samedi 23 juin 2007
samedi 12 mai 2007
Social Networks = Trendy or E-Business shift?
For me, social networks were a trend years ago but, now, as they are more and more used, thanks to Internet web 2.0, they can be considered as a real e-business shift with wide opportunities.
Key elements of social networks:
- virtual communities
- key element of the Internet Web 2.0
- Members are here to exchange, to share information about specific subjects
- They are linked by a common and central subject (ex.: passion for the Beatles, shopping, travels, etc.)
Social networks can be organized around personal or business connections. Most of the social networks on the internet are public, allowing anyone to join. Organizations, such as large companies, also have access to private social networking applications.
Communities are a good segment because you know easily their “motivation”.
I think the same:
It was a trend, only few people were using it, young or innovative people, it was reserved for small community of people; and now as it exists “success stories”, it’s becoming a real e-business shift. Even big companies like Sheraton hotels use it. It’s part of their marketing model.
You see that you can sell everything: you can even commercialize relationships!
The term community is very important today in business. Thanks to globalization and the Internet you can’t segment your customers as yesterday. You have take in consideration the community you target. We don’t talk anymore about ages, social categories, sex, etc., but really about very different people that are linked by a specific subject.
With Internet Web 2.0, e-business have risen another dimension, and it’s going to last.
Key elements of social networks:
- virtual communities
- key element of the Internet Web 2.0
- Members are here to exchange, to share information about specific subjects
- They are linked by a common and central subject (ex.: passion for the Beatles, shopping, travels, etc.)
Social networks can be organized around personal or business connections. Most of the social networks on the internet are public, allowing anyone to join. Organizations, such as large companies, also have access to private social networking applications.
Communities are a good segment because you know easily their “motivation”.
I think the same:
It was a trend, only few people were using it, young or innovative people, it was reserved for small community of people; and now as it exists “success stories”, it’s becoming a real e-business shift. Even big companies like Sheraton hotels use it. It’s part of their marketing model.
You see that you can sell everything: you can even commercialize relationships!
The term community is very important today in business. Thanks to globalization and the Internet you can’t segment your customers as yesterday. You have take in consideration the community you target. We don’t talk anymore about ages, social categories, sex, etc., but really about very different people that are linked by a specific subject.
With Internet Web 2.0, e-business have risen another dimension, and it’s going to last.
jeudi 10 mai 2007
Social Networking
1. Research and understand the definition of “social networks”
From Wikipedia:
A social network is a social structure made of nodes, individuals or organizations, that are tied by one or more specific types of relations, such as financial exchanges, friendship, dislike, passions, sexual relations, trade, web links, etc.
Social network analysis views social relationships in terms of nodes and ties. Nodes are the individual actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between the actors. There can be many kinds of ties between the nodes. Research in a number of academic fields has shown that social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.
In its simplest form, a social network is a map of all of the relevant ties between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determine the social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social network diagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.
Definition of networking = Internet social networks
The first social networking website was classmates.com, which began in1995.
The year 1999 saw the development of two competing models of social networking, the Circle of Trust developed by Epinions and utilised by Ciao.com, Dooyoo and ToLuna and the Circle of Friends developed by Jonathan Bishop which was utilised on a number of regional UK sites between 1999 and 2001 and flourished with the advent of a website called Friendseter in 2002.
This is now one of the most dominant methods of social networking invirtual communities, perhaps for the reason that it gives the user control rather than being computer controlled.
Examples of social networking sites using the Circle of Friends: MySpace, Orkut (social network of Google), Yahoo! 360°
Examples of social networking sites using the Circle of Friends: MySpace, Orkut (social network of Google), Yahoo! 360°
Social networks can also be organized around business connections, as in the case of LinkedIn.
Most of the social networks on the internet are public, allowing anyone to join. Organizations, such as large companies, also have access to private social networking applications, known as Enterprise Relationship Management. Microsoft released an enterprise social networking application called Knowledge Network in February 2007. Organizations install these applications on their own servers and enable employees to share their networks of contacts and relationships to outside people and companies.
