Thank you, Lifehacker. 61 Free Apps We're Most Thankful For

As we prepare to stuff our faces with a bountiful Thanksgiving feast, we turn our Thanksgiving spirit to the gobs of free software we love to say thank you to the developers, and to give our computers a feast of their own.

Earlier this week we asked you to share the free apps you're most thankful for, and after rounding up thousands of your suggestions, considering our own favorites, and performing a little spreadsheet magic, we've cooked up our own cornucopia of excellent free software and webapps we're extremely thankful for. So whether you're an American celebrating the season or not, the selection of apps below is like gravy-drenched turkey and mashed potatoes for your computer. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

61 Free Desktop Applications, Webapps, and Tools We're Most Thankful For

1. Firefox (see also: Power User's Guide to Firefox 3, Top 10 Firefox 3.5 Features)
2. VLC (see also: Master Your Digital Media with VLC, VLC Hits 1.0 with Better Playback and File Support)
3. CCleaner (see also: Five Best Windows Maintenance Tools)
4. Dropbox (see also: Use Dropbox for More Than Just File Syncing, Sync Files and Folders Outside Your My Dropbox Folder)
5. 7-Zip (see also: Five Best File Compression Tools)
6. OpenOffice.org (see also: OpenOffice.org 3.1's Usability Tweaks, OpenOffice.org Screenshots Preview a Ribbon-Like Toolbar)
7. Google Chrome (see also: The Power User's Guide to Google Chrome, 2009 Edition)
8. µTorrent (see also: Tweak uTorrent's Settings for Faster Downloads, Five Best BitTorrent Applications)
9. Notepad++ (see also: Five Best Text Editors, AutoSave Adds Reassurance to Notepad++ Editing)
10. Gmail (see also: Our full Gmail coverage)
11. GIMP (see also: Gimp 2.7 Beta Improves Text Editing, Streamlines Saving)
12. Paint.NET (see also: Paint.NET Releases Big Update, Still a Killer Photoshop Alternative, Paint.NET Plugin Lets You Open Photoshop Files)
13. Microsoft Security Essentials (see also: Microsoft Security Essentials Free Antivirus App Leaves Beta, Stop Paying for Windows Security; Microsoft's Security Tools Are Good Enough)
14. Revo Uninstaller (see also: Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Windows Downloads)
15. Evernote (see also: Evernote 3.5 Beta Brings Tons of Tiny Fixes to Windows, Expand Your Brain with Evernote)
16. Thunderbird (see also: Thunderbird 3 Release Candidate Available for Download)
17. Audacity (see also: Geek to Live: Make a ringtone from any MP3)
18. ImgBurn (see also: Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster, Five Best CD and DVD Burning Tools)
19. Picasa (see also: Picasa 3.5 Organizes Your Photos with Facial Recognition)
20. Skype (see also: Our full Skype coverage)
21. Pidgin (see also: Ten Must-Have Plug-ins to Power Up Pidgin, Five Best Instant Messengers)
22. Ubuntu (see also: First Look at Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, Dual-Boot Windows 7 and Ubuntu in Perfect Harmony)
23. iTunes (see also: iTunes 9 Improves Syncing, Network Sharing, More)
24. foobar2000 (see also: Screenshot Tour: The beautiful and varied world of foobar2000, Hack Attack: Roll your own killer audio player with foobar2000)
25. Foxit Reader (see also: Five Best PDF Readers, Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Windows Downloads)
26. FileZilla (see also: Five Best FTP Clients, Build a Home FTP Server with FileZilla)
27. VirtualBox (see also: The Beginner's Guide to Creating Virtual Machines with VirtualBox)
28. TrueCrypt (see also: Geek to Live: Encrypt your data, Five Best Portable Applications)
29. Avast! (see also: Five Best Antivirus Applications)
30. Defraggler (see also: Five Best Disk Defragmenters)
31. KeePass (see also: Eight Best KeePass Plug-Ins to Master Your Passwords, How to Use Dropbox as the Ultimate Password Syncer)
32. Opera (see also: Opera 10.10 with Unite Media Server Released)
33. AVG (see also: AVG 9 Free Now Available for Download)
34. Digsby (see also: Five Best Instant Messengers, Digsby Sees the Light, Removes (Some) Bundled Crapware)
35. Google Reader (see also: Our full Google Reader coverage)
36. Winamp (see also: Win7shell Adds Windows 7 Jump List Support to Winamp)
37. Google Earth (see also: Google Earth 5.1 Speeds Up Your World Browsing)
38. TeraCopy (see also: Five Best Alternative File Copiers)
39. Launchy (see also: Our full Launchy coverage)
40. Transmission (see also: Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Mac Downloads)
41. Eclipse IDE
42. SpyBot Search & Destroy (see also: Five Best Malware Removal Tools)
43. Adium (see also: Adium Updates with Security Fixes, Better Facebook Integration)
44. PuTTY (see also: Add Tabs to PuTTY with PuTTY Connection Manager)
45. Songbird (see also: Songbird 1.0 Release Official, Fixes Bugs, Plays iTunes Purchases, Killer Add-ons Make Songbird So Much Better)
46. Sumatra PDF (see also: Sumatra 1.0 is a Blazing Fast Replacement for Adobe Reader)
47. XBMC (see also: Build a Silent, Standalone XBMC Media Center On the Cheap, Customize XBMC with These Five Awesome Skins, Turbo Charge Your New XBMC Installation)
48. Blender (see also: Learn Blender with free e-book)
49. CDBurnerXP (see also: Five Best CD and DVD Burning Tools)
50. Everything (see also: Everything Finds Windows Files As You Type, Top 10 Tiny & Awesome Windows Utilities)
51. HandBrake (see also: HandBrake Updates to 0.9.4 with Over 1,000 Changes, 64-Bit Support)
52. Rainmeter (see also: Rainmeter 1.0 Brings the Enigma Desktop to Everyone)
53. AutoHotkey (see also: Turn Any Action into a Keyboard Shortcut, Hack Attack: Knock down repetitive email with AutoHotKey)
54. Google Calendar (see also: Our full Google Calendar coverage)
55. MediaMonkey (see also: MediaMonkey 3.2 Syncs with More Devices, Adds Auto Folder Watching)
56. Quicksilver (see also: A beginner's guide to Quicksilver)
57. WinSCP
58. Google Voice (see also: Make Unlimited Free Calls on Your Cellphone with Google Voice, How to Ease Your Transition to Google Voice)
59. Boxee (see also: Build a Cheap But Powerful Boxee Media Center, Boxee to Launch Beta with Loads of New Features)
60. AdBlock Plus (see also: Top 10 Must-Have Firefox Extensions, 2009 Edition)
61. Media Player Classic (see also: Five Best Video Players)

