.asp
Article: http://www.textuality.com/xml/

API
Article: http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/apis-who-what-why-how/
Video: http://blip.tv/file/399231/

MashUP
Article: http://webtrends.about.com/od/webmashups/a/what-is-mashup.htm
Video: http://news.zdnet.com/2422-13569_22-152729.html

SQL
Article: http://cplus.about.com/od/thebusinessofsoftware/a/whatissql.htm
Demo: http://www.w3schools.com/sql/sql_intro.asp

Team Project Examples

So I stared reading over your drafts and I was pretty disappointed that most of you didn't take advantage of the time given and opportunity for me to review it (actually one group is almost done). As we get closer to the due date for our Team Projects I thought it would be a good idea to provide you with a couple above average team projects from last year (These were B+/A- projects).

Smart Clothing

RFID

Wearable Computers

Wireless Consumer Marketplace

Research In Motion's (RIM) media-rich BlackBerry smartphones, such as the Pearl, Curve, Storm and Bold models, compete with Apple's iPhone for retail customers. RIM has pushed aggressively to diversify its user base beyond executives, lawyers, politicians and other professionals who use BlackBerrys to send wireless e-mail.

RIM opens software store for BlackBerry
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE5300R920090401

Will this new store allow Blackberry to cut over to the broader consumer marketplace (the iPhone space)?

The Sixth Sense

Here is an amazing Digital Convergence tool.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

Week of 3/24- 3/27

OK, we've had a one week to get all the toxins out, it is time to get back on track. Last week I had you read from 3G Marketing on the Internet pages 1-32. That was a good start to the semester, but we are going move away from the book and learn more about the wireless Internet Infrastructure and interesting developments in that area. Plus on Tuesday we will get our midterms back and go over the midterm.

Definitions

How the Internet Works
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-infrastructure.htm

How Wireless Technology Works
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm


Trends
Telcom Trends 2009
http://www.convergedigest.com/PacketSystems/packetsysarticle.asp?ID=26226

Wireless Trends Article 1
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/industry-outlook-maravedis-top-wireless-trends-2009/2009-01-29

Social Media, Online Marketing and Internet Trends for 2009
http://compassioninpolitics.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/five-top-social-media-and-web-trends-for-2009/

Wireless Trends Article 2
http://www.wimax360.com/profiles/blogs/top-ten-wireless-trends-for

Web Trends 2009
http://ashko.blogspot.com/2008/06/2008-2009-web-trends-web-30.html


Techy Discussions & Issues

3G vs. 4G (Techy!)
http://www.nd.edu/~mhaenggi/NET/wireless/4G/

3G vs. 4G
http://mobileinsight.blogspot.com/2008/01/3g-vs-4g.html

WiMAX vs. 3G/4G is Good Competition
http://mobilesociety.typepad.com/mobile_life/2007/02/why_wimax_vs_3g.html

Quick Tips of Midterm and Questions?

I posted "files for you" in the right hand column. If you have any questions, please ask, I'll respond right on the blog.

Know Guy's Rules - Watch the Video Below (1 hour)
http://media1.whitman.syr.edu/archivew/guyKawasaki.wmv
* Have a Mac? Play Windows Media on Your Mac

Seven Sources of Opportunity
Name, define and apply.

Digital Commerce Business Concepts & Models
Define and recognize common digital business concept models.

Digital Commerce Companies Models, Concepts & Opportunities
What was the venture's model, concept and it's sources of oppourtunity?

Reading Assignments
Focus on the Evolution, Trends, Issues, Drivers, and Benefits.

Digital Convergence
What is digital convergence? Digital Convergence Devices and Concepts.

Computing
Core components, issues, drivers, trends. (ex. Virtualization & Green Computing)

Digital Media
Digital image and video details, components, benefits, distribution methods.

Digital Media Lectures (Image & Video)

All, here are the digital media lectures I mentioned on Thursday. This content will be included in the Mid-Term!