To summarize:
“Social networking” is:
- a dérivé of “social network”
- associated to virtual communities
- key element of the Internet Web 2.0
- “social networking” could be defined by the action doing one or several social networks on line. Constituted by members that spread, exchange or create things, the social networks on line are generally characterized by a central element
2. Review the following sites – prepare to present how the site work: Zlio, Wists, Deal Plumber, City Therapy, Gusto Trip Hub
“Social networking” is:
- a dérivé of “social network”
- associated to virtual communities
- key element of the Internet Web 2.0
- “social networking” could be defined by the action doing one or several social networks on line. Constituted by members that spread, exchange or create things, the social networks on line are generally characterized by a central element
2. Review the following sites – prepare to present how the site work: Zlio, Wists, Deal Plumber, City Therapy, Gusto Trip Hub
Zlio:
It’s a network which enables you to create your own shop on line. You can choose between hundreds thousands of products to put in your personal shop.
Your shop can contain : your favorite products, your gifts lists, specific products for specific needs, etc.
After that, you can make the promotion of your shop through your blog, Messenger, forums, your friens, your colleagues, your neighbours, etc.
Your shop will be automatically referenced on the most important researching websites as Google, Yahoo, etc. Without doing anything, you will have a lot visitors!!
It’s a network which enables you to create your own shop on line. You can choose between hundreds thousands of products to put in your personal shop.
Your shop can contain : your favorite products, your gifts lists, specific products for specific needs, etc.
After that, you can make the promotion of your shop through your blog, Messenger, forums, your friens, your colleagues, your neighbours, etc.
Your shop will be automatically referenced on the most important researching websites as Google, Yahoo, etc. Without doing anything, you will have a lot visitors!!
City Therapy:
It’s a social network where people who like travelling write comments about places, hotels, bars, cities in Europe.
What advantages?
Travel to a European city for short or long stay. Find out where to go and what's on
See who else hangs out in your favourite European bars, clubs, shops, restaurants, hotels & parties
Find your niche: fetish, rock or vintage lovers and find out who their friends are and where they pose
Show to others the people, the places and the parties that you like
Write your comments, suggestions & ideas and post them to the whole community
CityTherapy brings together the people, their interests, the locations in the spotlight, the happening events, the music, the fashion and the parties. CityTherapy is the interactive, dynamic tool that connects it all!
CityTherapy is your black book. Know who hangs out where and where to be. Whether you're an expat- treating yourself with a well deserved city break- or a regular European visitor or, simply, after the best-kept secrets, hang-outs and events in your home town then CityTherapy keeps you connected.
How to use it?
Find a quality selection of descriptions and details for bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, and shops:
Search for locations through the city search boxes on top of the city pages, based on their specific classifications
Use "Attach to profile" in location details to select your favourite locations and have them in your profile
See which events are taking place in the location details
See which people have attached the locations to their profile
CityTherapy members can see full details of locations.
Event profiles:
Find a quality selection of descriptions and details of music, fashion and other events across all cities:
Search for events through the city search boxes on top of the city pages
Use "Attach to profile" in the event details to select your favourite events and have them in your profile
See which people have attached the events to their profile
CityTherapy members can see full details of events.
City profiles:
A number of possible itineraries for cities. No need for searching different places to go to.
CityTherapy has pre-made schedules of a selection of bars, restaurants, hotels, and shops for various reasons of living a city.
Search for pre-made city profiles on top of the city pages.
Send/print out your schedule
My profile:
Create a personal profile based on your lifestyle, music & fashion interests.
Go to My profile from home page/ top of the city pages to edit/view your personal profile
Edit & view your sections of personal, music interests, fashion interests, magazines, hang-outs
Make yourself more visible and add a picture to your profile
Members can add their favourite locations and events to their profile.
Full impact when all sections of people profiles is filled out.