In case you're curious, here's a broad look at how your votes broke down among the 10 most popular:

The list above represents every application that garnered roughly ten votes or above. The highest vote-earner, Firefox, pulled in a couple hundred. If you're interested in how the full count went down, you can check out a Google Spreadsheet of the results here. Happy Thanksputering!

Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com.

via lifehacker.com

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Aarggh... Where was this article when I was fronting my high school garage band? From Forbes. Digital Toolkit For Rockers

So you want to be a rock and roll star? You'll need more than an electric guitar, a few gigs and some cool T-shirts.

© Kirk Weddle/Getty Images

Recording

There are a variety of software products on the market, including Apple's GarageBand, which comes loaded on all new Mac models. (It also allows you to upload your creation to your iTunes account.) Cakewalk's Sonar Home Studio 7 and Digidesign's Pro Tools are also popular products.

Digital Distribution

After recording, the next step is getting your work up on the Web. MySpace and Facebook accounts are typically the first steps for a band's Internet presence. Artists can also upload their music at www.amiestreet.com, where song pricing rises with its demand. For a small fee, musicians can establish an account with Tunecore, a digital music distributor that's a popular way to get one's music on iTunes. Artists can also apply directly to sell on iTunes at www.apple.com/itunes/content-providers/. Another popular networking and content management site--which even allows you to create an iPhone app for your band (albeit for a $195 activation fee)--is www.ilike.com.

CDs

For those looking to sell physical CDs as well as downloads, try CDBaby. Pricing begins at $35 per album. And since some distribution networks work together, an account with CDBaby or Tunecore can allow fans to buy and hear your music from the enormous catalogue at www.lala.com. To get your songs heard on Internet radio station Pandora.com, you'll need to apply by sending the company a physical CD. More information is available at http://blog.pandora.com/faq/#31.

Help, Please

Since all of this can be a bit time consuming, there are companies, such as ReverbNation, that serve as one-stop shops to help artists promote themselves. ReverbNation distributes music to retailers and allows bands to create their own electronic press kits, and Web sites with widgets for videos, tour schedules, merchandising and other items. It also provides musicians with data about their fans so they can better target their audience. The cost to access ReverbNation's tools is $35 per release per year.

And for the musician looking to gig beyond his or her local venues, try www.sonicbids.com. For $6 a month, artists can create electronic press kits and find out about gigs, including big events like the annual CMJ Music Marathon in New York.

© Laurence Moutin/Getty Images

Background Reading

As always, knowledge is power. It should go without saying that each site has its own terms and cost structures, so read the fine print. Many artists increasingly find that they need to handle their own legal, accounting and publicity work, meaning a strong knowledge of the music business is essential. Among the many books on the changing industry: The Future of Music by David Kusek and Gerd Leonhard; The Indie Band Survival Guide by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan; and Donald S. Passman's All You Need to Know About the Music Business, an industry classic, just revised for the digital era.

In the end, however, nothing substitutes for talent and hard work. That means honing your craft through practice, performance and recording. "If you are good, word will start to spread," says industry analyst Bob Lefsetz.

See: "Business Plan: Become A Rock Star"

Business Plan: Become A Rock Star

Atlantic Records' Main Woman

Facebook And Twitter's Corporate Problem

Borders, Barnes & Noble Book Losses

via forbes.com

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The music biz AS WE KNOW IT may be threatened. Or is it? Read on and let the music play! Business Plan: Become A Rock Star

Somewhere just south of the Canadian border, Jesse Elliott, the lead singer and primary songwriter for the rock band These United States, is typing out a message on the band's Twitter account.

"TORONTO! The Drake! TONIGHT!" it proclaims, announcing the next stop on the group's current tour.

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The band, which hails from Washington, D.C., and Lexington, Ky., is keenly aware of the power of the Internet to build a fan base. Elliott tweets regularly, and the group's MySpace page features "widgets" like video links and a tour schedule, as well as links to iTunes and Amie Street, where listeners can buy These United States' music.

"Technology has kind of cleared the way for bands like us to make an impact," he says.

It has undoubtedly up-ended the music industry, putting the creation, distribution and marketing of music in the hands of individual musicians. In the post-Napster era, the number of would-be recording artists is booming, but for independent musicians, it's increasingly difficult to rise above the pack. That means the story of the emerging rock band looking to make a living from music is more than ever a small business tale.

"They're having to be much more entrepreneurial and build their own buzz if they want to get a company to notice them," says Donald Passman, author of All You Need to Know About the Music Business, an industry favorite.

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Business Plan: Become A Rock Star The digital revolution has made it easier than ever to create, market and sell music. That brings up an important point: Don't expect to become rich doing

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To be sure, These United States since early 2008 has had the help of an independent record company, United Interests. But representatives from the label say it was the group's MySpace presence, as well as Elliott's ability to work the blogs and the band's nonstop touring that grabbed their attention. Of course, they dug the songs as well.