Digital Image Formats (40 min)
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu:80/ess/echo/presentation/e012a289-4d0e-4f1e-8d87-42082fd5d100

Digital Video (1 hr 11 min)
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu/ess/echo/presentation/6d07b3aa-fc08-4373-b92d-d5bda2640336


Digital Media Advertisement Project
Due on Thursday, March 5 (pushed back a class)

Mid-Term
Thursday, March 5
* I will review the mid-term content on Tuesday and I will post an echo to help you

Tutorials for Digital Media Project

All here are the links to some short tutorials I created that will help you with your next project. If you need more help, stop in to my office.

Photoshop
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu/ess/echo/presentation/49638d5d-872d-4678-873b-8bf6f91d3d54

iMovie
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu/ess/echo/presentation/6e80cc8d-a3ab-4692-923d-e7db917ab6ad

Windows Movie Maker-Vista
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu/ess/echo/presentation/4cc008d1-76f3-4178-9b81-28602761bc19

PowerPoint 2007
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu/ess/echo/presentation/a38b5414-0eab-43dc-8123-fb44e5e820b3

Digital Media Hands On (in class)
http://echo.whitman.syr.edu/ess/echo/presentation/85c5b432-8c16-4845-8c93-c92ad5ba6ad4

Analog vs. Digital

Before we learn about digital media, we need to understand analog.

Can you tell me the difference between analog and digital?

Week 6 - Topics and Readings

This week we concluded the Computing section. Can I get an amen? Not my favorite part of the course, but I will never deny the power of the personal computer and their purpose. On Tuesday we looked at hot topics like virtualization, thin computing, and cloud computing. Also, we finished up with some US and International sales info for the industry. Simply said Acer improved, Dell hasn't been impressive, Lenovo is down, HP is respectable and Apple only made the US list. Oh yeah, Virtualization, Mobile Computing and Cloud Computing are hot topics and very relevant. The benefits are pretty obvious depending on the situation.

Thursday we will dive in head first into Digital Media. We will meet in WSOM 009 and "kick the tires." My plan is to attack Photoshop, Flash, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker and Powerpoint, this class will help you as you work on your second project. You are required to create a digital media advertisment (see syllabus). Next week we'll get into the details and power of digital media, drivers, formats, definitions and issues.

Oh yeah, three more things:

1. We'll keep cranking on the individual project presentations. I'm hoping you are seeing the pattern.

2. Twitter is silly, see here. Why are people following my useless comments?

3. Quiz and Project grades should be posted on Blackboard by Tuesday.

Download Reading Assignments Here

Mac vs. PC

As we are entrenched in the computing section of this course we need to enter into the Mac vs. PC battle.

1. Which is the better personal computer and why?

2. Which is a better enterprise computer? What I mean is which does CPU Inc. need - They have 500 PCs (towers and notebooks), need integrated file and communication systems.

3. As the Director of Technology I am very interested in the future of the Mac vs. PC battle on the student level. Which computer are students going to bring to campus over the next 2-5 years. Mac or PC?

Week 5 - Topics and Readings

This week we continue the individual project presentations and we start focusing on Computing. I like to discuss the history, evolution and improvements in the computing industry. We'll cover a number of simple computing terms and definitions by taking a look inside the computer. Glenn Santa (Computing Specialist) will help us discuss the "guts" and "uses" of computing parts. After the basics we'll dive a little deeper into processing power, Moore's Law and miniturization. The main ideas here are today computers and components are generally smaller, faster, and more powerful/capable.

I am also pleased to have Ryan Elstad (System Admin) and Peter Pizzimenti (System Admin) as guest speakers this week. Ryan and Pete are bright lights in the world of computing and IT infrastructure here on campus. I've asked them to discuss servers (file vs media), storage, backups, green computing, data centers and virtualization. And of course they will discuss costs and companies involved. This will be a great session. I learn something new every time I talk to them.

Download Reading Assignments Here

*Your paper is due 2/12.

My First Computer from 1982!

