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Home Truths for eBay Sellers

Home Truths for eBay Sellers

Everyone loves a whinge. Hell, I'd list it as a hobby in Who's Who if I was illustrious enough. And it would be just that: a hobby: not business. But, and I'm willing to take the flak here, there is a cohort of eBay sellers who are in the business of complaining and they outclass even the ... Read more »
On my 31st Birthday in 31 Words.

On my 31st Birthday in 31 Words.

Thirty-one today. Cripes. At thirty-one Jimi Hendrix had been dead for four years. Jesus had two more but had hardly begun. Must pull my finger out. Mine's a pint though. Cheers! Looking at the brightside. ... Read more »
Dan Wilson Links...*

Dan Wilson Links…*

Here are some links to things I've been enjoying online recently: Politics I'm totally glued to the US Presidential Election. And I get my daily dose of polls from http://electoral-vote.com/. I'm really grateful to Jesper for posting this link about the Obama 08 campaign logo. It's an ... Read more »
In praise of Seth Godin

In praise of Seth Godin

Commonsense marketing advice that isn't the usual dry didactic crap. Taking everyday examples to tackle everyday problems in a personal and often wry manner. Encouraging readers to look at problems anew by challenging orthodoxies and warning against relying on old assumptions. It can only be ... Read more »
Small Business 2.0: Social Marketing Links

Small Business 2.0: Social Marketing Links

Further to my post about Small Business 2.0 and my talk, I thought some of these links might be useful 'Further Reading'. New York Times: Blogging for small businesses How you can use Stumbleupon - elance How Digg can help you market your business - elance.com Techcrunch: 9 ways to build your ... Read more »
Third Party Ads on the eBay.co.uk Homepage

Third Party Ads on the eBay.co.uk Homepage

Hardly a surprise and not a first. But it's pretty saddening to see a great big ad on the eBay.co.uk homepage and above the fold at that. eBay reported last week that ad revenues were one of the few areas of the 'marketplace' business that are still growing strongly. So I guess it's the shape of ... Read more »
Small Business 2.0: Social Marketing

Small Business 2.0: Social Marketing

I presented at Small Business 2.0 on my chosen specialist subject of 'Getting closer to your customers'. It was all about using Web 2.0 services, social networking and online communities to talk with existing and potential customers. The audio should hopefully be available soon. Here's a precis ... Read more »
Welcome to my new blog

Welcome to my new blog

Slightly belatedly, because it went live more than a week ago, welcome to my spruced up, redesigned blog. I love it. And I hope you love it too: let me know. The blog functionality is powered by Wordpress: a free bit of open source software that I can't praise highly enough. Not only is it ... Read more »
Thinking about NaNoWriMo

Thinking about NaNoWriMo

I'm 90% certain that I'll have a pop at NaNoWriMo this year. Never heard of it? Basically, you have the 30 days of November to write 50,000 words. Why would I do this? In my desk drawer there are three hefty chunks of novels in various unfinished states. The first I worked on for about 3 years ... Read more »
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live

Satire lives. I thought that everyone had been enjoying Tina Fey's totally brilliant impersonation of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live for the past few weeks. But several people I know haven't seen it and more than that, the Governor of Alaska's genuine appearance on SNL last night has just been ... Read more »
Small Business 2.0: eBay

Small Business 2.0: eBay

Small Business 2.0 on Saturday was well attended by eBay sellers and sessions focusing on ecommerce (such as James Scott from Channel Advisor and Matthew Henderson from Amazon ) drew big crowds. Regarding eBay, two things stand out for me: 1) 1 in 5 visits to Post Offices are eBay-related. ... Read more »
Reporting America, Reporting Britain

Reporting America, Reporting Britain

The Eccles Institute for American Studies hosted a fascinating talk at the British Library on Monday evening. Entitled 'Alistair Cooke: Reporting America, Reporting Britain' and commemorating the centenary of the great journalist and broadcaster's birth, the panel reflected on the differences and ... Read more »
My Old Boiler

My Old Boiler

It certainly has a Tardis-like charm and has provided me with a lot, an awful lot, of hot water. But it's 23 years old and has been replaced by an upstart combi boiler. If your boiler says 'Made in West Germany' on it, may I suggest it's time to bid ... Read more »
Small Business 2.0: SEO

Small Business 2.0: SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) was definitely one of the most compelling topics for attendees at Small Business 2.0 last Saturday. Will Wynne of online purveyors of fine blooms and stems, ArenaFlowers.com, kicked off the day by explaining the basics. But for my money his comment that all the SEO ... Read more »