CityTherapy members can see full details of other people profiles.
People search / interaction
Find other people based on their cities, gender, age, interests, hang-outs.
Send mails to other CityTherapy Members.
View other people profiles and send the people you know/like a message.
Invite other people to CityTherapy's network.
CityTherapy members browse through and get into contact with other members
Recommended events:
Based on your profile ,music interests & fashion interests, CityTherapy makes real-time recommended selection of events for you.
Find your personal selection of events in View My Profile in Event Therapy.
An individualised calendar in your profile shows which dates (marked in grey) are when your proposed events are taking place.
CityTherapy members can view their individualised selection of recommended events.
Group therapy:
See which other people share similar interests and see where they hang out:
Check the people with similar interests in Group Therapy in View My Profile section
CityTherapy members can view people sharing similar interests
Fellow therapists
Add people to your profiles and create your little community of fellow therapists within the whole CityTherapy network:
After having sent a request to other people to being attached to your profile, the other people will need to allow you to being considered as your fellow therapist
Find the people who want to be your fellow therapist in View My Profile section
Receive alerts of Fellow Therapists birthday days, so you will never forget them and have another reason for another party
City blogs:
Every CityTherapy member can create, edit, comment and view blogs for the different cities:
Click city blogs for a specific city on top of the city pages to view all city blogs
View/comment other people blogs on top of other people profile pages
Create your own blogs from top Blog link on top of your Profile Page
Social card:
Use the CityTherapy Social Card to receive offers and discounts to a selection of like-minded venues across Europe's most vibrant cities.
Go to the Social Card section left on the City Pages to see all details of the Social Card offerings.
TripHub:
Today, TripHub makes it easy to:
Create a central "hub" for all trip information and discussions
Invite people to join your trip and track who is coming
Research and discuss travel plans and activities
Collaborate on decisions and keep people informed
Create a shared trip map and schedule of events
Share travel itineraries from any source or supplier
It’s a free service.
Social Networks In Search of Business Models By Ryan Naraine
Despite skepticism that the buzz around social networking tools is fueled by venture capital-created hype, executives at some of these start-ups insist there's money to be made from software that connects friends to friends of friends.
Services like Friendster, Tribe Networks, LinkedIn and Google's Orkut may be growing in popularity but, as Tribe founder Mark Pincus admits, revenues are non-existent and profitability is not even in the equation today.
So why are venture capitalists pumping money into social networking start-ups? "There's an intended business model in subscriptions, classifieds and even targeted advertising," Pincus said at a panel discussion in New York this week.
"This is the next generation of online classifieds. CraigsList has shown us there are revenue opportunities once we do this right," Pincus said, referring to Craig Newmark's no-frills Web site that serves as a marketplace for millions looking to buy and sell items, find dates and research job opportunities.
CraigsList charges a $75 fee to list job openings and has generated million of dollars in annual revenue. "We can emulate CraigsList," Pincus declared, pointing to an increase in the number of paying participants in the online classifieds market.
Pincus, a serial entrepreneur who founded and once served as CEO of SupportSoft (Quote), believes the interconnectivity of social networks will create lucrative online classified marketers, especially at the local levels.
Reid Hoffman, the former PayPal vice president who founded LinkedIn, sees a hybrid business model for his company. Once the service expands, Hoffman said money will be made in paid subscriptions from members and an advertising service resembling Google's content-matching AdWords service.
"Are you looking for a lawyer? Well, the advertisement can return a lawyer in the network that is linked to one of your friends," Hoffman said. "There are lots of business models that can come out of business people looking to connect with each other."
A subscription fee for premium membership is another option for LinkedIn, which launched late last year with $4.7 million in funding from Sequoia Capital. In the long term, Hoffman believes the social networks can tap into the lucrative online dating business now dominated by companies like Match.com, Yahoo Personals and Lavalife.
