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...