Even for signed acts, social networking can complement a record company's publicity efforts and boost record sales. But for groups that think of themselves as musical start-ups, it's easier than ever before to start generating revenue. All one needs is some recording software and Web savviness. An account with a digital distributor like Tunecore allows artists to sell songs through Apple's iTunes store, eMusic and Amazon.com.

Not surprisingly, the digital revolution has created a niche for companies that facilitate online marketing and distribution work for budding rock stars. Through ReverbNation, which has nearly 500,000 artists as members, musicians can create Web pages, digital press kits and access widgets for their Web sites. The company will also send music to online retailers, and it provides artists with data about their fans.

ReverbNation Chief Executive Mike Doernberg says bands can "harvest the value" of this data. For example, a group might find that most fans access its music through MySpace. With this information, the band can tweak its MySpace page to direct visitors to other sites where it has a lot of control over content. Knowing one's Web site traffic numbers is important too, since record companies consider metrics like unique visitors and number of downloads when they're considering offering an artist a deal.

Record companies are also using digital tools to help them find new acts. For example, using Tunecore's technology, three Universal Music Group labels earlier this month launched Web sites where musicians can upload their songs for consideration by talent scouts: www.unimodigitaldistribution.com, www.republicdd.com, www.idjfirstlook.com and www.interscopedigitaldistribution.com.

However, there's a caveat to all of this digital wizardry: None of it matters if artists ignore the principles of small businesses in every industry.

"The first criterion is you have to be good, which almost no acts are," says Bob Lefsetz, an industry analyst who runs the Lefsetz Letter, a popular and candid industry blog. "If we find something good, we want to tell everybody we know about it."

In the same vein, nothing replaces hard work. A prime example: Seattle-based musician Eric Elbogen, whose project Say Hi is a true do-it-yourself effort. For years Elbogen has handled his own recording, accounting and business management, releasing five records between 2002 and 2008. He now works with Barsuk Records, which this year released his latest album, "Oohs and Aahs." Say Hi also tours constantly, and Elbogen has had his music placed on popular shows like Gossip Girl and Melrose Place.

Getting one's music on TV can be difficult, but it's not impossible. Rumblefish is a Portland, Ore.-based company that helps artists get their music licensed for commercial use. Alexandra Patsavas, owner of Chop Shop Music Supervision in Los Angeles, says bands typically have their music sent to her through a reputable agency (this gives a music supervisor comfort that any legal work is being handled correctly), but it's also common for a group to simply submit its work directly.

According to Passman, independent and emerging artists have one advantage when it comes to getting heard on TV: "They're cheap."

That brings up an important point: Don't expect to become rich doing any of this. Getting a record deal from a major label is still a long shot. Labels undoubtedly can help artists get their careers to the next level. For example, former MySpace phenom Colbie Caillat became a bona fide pop star after signing with Universal Republic Records. But some acts like working with smaller, independent labels, and others prefer not to sign at all, keeping control over their work (and revenue) in their own hands.

Whatever route an artist chooses, technology has made it easier than ever before to make a little money from music, and if one combines this with hard work, it's even possible to make a living at it.

"In some regard, it's become a level playing field," says Elbogen.

See: "Digital Toolkit For Rockers"

Digital Toolkit For Rockers

Atlantic Records' Main Woman

Facebook And Twitter's Corporate Problem

Borders, Barnes & Noble Book Losses

via forbes.com

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Well said. From Harvard Business. Real Business Geniuses Don't Pretend To Know Everything - Bill Taylor

The Economist owes much of its popularity to its knack for challenging conventional wisdom. In a recent column, it applied its contrarian mindset to the question of what kinds of leaders make the best CEOs, making the case that what the world needs now are more "raging egomaniacs" and "tightly wound empire-builders" rather than the "faceless" and "anonymous" bosses running so many companies today — "bland and boring men and women who can hardly get themselves noticed at cocktail parties."

The crux of The Economist's argument relies on what's known as the Great Man Theory of History. After trumpeting the virtues of business geniuses such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Lou Gerstner, and Jack Welch, it then generalizes from this handful of larger-than-life moguls: "The best ambassadors for business are the outsize figures who have changed the world and who feel no need to apologise for themselves or their calling."

It's an intriguing essay and a good read. It's also a false choice — and a bad reading of history. For one thing, when it comes to larger-than-life CEOs, I can name as many scoundrels and failures as I can geniuses and world-changers. There's a reason Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind titled their bestseller on the Enron disaster The Smartest Guys in the Room, and it goes beyond the criminality those deeply flawed executives displayed. That familiar phrase captures the mindset too many of us expect even our most honest leaders to display — the assumption that being "in charge" means having all the answers. In simpler times, fierce personal confidence, a sense of infallibility as a leader, might have been be a calling card of success. Today it is a warning sign of failure, whether from bad judgment, low morale among disillusioned colleagues, or sheer burnout from the pressures of always having to be right.

That's not a case (and here's the false choice) for aiming low or being dull. The best executives I've met understand that there is a vast difference between advancing big, exciting, important goals — aspiring to change the game in your field — and assuming that you know best how to achieve those goals. Sure, great leaders champion new ideas and disruptive points of view — they have vision. But that doesn't mean they have to see the future on their own.

Just because you're in charge doesn't mean you have to have all the answers. Real business geniuses don't pretend they know everything.

To be sure, it's easier to divide leaders into either-or categories: risk-takers vs. bureaucrats, those with ambition vs. those with humility. Fortune just named Steve Jobs its CEO of the Decade — and while it's hard to argue with the choice, it's even harder to reproduce his talents. The problem with trumpeting the virtues of one-of-a-kind geniuses like Steve Jobs is that — duh — there is only one of them! Memo to The Economist: It's not a good idea to urge CEOs to emulate leaders whose success is, almost by definition, impossible to copy.