The online dating sites lets users create and publish catchy profiles for free but charge a monthly fee to let users contact each other. It is a model now being used by Ryze, which styles itself as a pioneering business networking service. Ryze charges $9.95 per month for gold membership and also makes money from organizing networking events and, according to CEO Adrian Scott, the company is already turning a profit.
New York-based Visible Path is taking a different approach to marketing the service, by targeting enterprises with social networking technology. Visible Path Chief Executive Antony Brydon believes the corporate customer is an easier sell for technology that offer relationship networks that connect them to prospective customers, partners, investors and employees.
At the panel discussion, Brydon announced the closing of a $3.7 million round of funding from venture capital outfit Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. Ray Lane, a general partner in the VC firm will take a seat on Visible Path's board of directors.
3. Find another social network
It’s a social network for people who travel in Europe by train. It puts in relation people who are travelling on the same train.
The first idea of this social network was to enjoy the travel by discussing with the other passengers: exchange information, make network, create personal and professionnal meetings on train through France and Europe. The goal was to communicate with the other passengers.
How to use Train d’Union?
- your profile: you can identify yourself and express your professionnal and personal preferences
- your route profile: you put the references of the train you take. This will help you to put yourself in relation with your future co-passengers.
When a new person is registered on your train, you are automatically informed by mail. You can contact this person by mail and propose to meet her in the wagon restaurant.
What Train d’union propose is to formalize meetings between people. People often hesitate to approach their Co-passengers and when they have risked, probabilities of finding the good “travelling companion” are often very thin.
Train of union tries precisely to give a chance to people to meet their good travelling companion. A chance which we all wanted tried at least once in our life.
What is its business model and its current financing?
Train d’union is a merchant of chance. And it is rather difficult to make pay for a meeting. The size of the community does not allow it. Moreover it is delicate to make pay a service whose satisfaction is very often subjective. The service is free and intends to remain it. It is an element which differentiates it from its competitors. Train d’union rests on an advertising business model of audience. One of the sources of income is to bring visibility to local advertisers. It is thus the local information market which interests it. Another track that they would like to exploit is the affiliation. It is also planned to redirect their traffic towards sites specialized in the services with mobility. For each visitor of Train d’union which would have carried out a transaction on these sites partners, a remuneration would be transferred to them.
mardi 20 mars 2007
New scientific report on the consequences of the gobal warming
Le Monde, édition du 20.03.2007
Shortages of water, floods, lower agricultural outputs, multiplication of fires, decline of the biodiversity… The scientists of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Evolution of Climate (GIEC) are publishing new evaluations of the consequences of the global warming and the confirmation of the bond between this phenomenon and the multiple disturbances already noted on the planet.
These data will be debated between several hundreds of scientists and representatives of 190 countries, from April the 2nd to April the 5th in Brussels.
After the approval of the first part of the evaluation report of the GIEC in Paris, on February the 2nd (which had ratified the responsibility of human activities in the global warming), the second chapter will deal with its consequences.
The direct consequences of the global warming:
- instability of the grounds in mountains,
- melting of the permafrost,
- modifications of the flora and the fauna in the polar areas,
- increase of temperatures of lakes and rivers,
- precocity of the budding of vegetation and migrations of birds,
- modifications of the distribution of algae, fishes, plankton, etc.
To underlie the fact that the rhythm of increase in the average temperature will depend on the actions taken to reduce the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse, the evaluations of the future impacts are made by taking in reference rises of temperatures, without mention of dates.
If we count a rise of temperature between 2°C and 4,5°C above the values of 1990, scientists evaluate:
- between 1 and 3,2 billion the number of people touched by water shortages
- hundreds of million the number of people threatened by the rise of the level of oceans. Indeed, if the reheating reaches 4°C, a fifth of the world population would be confronted with floods
- agricultural outputs would decline everywhere if the reheating reaches 3°C
- in the South of the planet, capacities of adaptation of many species would be exceeded. Up to 120 million additional people would then be exposed to famine. Scientists envisage an increase in the number of deaths due to heat, dryness, floods, diseases related to water, as well as massive extinction of species, and major upheavals in ecosystems.