As we move into the Computing Section of this course I started thinking about my first computer it was the Commodore 64. What a purchase by my dad. At the time the C64's graphics and sound capabilities were rivaled only by the Atari (hopefully you know what Atari is). Also it was the best selling computer of all time (at the time). At the time I was five and playing some really lame games: Super Bowl Sunday, Frogger and Q-Bert.

What are the biggest differences between your first computer and your present computer?

These screenshots are pathetic and real. I remember these games, the lame controller and the 5in floppy disks. Oh yeah did I mention there was no internet. That explains my 15 year obsession with John Madden Football and the Internet.

As you can see, when you are an old timer a lot has changed. The biggest difference my my C64 and my MacBookPro is speed, size, power, storage, networking and graphics capabilities:

64KB of RAM (C64) vs. 2GB of RAM (my MacBookPro)
1.02 MHz CPU (C64) vs. 2.4 GHz Intel Core Duo (my MacBookPro)
16 Colors (Monitor) vs. Millions of Colors (Monitor)
Commodore BASIC 2.0 OS (C64) vs. Mac OS X Leopard (my MacBookPro)
$595 COST (C64) vs. over $2,000 (my MacBookPro)

Week 4 - Topics, Project and Readings

At this point in the course we have completed laying the foundation of the course. We've covered Drucker's Seven Sources of Opportunity, Business Concepts, Business Models and we compared digtial commerce platforms of yesterday and today.

This week we will start with the Computing Section (History, Evolution, Internet Computing). The main idea is observe and discuss the evolution of computing and we also will discuss specific computing components and terminologies. You'll see that we'll learn about the size, speed and power of modern day computer processors. Lastly, we will start to look at changes, issues and future trends in the computing industry.

Tips for Reading:

1.  How PC works (focus on 1-4)

2. Moore's Law (is very short and sweet)

3. Computer Timeline (navigate using the categories, not years)

4. Top 10 Computing Trends 2009 (short and good info)

Tips for the Videos:

1. Keep your eyes and ears open for about 10 minutes. just checking if you are reading ;)

Download Reading Assignments Here

Also, I scheduled your individual project presentation:*

2/3 - Anderson to DeLoge (not finished yet)
2/5 - Dorsheimer to Hight
2/10 - Jacob to Moulton
2/12 - Murray to Zipprich

*Your paper is due 2/12.

Individual Project Information

Characteristics of Digital Commerce Entrepreneurs (5pts)

You are required to submit a 2-3 page report and prepare a 2-3 minute oral presentation for the class. You can utilize audio, video, images, etc. I encourage you to be creative. You are limited to 2 PowerPoint slides.

The student will focus in on an entrepreneur from the digital commerce and entrepreneurship industry. The entrepreneur should be an inventor, founder or leader of a technical tool, service or company.

There are two objectives:

1. Evaluate the entrepreneur and determine his/her personal characteristics, education or lack thereof, professional resume, influences, inventions and/or ventures.
2. Explain how this entrepreneur utilized Technology. Ask yourself: Was he/she a technician, engineer, inventor, visionary, strategist, or all of the above? What enabled the entrepreneur to achieve the success they have? What was the source of opportunity?

276% Growth in 35-54 Year Old Users on Facebook

Not to beat a dead horse (sorry! no horses were harmed), but I saw this link come through and it is really interesting. You can download an excel spreadsheet that includes 2009 Facebook Demographics, Stats and Trends.

View 2009 Facebook Demographics

Lots of old folks joining Facebook, are you going to find a new place to go?

Read the articles. Watch the videos.

It won't take that long.

You'll do better on the quiz.

Quiz Info & Slides from Class

I am going to quiz you on Week 1 and Week 2 assigned readings and videos. There will probably be 10-12 questions in a variety of formats (multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching and short answer). In terms of the Guy K. book I know there is a lot, just focus on the main lessons he made them very clear.

Click here to download the PPTs I showed in class. If you download the slides, you can watch the entire Guy K. video (just click on his name).