Keith Sawyer, a creativity guru at Washington University in St. Louis, has literally written the book on where good ideas come from. In Group Genius, he explains how few leaders are prepared to recognize the messy and hard-to-manage truth about the real logic of business success. Many (perhaps most) executives subscribe to what Sawyer calls script-think — "the tendency to think that events are more predictable than they really are." In fact, he says, "Innovation emerges from the bottom up, unpredictably and improvisationally, and it's often only after the innovation has occurred that everyone realizes what's happened. The paradox is that innovation can't be planned, it can't be predicted; it has to be allowed to emerge."

Harriet Rubin, one of the great innovators in business-book publishing, and an accomplished author in her own right, uses different language to make a similar point about leadership and innovation. "Freedom is actually a bigger game than power," she reminds executives who are eager to make their mark in the world. "Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash."

The most effective leaders no longer want the job of solving their organization's biggest problems or identifying its best opportunities on their own. Instead, they recognize that the most powerful ideas can come from the most unexpected places: the quiet genius buried deep inside the organization, the collective genius that surrounds the organization, the hidden genius of customers, suppliers, and other constituencies who would be eager to share what they know if only they were asked. For companies, and the CEOs at their helms, those are the smartest (and most sustainable) sources of greatness.

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Thinking Pop-Up Stores? From The (London) Times. Why opportunities will keep popping up for big brands

The Christmas lights are being switched on, signalling for many the start of a festive shopping season that, after a turbulent year, could not have come early enough for retailers. As companies seek new ways to grab the consumer’s attention and re-ignite their desire to spend, the high street is seeing mainstream brands embrace the phenomenon of pop-up shops.

The concept of taking a retail unit for a short-term basis during busy trading periods is no longer the preserve of small independents operating Hallowe’en or Christmas shops. A melting pot of economic and social factors is convincing popular, high-street brands to use pop-up shops to test new markets, products and concepts in a similar way to how they once used online channels before opening a physical store. The concept enables them to focus on a specific product line or assortment of products, and the temporary feel of the store and the limited stock helps to stimulate spending, creating a sense of urgency to buy in the consumer’s mind.

Greater flexibility in the retail property market is a key factor, as landlords are more prepared to accept short-term or month-to-month leases. And advances in technology mean that setting up and operating a pop-up is now simpler and does not require a high level of capital. However, the phenomenon is not solely the result of more readily available temporary square footage.

The concept plays to the “millennial shopper”. This group is highly individualistic, they want uniqueness and a fast-paced, constantly evolving shopping experience. The “buy it now or never” nature of these temporary sites is well suited to this new breed of shopper.

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And it is not only retailers who are driving an interest in pop-ups. Consumer product manufacturers are seeking new ways of engaging with their customers. Marmite’s three-floor pop-up shop on Regent Street is one of the most eye-catching examples. Amidst the crowded world of advertising, this creates an opportunity to meld the online world with the physical, giving consumers a chance to interact with customer service, to try the product before they buy.

Pop-ups are not free of challenges and risks. Brands wishing to explore the concept, especially non-retailers, should ensure that they have tackled some key considerations. Companies must be sure that their economic model is sound — the lease cost, technology, advertising and store labour are all part of the equation. A flexible distribution model must be in place that can deliver a sufficient supply of stock to the pop-ups without overstretching their existing supply chains or incurring significant costs.

Pop-ups must also meet the consumer’s customer service and brand expectations. The product quality, variety of the product assortment and the level of customer service on offer all need to be commensurate with the company’s brand identity. This is not an easy task when using short-term, seasonal employment or managing the return of purchases after the pop-up has closed.

However, although there are challenges, pop-ups are a legitimate mainstream concept and we will see many more retailers and brands take advantage.

Stephen Zatland is Head of Retail at Accenture UK & Ireland

via business.timesonline.co.uk

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We all should take a break sometime and zoom out. From Forbes. The 10 Questions You Should Never Stop Asking.

Marc Kramer

In the early 1990s, I was brought in as an interim president/CEO of two regional monthly magazines. Both are now out of business. It was a trying time--and also one of the great learning experiences of my life.

One magazine focused on business, and the other on the arts. What the two had in common were the investors, who forced them into a shotgun wedding and put them under one roof. These geniuses (including your intrepid columnist) thought they could squeeze pennies and boost margins by merging the back offices and the sales teams. The editorial staffs couldn't be combined because they required different expertise.

The only magazine experience the holding company's board members had was reading the publications. I knew the newspaper business, but as any media veteran knows, newspapers and magazines (especially monthly magazines) are entirely different beasts--and not just in terms of the physical products. (Just one example: Magazine ad revenue is booked earlier but collected much later; meanwhile, overhead gobbles cash.)

Smart, experienced, highly connected people were involved in this deal. It didn't matter. Why? No one bothered to examine the fundamental realities of the business; no one asked the right questions. Instead, everyone was consumed with generating revenue.

Here are the 10 questions we should have been asking--the same questions that any business owner should continue to ask, year in and year out:

What is our purpose for existing? A lot of businesses had a purpose when they started, but over time their product, service and market changed. The arts magazine was created to give the Philadelphia area its first publication that focused solely on the arts--theater, opera, ballet and the orchestra.

The business magazine was competing against a variety of daily and weekly business publications, so its purpose was unclear. Was it a local Forbes covering large companies? Was it a local Inc. highlighting small businesses? The editor decided it would be a combination of both approaches--and readers weren't sure what to make of it.

Who is our target customer? We knew the readers of the business magazine were business leaders because we bought lists and sent the magazine for free to C-suite executives--the audience that our advertisers wanted to reach.