Several areas of the world are regarded particularly threatened, as small islands, or Arctic, and:
- Africa, with water shortages and loss of arable grounds, is also considered to be very vulnerable, because of the weakness of its capacities of adaptation.
- The estuaries of Asian rivers, very populated, also form part of the most exposed zones. If the global warming is not braked, in Asia, the melting of the glaciers of the Himalayas will involve floods, crumbling, disturbances in the water supply.
- In the South of Europe, the water availability will decrease in 5% to 35%, with consequences on the agricultural and hydroelectric production, and the frequency of fires. On the other hand, it will increase by 10% to 20% in the North of the continent, involving floods.
- In South America, the vegetation could suffer important disturbances (replacement of the tropical forest by savanna). In dry areas, agricultural lands would become unsuitable with the cultures.
- North America will have to face a strong competition for the use of water, waves of heat, and the increase of fires.
Scientists underlie that the actions of adaptation (modification of the use of grounds, of infrastructures, and increased protection of the ecosystems) to climatic changes are not very developed.
However, even if the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse would decrease quickly, benefit of that would be felt only several decades after. Such measurings are thus essential, according to experts' of the GIEC.
Shortages of water, floods, lower agricultural outputs, multiplication of fires, decline of the biodiversity… The scientists of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on the Evolution of Climate (GIEC) are publishing new evaluations of the consequences of the global warming and the confirmation of the bond between this phenomenon and the multiple disturbances already noted on the planet.
These data will be debated between several hundreds of scientists and representatives of 190 countries, from April the 2nd to April the 5th in Brussels.
After the approval of the first part of the evaluation report of the GIEC in Paris, on February the 2nd (which had ratified the responsibility of human activities in the global warming), the second chapter will deal with its consequences.
The direct consequences of the global warming:
- instability of the grounds in mountains,
- melting of the permafrost,
- modifications of the flora and the fauna in the polar areas,
- increase of temperatures of lakes and rivers,
- precocity of the budding of vegetation and migrations of birds,
- modifications of the distribution of algae, fishes, plankton, etc.
To underlie the fact that the rhythm of increase in the average temperature will depend on the actions taken to reduce the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse, the evaluations of the future impacts are made by taking in reference rises of temperatures, without mention of dates.
If we count a rise of temperature between 2°C and 4,5°C above the values of 1990, scientists evaluate:
- between 1 and 3,2 billion the number of people touched by water shortages
- hundreds of million the number of people threatened by the rise of the level of oceans. Indeed, if the reheating reaches 4°C, a fifth of the world population would be confronted with floods
- agricultural outputs would decline everywhere if the reheating reaches 3°C
- in the South of the planet, capacities of adaptation of many species would be exceeded. Up to 120 million additional people would then be exposed to famine. Scientists envisage an increase in the number of deaths due to heat, dryness, floods, diseases related to water, as well as massive extinction of species, and major upheavals in ecosystems.
Several areas of the world are regarded particularly threatened, as small islands, or Arctic, and:
- Africa, with water shortages and loss of arable grounds, is also considered to be very vulnerable, because of the weakness of its capacities of adaptation.
- The estuaries of Asian rivers, very populated, also form part of the most exposed zones. If the global warming is not braked, in Asia, the melting of the glaciers of the Himalayas will involve floods, crumbling, disturbances in the water supply.
- In the South of Europe, the water availability will decrease in 5% to 35%, with consequences on the agricultural and hydroelectric production, and the frequency of fires. On the other hand, it will increase by 10% to 20% in the North of the continent, involving floods.
- In South America, the vegetation could suffer important disturbances (replacement of the tropical forest by savanna). In dry areas, agricultural lands would become unsuitable with the cultures.
- North America will have to face a strong competition for the use of water, waves of heat, and the increase of fires.