1999 vs 2009

Which is the most significant technology development over the past ten years? and Why? Please give examples.

a. Computing (Size, Speed and Power)
b. Broadband Internet (Wired and Wireless)
c. Digital Media Explosion (Audio/Video Formats, Tools and Services)
d. Other... (please explain your custom answer)

Week 3 - Topics, Projects and Readings

The first part of this week we will focus on digital commerce business models. There are several out there so I tried to expose you to many of them. We'll also look at some short video from Dell, Microsoft, Priceline and Google. Later in the week we will begin to examine the transformation of digital commerce technologies, platforms and trends from 1999 to 2009. We'll take a look at "old school" digital commerce versus the "new school" of digital commerce. Once we finish our 1999 vs 2009 discussion, we dive into computing.

Download Reading Assignments Here

Also, I scheduled your individual project presentation:*

2/3 - Anderson to DeLoge
2/5 - Dorsheimer to Hight
2/10 - Jacob to Moulton
2/12 - Murray to Zipprich

*Your paper is due 2/12.

Facebook vs. You Tube

Take a stab at one or two of these questions:

What does the future hold for these two giants? Predict and speculate.

Should they shift or expand their business model(s) and/or focus?

Which would you invest in if you had the resources?

What are the risks of depending on an advertising for your source of revenue?

Announcements:

1. Quiz is moved to Thursday

2. When you post a comment I have to publish it, so your comment might not be published immediately. It is not a bug, just moderating your comments.

Business Concept vs. Business Model

As we discussed in class a business concept simply describes the business, brand or product. Most business concepts include some of the following information: markets served, competitive advantages and/or unique features. For example, PayPal's is an online business that allows secure payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Click on the image on the left to learn more about new concept cell phones!


Next we are on to a pretty important topic--business models. Specifically we will focus on digital commerce and/or web-based business models. My favorite Internet Encyclopedia says, "In the most basic sense, a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself -- that is, generate revenue. The business model spells-out how a company makes money by specifying where it is positioned in the value chain." Read more...

I'm sure you'll agree that revenue and sustainability are as important as anything, so I found some great resources for you. Please refer to Week 2 readings and videos, they are all excellent and to the point. Before I go, tell me this...

What is YouTube's business model?

What is Facebook's business model?

Week 2 - Topics, Project and Readings

This week we will focus on a number of subjects and topics. First of all, we will need to discuss the Guy Kawasaki reading assignments as well as the Bain reading assigment. We will also talk about the process of entrepreneurship and the clear difference between business concepts vs. business models. Finally, we will discuss web-based business models. During class we will begin watching some videos. On Tuesday we will view 3 of my favorite rules from Guy Kawasaki and I hope to begin our video case study (1999 vs. 2009) on Tuesday and/or Thursday.

1st Project - Characteristics of Digital Commerce Entrepreneurs
Below is a list of Digital Commerce Entrepreneurs. If you see an entrepreneur on the list that you would like to focus on please email me or stop by. Selection will be first come first serve!

View Digital Commerce Entrepreneurs List here!

Read:
Download Reading Assignments Here

Quiz Next Tuesday - 1/27/09
I will be giving you a quiz next Tuesday. The quiz will include questions from your assigned readings, class discussions and posted blog content.

Seven Sources of Opportunity & Yahoo! CEO Analysis

Seven Sources of Opportunity
To me we laid the foundation for the entire course. Innovation involves finding a new and better way of doing something. I believe understanding Drucker's Seven Sources of Opportunity is a crucial step in developing a technical innovation or exploiting and digital commerce opportunity.

Yahoo! CEO Will Make Changes...If you ask me.
To me the selection of management savvy Bartz (less tech savvy) will bring about business changes for a maturing Yahoo! Probably mostly in the area of service reduction and a focus on value added services on the www and mobile platforms. She will lead Yahoo! into new partnerships with strategic partners (Microsoft?) which will allow them to expand their resources as they battle their neighbor Google for Mobile Commerce domination! Next they are challenged with maintaining their successful web-based services. Really it is an issue of where they want to dedicate their resources. A company like Yahoo! "spins a lot of plates" and it is very costly to continue "spinning several plates." Finally, they depend on a lot of advertising revenue, will the economy affect their advertising revenue? I would guess...Yes.

