It may not be pulled pork butt from Momofuku Ssäm Bar, but Spam gets geek points for making fun of their brand’s intarweb meaning in this recent print ad. FTW indeed.

With all the new internet marketing methods available, blogging has become a little bit “old hat” in the eyes of many. I mean, it’s not sexy like Facebook; it’s not as easy as Twitter and it certainly is not as glamorous as having a MySpace page.

In spite of all of this, blogging remains one of the most effective ways to brand your business online. So for this last day of 2008, I’m going to get back to basics, so to speak. Following are 10 reminders about blogging to keep in mind as you head into 2009.
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Almost immediately following Twitter coming back from a planned downtime this afternoon, co-founder and current Chairman Jack Dorsey sent out a tweet letting his followers know that he was, “Getting ready to embark on something new and entirely different. Excited!” Dorsey is getting ready to launch his next startup, he’s confirmed to us. As the guy who actually invented Twitter, this is notable.

Though Dorsey declined to comment on what his new startup is right now, we hear from a source knowledgeable about the new company that it’s code-named Squirrel. Here’s what else we know so far: It’s a service that allows anyone with an iPhone to become a merchant. Just like the wireless credit card swipers you see at certain shops and restaurants, you can carry around your iPhone and take payments. Apparently, the idea is that this will allow any individual to take credit card payments on a mobile device, kind of like what PayPal does for the web.
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Even if you are a web designer or a copy writer, you need to learn how to look your best on a job applications. Having some experience on both sides of a job application, I’ve seen enough to recognize what gets a person through to the interview and what gets their applications tossed.

In a blatant attempt at reverse psychology, here are some of the major mistakes I’ve seen made, and made myself on applications for freelance work.

1. Correct the client’s spelling or grammar

You really want this job, but there is a small details that doesn’t sit right with you : the job posting contains a noticeable typo. Most of the people who apply will ignore it but you are serious about your work so you have to let the client know that. Nothing like buffing a client’s ego.

The thinking behind it : You may think it helps you com off as serious, or that the error was a “red herring” meant for you to catch. Chances are it is not and you are more likely to come off as egotistical. They aren’t hiring you to nitpick their writing (unless it’s an editing job).

What are you telling the client : I am going to be the annoying ‘grammar police’ guy around the office or in email correspondence.

2. Don’t proofread or spell check your email

The client won’t bother checking the spellcheck on your e-mail for a job application, so why would you? Even if there is a typo or a sentence that doesn’t make sense, he’ll figure out what you mean.

The thinking behind it: I honestly don’t know.

What you are telling the client: Aside from telling them you can’t spell? It also shows them that you didn’t take the time to use a simple tool that would fix it for you. Read the rest of this entry »

So what game would you consider to be the most played ever? Solitaire? Everquest or Quake? Well, guess again. The oldest (and most frequently installed) game ever is Minesweeper.

This game has been around since Windows 3.1, requires less concentration then solitaire, is small enought to hide when the boss shows up, and was wasting time long before the internet came out. These are a few reasons why, Minesweeper is the most successful game ever.

Source : TechBoing.

The content discovery service, StumbleUpon, has gotten itself back to start-up status, after being bought by eBay two years ago. According to a press release, today SU returned to being and “investor-backed startup” by a roster of well-known Silicon Valley investors, including Ram Shriram of Sherpalo Ventures, Accel Partners and August Capital.

Its founders, Garrett Camp and Geoff Smith are also back, with Camp now in place as CEO.

“We are grateful to eBay for its guidance. However, we realized there were few long-term synergies between the two businesses. It is best for us to part ways and focus on our respective strengths,” said Camp, stating the very obvious.

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These days there are endless ways to use Twitter. Some of us, are using this famous microblogging service for promoting products or sites, other to create a strong personal brand but there are some people who use it for having fun. Yes, you read it well.

Although many of the Twitter-based games listed here are quiz or trivia-based Twitter accounts, they are still fun distractions, and sometimes a good brain exercise. Here are some of the top games based on the microblogging site:

1. Twivia (@playtwivia)

Twivia is a trivia game via Twitter. Twivia will ask a question and the fastest person to @reply the answer gets points, specified in every Tweet. Twivia always tweets out the answers after someone gives the right answer so you don’t have to be suspicious. You can even suggest questions to Twivia.

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Currently there just a few rumors, nothing for 100% sure. According to what i’ve heard, Google is in talks to aquire micro-blogging service, Twitter, for over 250 million dollars. Two sources familiar with the matter said that Google would be making an offer below the 500 million dollars Facebook proposed to Twitter a few months ago, and would pay in cash or publicly valued stock.

“Why would Google want Twitter? We’ve been arguing for some time that Twitter’s real value is in search,” said the blog’s Michael Harrington.

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I am no sure when was this feature added but while I surfing my stumbleupon account (by the way, don’t forget to add me as a friend), i’ve noticed something new. Basically, all you need to do is to acces “favorites” and then put the mouse scroll over the image and then a “share” button will appear.

From there, you can choose what friends to share with and there you go! Well, the days of seding to sharing one friend at a time are over. Enjoy this new feature guys! Read the rest of this entry »

You finally have your own online presence for your business. Unfortunately, a little more work lies ahead. There are literally thousands of different web hosting companies to chose from. How do you decide which one is right for you? Most-Best-Host-Test.Com recently conducted a study of various web hosting companies and small business owners like yourself to find the answer.The first thing they discovered was that word of mouth played a huge role. So ask your business associates and fellow entrepreneurs which web hosting company they recommend. You will probably have a much greater sense of trust in a company that comes recommended by someone you trust. The CEO of UpLinkEarth.Com said, Our research is pretty clear that referrals are our number one source of new customers by almost three to one over other marketing avenues.Furthermore, every year the Internet is around, all the e-companies offering services must get that much better to stay competitive. The chances are greater today of finding a reputable web hosting company than they were last year or the year before. One of those tools that has seen amazing advancements is the efficiency of the search engine. As you know, Google’s famed algorithm is still, to this day, a work in progress.With better search engines, a small business owner can better find the right web hosting company. A few years ago it would have seemed ridiculous to sit down in front of Yahoo and type ” web hosting”. Not today. Most Best’s research also discovered that many small business owners are interested in local web hosting companies. Again, it is easier today to sit down at the computer and type “Seattle web hosting company” than to open the dusty, old phone book.Another tool that is available to you is bypassing the search engines and letting someone else put all the research in one place for you. There are a number of thorough web hosting directories online for your convenience. The best of these is http://www.most-best-host-test.com.