Our arts magazine partnered with the local public broadcast station and used its listener base as the profile for its readers. Still, we hadn't truly pegged the age and income of the readers, and thus had a hard time convincing advertisers to support it. Needless to say, it's a lot easier to come up with great ideas and convince people to buy into them if it is clear who is purchasing your product, and why.

Why does anyone need what we're selling? All too often we fall into the trap that people want something because we like it. This is the road to perdition. In our case, there was never a formal survey done to determine if anyone cared whether our magazines existed. We never asked readers/potential readers what they wanted to read. In my 25 years of experience, I have rarely seen a company fail if management literally spoke to customers and gave them what they want.

If there is a need, is it enough to support a profitable business? Although Philadelphia has an orchestra, ballet, theaters, jazz clubs, etc, Philadelphians weren't interested in a magazine that just focused on the arts. When our agreement ended with public broadcast station, there wasn't enough reader interest to attract advertisers.

What were our competitors up to? If we had formally analyzed our competition, we would have seen that one competitor of the business magazine had come up with interesting advertising vehicles, such as paid-for question-and-answer series with profiles of accountants, lawyers and business consultants. These featured professionals were more than happy to pay for the privilege of raising their visibility. Whether you are selling a product or a service, you have to be constantly innovating.

Can you reduce expenses--without harming the product? I found out about six weeks after my arrival that if you lowered the weight of the paper and took the shine off the magazine, you could save a bucket-load of money. Of course, those moves also lowered the quality of the product. When I began my search for a new sales manager, one of the candidates asked me if I had spoken with our printers about ways to reduce costs. Amazingly, our vendors had lots of ideas on how to reduce cost without sacrificing quality, but no one had asked them.

Do we have the right leadership? As companies mature, they require managers with different skill sets. One of our publishers was very experienced at running start-ups at large, well-financed publishing companies; he wasn't used to running on a shoe string. The other publisher, who had never run a company, was used to selling air time, not space in a magazine; when she did sell air, it was for a top-rated established station, not a start-up. (We ended up replacing both publishers.)

Do we have the right employees? There are employees who know how to bring new products and services to life, while others know how to nurture an existing line. We had sales people who were very experienced at selling established publications, but none who had ever launched a title or worked with a small publication. Big mismatch.

How will we continue to drive revenue? The management and board never held a down-and-dirty strategic planning session. We never went to a bar and tossed around ideas with employees. We never invited readers to tell us what we could do better. Companies can't live in vacuums. Chances are, what works today won't work tomorrow--just ask anyone in the media business.

How are your employees holding up? I was so obsessed with finding ways to fix the business that I would walk by everyone as if they were pieces of furniture. I didn't observe their body language or solicit their input, even though was I playing around with their future. I was in my own little world and I didn't notice the anxiety they were dealing with. You have to check the temperature of your employees, let them vent and encourage their honest feedback. These stakeholders are the key to pleasing your customers--and your shareholders.

Marc Kramer is president of Kramer Communications, author of five books and instructor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the National University of Singapore. He can be reached at marc@kramercommunications.com.

via forbes.com

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Filipino pushcart educator Efren Penaflorida named CNN Hero of the Year

via edition.cnn.com

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From The NYT. The Future of Broadcast TV’s Unsteady as Cable Strengthens

Oprah Winfrey is fleeing broadcast television for cable. NBC, once arguably the biggest cultural tastemaker in the United States, is being shopped to Comcast, the country’s largest cable company.

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From second item down, Harpo Productions, via Associated Press; Justin Lubin/NBC; NBC; Bravo; far left, Associated Press; and CBS.

While advertising is down, broadcast programs like the CBS drama “NCIS: Los Angeles” still have residual value as repeats.

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The Long Decline

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G.E. and Vivendi Halt Talks Over Stake in NBC (November 21, 2009)

The TV Watch: The Fine Art of Quitting While She’s Ahead (November 21, 2009)

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Have we finally reached a tipping point that suggests a remarkable decline in the fortunes of broadcast television in America?

In the NBC Universal deal, in which General Electric is negotiating to sell a majority stake of its media business to Comcast, it is the cable channels — USA, Bravo, SyFy, MSNBC and CNBC — that are seen as the most valuable, not the NBC broadcast network, which is mired in fourth place in the ratings among the four major networks.

Most analysts and many executives agree that the economic model of broadcast television — which relies much more heavily on advertising than cable — is severely fractured. What they are wondering now is if it is irreparably broken.

“It’s in a period of huge transformation,” said Horace Newcomb, a professor of telecommunications at the University of Georgia and the director of the Peabody Awards, which are awarded annually for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. “It’s in a state of confusion.”

The business model of the big three networks — which became four when Fox began prime-time programming in 1987 — has for decades relied on a simple formula: spend millions on original programming that will attract advertiser dollars and later live on as lucrative reruns in syndication.

But ratings are going down. In the 1952-53 television season, more than 30 percent of American households that owned televisions tuned in to NBC during prime time, according to Nielsen. In the 2007-8 season, that figure was just 5.2 percent.

The mass audience — the bread and butter of broadcast networks — has splintered into niches as viewers flock to alternative entertainment choices on the Internet, to video games and to cable channels dedicated to individual tastes, like Ms. Winfrey’s forthcoming OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

And yet, programming remains expensive — a network drama costs about $3 million for one hour — and advertisers are becoming reluctant to pay ever-rising premiums for prime-time shows. All the networks have tried to adjust, putting on more reality programming, for example, that is cheaper to produce.

NBC made perhaps the biggest bet of all — moving Jay Leno to prime time each night at 10, saving the millions it would have cost to develop a scripted show in that time spot. The Leno move has been the subject of intense scrutiny by the media, because Mr. Leno’s ratings have lately fallen on several nights well below even the modest guarantees NBC made to advertisers.