Here is a great analysis of the new Yahoo! CEO
http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/01/analysts-bartz.html

Even Google is Dropping Services
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_giveth_and_it_taketh_away.php

The Internet's Godfather?

Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock said Bartz possessed "the exact combination of seasoned technology executive and savvy leader that the Board was looking for ..."

"She is admired in the Valley as well as on Wall Street for her deep management expertise, strong customer orientation, excellent people skills, and firm understanding of the challenges facing our industry,' he said in a statement. " Carol meets all of the criteria we set for the search and is the only person to whom we offered the job.

Big moves...Former Autodesk Chief Carol Bartz to Replace Jerry Yang as Yahoo CEO. "and firm understanding of the challenges facing our industry."

What are the challenges facing their industry?

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2009/01/13/bartz-google-yahoo-tech-enter-cx_ec_0113bartz.html?feed=rss_technology

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/01/former-autodesk.html

Week 1 - Topics and Homework

Over the next two classes we will cover the syllabus, structure of the course, goals and entrepreneurial foundation for this course. The main goal for Week 1 is making sure we all fully understand Peter Drucker's Seven Sources of Opportunity. We will tap in to the mind of a digital commerce legend and savvy businessman, Guy Kawasaki. We'll spend some time with Guy as we read his book Rules For Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services.This book will put us in the perfect mindset for this course. Here is what we will be covering this week.

Topics:
Course introduction, syllabus, orientation, goals and objectives. What is entrepreneurship? How does an entrepreneur determine what is or is not an opportunity? Creating the Next Curve.

Read:

Download Reading Assignments Here

How To Use This Blog

This will be our main communication platform for eee439 - Entrepreneurship and Digtial Commerce. I believe that this platform will help us keep track of our progress through the semester and the information and concepts will be delivered in useable format.

The eee439 - Digital Commerce blog incorporates several things, but you really need to know a few things:

1. The center column is the communication platform. I will post relevant information, pose questions and expect comments and participation.

2. The left column represents the organization and structure for this course. You will find the archive, posts, read and watch assignments.

3. The right column incorporates a number of live news feeds. I included these services because they are most appropriate for this course and they always provide fantastic brain food.

4. DigitalCommerce2009.Blogspot.com will be up and running 24/7: You will have easy access to course news, comments and information all day and night. participate.

Welcome to the Entrepreneurship and Digital Commerce Blog

Welcome to the eee439 blog. We will utilize this blog to share information and thoughts as we progress through Entrepreneurship and Digital Commerce Spring 2009 semester. I encourage you to use this site as a tool as it will be pulling current technology and business news 24/7. Also, I encourage you to participate in this blog, comments will be part of your participation grade. So what is this course about?

Overall, eee439 will focus on the current revolution in technology that is transforming significant segments of our economy and our society. The Internet, the World Wide Web, fiber optics, Internet telephony, MP3 compression, digital interactive television, wireless communications, streaming media and a host of other digital technologies are creating many opportunities to establish viable, sustainable new ventures. But as the rise and fall of the dot.com phenomenon has demonstrated there are some huge potholes in the road to entrepreneurial success. This course will help you gain the knowledge and develop the insights and vision required for successful digital commerce ventures.

Digital commerce comprises a wide range of commercial activities that are based on new digital technologies that overcome barriers of distance, time, and resource. Successful new ventures include innovative new products and services; new businesses that utilize the Internet as a global platform for buying and selling conventional products and services; and technology products that enable significant gains in efficiency and productivity or improvements in business processes.

Successful entrepreneurs wishing to pursue digital commerce ventures must understand the technological underpinnings and the non-technological factors that will continue to shape entrepreneurial opportunities and viable business concepts. This course will ensure that you gain this crucial understanding. The course will also help you understand how new technologies impact the process of entrepreneurship, and it will help you to identify entrepreneurial opportunities and business concepts suitable for further development in the Capstone course (EEE 457).

Here we go...