Scientists underlie that the actions of adaptation (modification of the use of grounds, of infrastructures, and increased protection of the ecosystems) to climatic changes are not very developed.
However, even if the gas emissions for purpose of greenhouse would decrease quickly, benefit of that would be felt only several decades after. Such measurings are thus essential, according to experts' of the GIEC.
lundi 19 mars 2007
Easyjet Business Model
Easyjet is a British low-cost air company.
The concept:
Easyjet cuts the costs by eliminating wastes:
- They use Internet to reduce the distribution costs. Today, almost 95% of the seats are sold on the Net.
- They optimise the immobilized capital. The Easyjet planes fly more than those from other companies. A good way to optimize the unitary cost of each plane.
- They develop the travel without tickets. Passengers receive a confirmation by mail.
By doing that, they can eliminate the costs of printing, distribution, transaction and checking of millions of tickets per year.
- They don't offer free meal during the flight.
- They are based in the most important European airports, but they earn in efficiency because they have very reduced stopover times (30 min.) and agreements with airports on landing taxes. With reduced stopover times, Easyjet can make more rotations with the planes.
- Easyjet has also developped the principle of "management without paper". The management and the administration of the company are totally made with the computer.
Additional sources of revenues:
- Commissions
- Hotels and apartments offers
- Car rental
- Bars lounges in waiting area
- Airports parkings
- Buses between airports and towns
- Insurances
The concept:
Easyjet cuts the costs by eliminating wastes:
- They use Internet to reduce the distribution costs. Today, almost 95% of the seats are sold on the Net.
- They optimise the immobilized capital. The Easyjet planes fly more than those from other companies. A good way to optimize the unitary cost of each plane.
- They develop the travel without tickets. Passengers receive a confirmation by mail.
By doing that, they can eliminate the costs of printing, distribution, transaction and checking of millions of tickets per year.
- They don't offer free meal during the flight.
- They are based in the most important European airports, but they earn in efficiency because they have very reduced stopover times (30 min.) and agreements with airports on landing taxes. With reduced stopover times, Easyjet can make more rotations with the planes.
- Easyjet has also developped the principle of "management without paper". The management and the administration of the company are totally made with the computer.
Additional sources of revenues:
- Commissions
- Hotels and apartments offers
- Car rental
- Bars lounges in waiting area
- Airports parkings
- Buses between airports and towns
- Insurances
jeudi 8 mars 2007
Innocentive concept
1. What is it?
It's a new concept of market place which enables companies to pose a R&D problem, and which enables scientists, searchers to earn money by finding the solution of the problem.
2. Who owns it?
Innocentive has been developped by the pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly.
3. What is the business model?
Innocentive: innovation + incentive
4. What problems does it solve?
Save time and money for the companies. It enables companies to "rent a brain" for a specific problem very different from the core skills of the companies.
Reduce the costs and have a better R&D department
It's a new concept of market place which enables companies to pose a R&D problem, and which enables scientists, searchers to earn money by finding the solution of the problem.
2. Who owns it?
Innocentive has been developped by the pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly.
3. What is the business model?
Innocentive: innovation + incentive
4. What problems does it solve?
Save time and money for the companies. It enables companies to "rent a brain" for a specific problem very different from the core skills of the companies.
Reduce the costs and have a better R&D department
Freemium - for which biz models ?
Freemium is used in concert with other biz models (which ones and why)?
Free services is provided in the first instance.
So it is important for companies going on Freemium to master costs (ex no distribution, no stocking, no offline shops,...) as a matter of fact such a model cannot be applied to clothes, furnitures and any tangible goods which must be transportated.
Morever this model is best suited for online services and downloadable products (ex Skype, VIADEO, IT sofware). In these cases the company can expect a return on investment in that the product once created and published is ready for immediate download without any fee.
Also this model is best suited to social, referral and professional networkings where no publicity or advertising is needed. the goal is to find business partners to enhanced the initial projects.
Natacha, Fabrizio, Epiphane, Reza (Groupe 3)
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