Nicholas P. Heymann, an analyst at Sterne, Agee & Leach who follows G.E., said that the consistently ineffective efforts to rebuild the prime-time portion of the NBC network might have led G.E. to begin thinking it was time to exit the entertainment business. And this one particular decision may have pushed G.E. over the edge, he said.

“I think the Leno move was the last straw,” Mr. Heymann said, “the last roll of the dice for G.E.”

Mr. Heymann acknowledged that it seemed unlikely on its face that such a huge deal could hinge on one decision in one slice of an enormous company. But he said, “It’s the domino effect of the move, on the shows in front of ‘Leno’ and the late-night shows after it. I think G.E. decided, ‘We can’t go on doing this.’ ”

While networks have found it difficult to charge ever-higher advertising rates in the face of declining ratings, big cable channels — like USA, TNT and TBS — have flourished with the millions of dollars in subscription fees from cable operators that they receive, on top of advertising.

“The cable players have a robust affiliate fee stream that allows them to better finance original programming,” said Anthony DiClemente, a media analyst at Barclays Capital. “The main structural issue right now with broadcast is that the vast majority of revenues are from advertising.”

Profit margins for cable networks are also much better than broadcast networks’. Derek Baine, a senior analyst at SNL Kagan, said big cable networks earned profit margins of 40 to 60 percent, while a good year for a broadcast network is a 10 percent profit margin.

Illustrative of this is a comparison of NBC to ESPN, one of the most popular cable channels. Last year, revenue for the two networks was roughly equal. NBC, according to SNL Kagan, generated about $5.6 billion in advertising dollars; ESPN generated a total of about $6 billion in revenue — $1.6 billion from advertising and $4.4 billion in subscriber fees. But ESPN was vastly more profitable. Its cash flow was about $1.4 billion, while NBC’s was $304 million.

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Recommend Next Article in Business (2 of 33) » A version of this article appeared in print on November 21, 2009, on page B1 of the New York edition.

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For social media, Asian consumers prefer mobile

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Young Asians prefer to access social networking sites via the handset rather than the PC, says IDC.

More than 50% of Chinese, Indian, Korean and Thai users go onto social media sites via the mobile phone at least once a week, it found in a survey. In China and Thailand markets, 62% and 65% of users respectively use their handsets for alerts, messages, status updates or to upload photos.

The survey covered 1400 SNS users aged 18-35 in Australia, India, China, Korea, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

By contrast, Australia and Singapore see the lowest percentage of mobile SNS access, with 19% and 25% respectively.

The reasons for the differing approaches vary across the region, said Debbie Swee, market analyst for IDC Asia-Pacific emerging technologies research.

In emerging markets, the dominance of cellphones over PCs is the major factor. In Korea, however, “the market is technologically advanced and has already seen mass adoption of mobile internet.”

In Australia and Singapore, the dominance of the PC for broadband access meant “strong inertia” against adopting regular mobile access of SNSs.

The survey found that the biggest deterrent to greater mobile adoption was high mobile data pricing. Most users who had never logged in to SNSs through a mobile phone cited hefty mobile internet, SMS or MMS tariffs as the main obstacle, IDC said.

Users were more likely to try out mobile versions of SNS if telcos cut their data rates.

“For mobile operators in China, India and Thailand, IDC believes a low flat-rate internet access fee would complement and increase mobile SNS adoption,” Swee said.

In Australia, Korea and Singapore, where data tariffs were already relatively low, operators needed to correct users’ misconceptions about high pricing.

“Failing to do so could mean that mobile internet applications and services, not just mobile SNSs, will take longer to truly take off.”

Source: 

telecomasia.net

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The Title Says It All. From Wired. Hi-Def DSLRs May Be Cheap, But Talent Is Priceless.

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Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Consumer Mobile Applications for 2012

Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Consumer Mobile Applications for 2012

STAMFORD, Conn., November 18, 2009 — Gartner, Inc. has identified the top 10 consumer mobile applications for 2012. Gartner listed applications based on their impact on consumers and industry players, considering revenue, loyalty, business model, consumer value and estimated market penetration.

“Consumer mobile applications and services are no longer the prerogative of mobile carriers,” said Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner. “The increasing consumer interest in smartphones, the participation of Internet players in the mobile space, and the emergence of application stores and cross-industry services are reducing the dominance of mobile carriers. Each player will influence how the application is delivered and experienced by consumers, who ultimately vote with their attention and spending power.”

“The ultimate competition between industry players is for control of the ‘ecosystem’ and user experience, and the owner of the ecosystem will benefit the most in terms of revenue and user loyalty,” Ms. Shen said. “We predict that most users will use no more than five mobile applications at a time and most future opportunities will come from niche market ‘killer applications’.”

The top 10 consumer mobile applications in 2012 will include:

No. 1: Money Transfer
This service allows people to send money to others using Short Message Service (SMS). Its lower costs, faster speed and convenience compared with traditional transfer services have strong appeal to users in developing markets, and most services signed up several million users within their first year. However, challenges do exist in both regulatory and operational risks. Because of the fast growth of mobile money transfer, regulators in many markets are piling in to investigate the impact on consumer costs, security, fraud and money laundering. On the operational side, market conditions vary, as do the local resources of service providers, so providers need different market strategies when entering a new territory.

No. 2: Location-Based Services
Location-based services (LBS) form part of context-aware services, a service that Gartner expects will be one of the most disruptive in the next few years. Gartner predicts that the LBS user base will grow globally from 96 million in 2009 to more than 526 million in 2012. LBS is ranked No. 2 in Gartner’s top 10 because of its perceived high user value and its influence on user loyalty. Its high user value is the result of its ability to meet a range of needs, ranging from productivity and goal fulfillment to social networking and entertainment.

No. 3: Mobile Search
The ultimate purpose of mobile search is to drive sales and marketing opportunities on the mobile phone. To achieve this, the industry first needs to improve the user experience of mobile search so that people will come back again. Mobile search is ranked No. 3 because of its high impact on technology innovation and industry revenue. Consumers will stay loyal to some search services, but instead of sticking to one or two search providers on the Internet, Gartner expects loyalty on the mobile phone to be shared between a few search providers that have unique technologies for mobile search.

No. 4: Mobile Browsing
Mobile browsing is a widely available technology present on more than 60 percent of handsets shipped in 2009, a percentage Gartner expects to rise to approximately 80 percent in 2013. Gartner has ranked mobile browsing No. 4 because of its broad appeal to all businesses. Mobile Web systems have the potential to offer a good return on investment. They involve much lower development costs than native code, reuse many existing skills and tools, and can be agile — both delivered and updated quickly. Therefore, the mobile Web will be a key part of most corporate business-to-consumer (B2C) mobile strategies.

No. 5: Mobile Health Monitoring
Mobile health monitoring is the use of IT and mobile telecommunications to monitor patients remotely, and could help governments, care delivery organizations (CDOs) and healthcare payers reduce costs related to chronic diseases and improve the quality of life of their patients. In developing markets, the mobility aspect is key as mobile network coverage is superior to fixed network in the majority of developing countries. Currently, mobile health monitoring is at an early stage of market maturity and implementation, and project rollouts have so far been limited to pilot projects. In the future, the industry will be able to monetize the service by offering mobile healthcare monitoring products, services and solutions to CDOs.

No. 6: Mobile Payment
Mobile payment usually serves three purposes. First, it is a way of making payment when few alternatives are available. Second, it is an extension of online payment for easy access and convenience. Third, it is an additional factor of authentication for enhanced security. Mobile payment made Gartner’s top 10 list because of the number of parties it affects — including mobile carriers, banks, merchants, device vendors, regulators and consumers — and the rising interest from both developing and developed markets. Because of the many choices of technologies and business models, as well as regulatory requirements and local conditions, mobile payment will be a highly fragmented market. There will not be standard practices of deployment, so parties will need to find a working solution on a case-by-case basis.

No. 7: Near Field Communication Services
Near field communication (NFC) allows contactless data transfer between compatible devices by placing them close to each other, within ten centimeters. The technology can be used, for example, for retail purchases, transportation, personal identification and loyalty cards. NFC is ranked No. 7 in Gartner’s top ten because it can increase user loyalty for all service providers, and it will have a big impact on carriers' business models. However, its biggest challenge is reaching business agreement between mobile carriers and service providers, such as banks and transportation companies. Gartner expects to see large-scale deployments starting from late 2010, when NFC phones are likely to ship in volume, with Asia leading deployments followed by Europe and North America.

No. 8: Mobile Advertising
Mobile advertising in all regions is continuing to grow through the economic downturn, driven by interest from advertisers in this new opportunity and by the increased use of smartphones and the wireless Internet. Total spending on mobile advertising in 2008 was $530.2 million, which Gartner expects to will grow to $7.5 billion in 2012. Mobile advertising makes the top 10 list because it will be an important way to monetize content on the mobile Internet, offering free applications and services to end users. The mobile channel will be used as part of larger advertising campaigns in various media, including TV, radio, print and outdoors.

No. 9: Mobile Instant Messaging
Price and usability problems have historically held back adoption of mobile instant messaging (IM), while commercial barriers and uncertain business models have precluded widespread carrier deployment and promotion. Mobile IM is on Gartner’s top 10 list because of latent user demand and market conditions that are conducive to its future adoption. It has a particular appeal to users in developing markets that may rely on mobile phones as their only connectivity device. Mobile IM presents an opportunity for mobile advertising and social networking, which have been built into some of the more advanced mobile IM clients.

No. 10: Mobile Music
Mobile music so far has been disappointing — except for ring tones and ring-back tones, which have turned into a multibillion-dollar service. On the other hand, it is unfair to dismiss the value of mobile music, as consumers want music on their phones and to carry it around. We see efforts by various players in coming up with innovative models, such as device or service bundles, to address pricing and usability issues. iTunes makes people pay for music, which shows that a superior user experience does make a difference.

Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Dataquest Insight: The Top Ten Consumer Mobile Applications for 2012." The report is available on Gartner’s website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1205513.

Contacts:

Christy Pettey
Gartner
+1 408 468 8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com

Holly Stevens
Gartner
+44 0 1784 267412
holly.stevens@gartner.com

About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

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from BusinessWeek. Money Transfer: The Top Mobile App of 2012?

Money Transfer: The Top Mobile App of 2012?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on November 18

Money transfer will be the No. 1 consumer application in year 2012, according to Nov. 18 report from consultant Gartner. The app is expected to have more revenue potential than mobile search and browsing, mobile health monitoring and mobile music. In fact, mobile transfers are expected to be an even bigger business than various types of mobile payments, such as using cell phones to pay for produce at grocery stores.

Money transfers’ popularity shouldn’t come as a surprise. This is a huge business in the U.S. and around the world already. Today, most consumers have to come into, say, a Western Union location or use their PC to complete a transaction. It can be problematic and time-consuming for many people to get to either one; but most everyone carries a phone. Another consultant, Juniper Research, expects international mobile money transfers to top $65 billion by 2014.

For the top 10 features Gartner expects to be present on smartphones in 2012, check out this list.

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Social Media ROI: Socialnomics

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RP firms finalists in Asia mobile awards

MANILA, Philippines – Two of the country's mobile telecommunications firms, as well as a team of Filipino software developers, bested more than a hundred other entries to become finalist at the 2009 Asia Mobile Awards.

Software development firm MPAY Solutions (www.mpay.ph) is one of the four finalists in the Mobile Money for the “Unbanked” Category.

The company was nominated for its service called “m-bux, a mobile phone-based payment system that also does phone credit loading, funds transfer and overseas remittances. It is currently being used in several local farmers' cooperatives.

It essentially connects to a bank, thus removing the need to have an alternative currency type and uses real money that is accessed by the account holder's mobile phone and only used to pay for certain services or transfer money.

“MPAY is really built on simple insights: that many of the unbanked, demand basic financial services; that mobile is the most convenient and cost-effective method of delivering these services; and that people are generally comfortable with the concept of prepaid,” according to MPAY CEO Maner Puyawan.

Incidentally, MPAY will compete in the same category with Smart Communications, which has its “Smart Islands Activation Program.”

Smart is also nominated in three other categories: Best Mobile Advertising or Marketing, Best Green Mobile Award and Best Mobile Money Service”.

Aside from MPAY and Smart, Globe Telecom was also announced as nominee in the Best Mobile Money Service category for its GCash Click service.

There are a total of 10 categories for this year's Asia Mobile Awards, which honors global companies that create the most creative and innovative products and services for the mobile segment.

The Asia Mobile Awards is organized by the GSM Association. Winners will be announced on November 19 during the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong.

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Now this is interesting! YouTube launches channel for citizen journalists.

YouTube launches channel for citizen journalists

Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:17am EST

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Pacman Fever hits the UK, too! From The Guardian. No claim is too outlandish for 'greatest ever' Manny Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquiao celebrates after defeating Miguel Cotto in their WBO welterweight fight at the MGM Grand. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Manny Pacquiao was in extraordinary form last night, both inside the ring, where he dismantled Miguel Cotto to win a world title in a seventh different weight division (a record), and outside the ring, where he interrupted his jovial post-fight press conference to sing a love song. "I'm just ordinary," the always humble Manny had said earlier in the proceedings. As a singer, perhaps. As a boxer, not a chance.

It is always hard to separate the reality from the fantasy in the world of professional boxing, especially when ageless circus barkers like Bob Arum are involved, but one of the many beauties about having Pacquiao around is that he makes everyone's life easier.

He is hyperbole made flesh, the man for whom no claim is too outlandish. So it is that when Arum, who promotes the Filipino's fights, steps up the microphone and says Pacquiao is the "Tiger Woods of boxing" those who are listening are inclined to give the suggestion a fair hearing. Likewise when Arum stood up and said, as he did in the aftermath of last night's display, that Pacquiao is the greatest boxer he had ever seen "and I've seen them all, including Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard", no one laughed, they simply started debating.

Is the Filipino that good? Well, the truth of it is we will never know. Cross-generational comparisons in sport are the every definition of futility– like trying to catch a deluge in a paper cup, as a wise songwriter once decreed.

Is he better than Ali? You might as well ask if Arkle was better than Sea The Stars. Same animal, different sport altogether.

Still, there are some things we can say about Pacquiao that are surely beyond debate, the first being that as a boxer he has exceeded all expectations, perhaps even his own. He certainly made fools of those, like Ricky Hatton, who suggested prior to last night's contest at the GM Grand in Las Vegas that he would have neither the stamina to go the distance with Cotto, far less beat him.

Not only did he beat the Puerto Rican, he humbled him, just as he had humbled the aforementioned Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya in his two previous appearances in the same arena. Those victories illustrated Pacquiao's ring mobility and hand-speed, securing his reputation as the most naturally gifted boxer of his generation. Last night's fight proved he is also one of the toughest and strongest. As for the unofficial title best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? Well, the jury has all but made its decision, although wise counsel suggests that one more piece of evidence in required.

The mercurial Floyd Mayweather Jr was nowhere to be seen around the MGM Grand last night, but his presence was felt everywhere and it will be demanded when the world of boxing gathers assembles once again for one of these occasions. Pending the usual behind-the-scenes horse-trading and front-of-house finger-pointing, it is unimaginable that the American and the Filipino will not meet in the ring sometime within the next year. The appetite is too great for it not to happen, and so are the financial rewards for the two protagonists.

Who would win? Both will have their supporters, but if Pacquiao emerges victorious yet again Arum could step up to the microphone and describe his man as the Second Coming and no one will argue.

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From AdAge. Coke to Brand Buskers in London This Holiday Season.

Coke to Brand Buskers in London This Holiday Season

Tube Riders Will Be Serenaded With 'Holidays Are Coming'

Posted by Emma Hall on 11.12.09 @ 10:08 AM

LONDON (AdAge.com) -- Coca-Cola has signed up buskers to sing its familiar festive jingle "Holidays Are Coming" to a captive audience of the London Underground's 3.5 million daily Tube riders.

In a deal with the London Underground, Coca-Cola will sponsor the licensed busking scheme in the run-up to Christmas. Singers and musicians at stations around the network will be given sheet music or CDs so that they can perform the official holiday song.

It will not be compulsory for the buskers to perform the song, but Coca-Cola is planning to provide incentives to the entertainers to sing "Holidays Are Coming" as often as possible. The song will also be heard on TV spots throughout the festive season.

Here's an old spot featuring the song:

The contract with Transport for London lasts from Nov. 30 to Jan. 4 and will see buskers performing on 33 Coca-Cola-branded pitches at prime spots on the London Underground.

Cathryn Sleight, marketing director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, said, "Coca-Cola has a rich history in festive advertising, and we are looking forward to sponsoring the [Transport for London] licensed busking scheme, supporting buskers as they serenade commuters and shoppers alike."

2 Comments

  By MARK | MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ November 12, 2009 12:39:30 pm:

Turning buskers into hucksters! Love it. Cheers, Coca-Cola.
Mark Rowe
Chief Engagement Officer
PunchOfFives.com

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  By mkoppel | Brooklyn, NY November 13, 2009 08:06:58 am:

As a busker turned marketer, I am actually cool with this.

Matt Koppel
themattkoppelblog.blogspot.com

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