My name is Ed, I am a programmer. Just another dude with another blog. I like MTG, Open Source (more towards FREE software). I like sports, and eventually I hope to do business and do good for the world in general. This blog is gonna be about Open Source. It may lead somewhere or nowhere, as with all things arcane, that was bloody obvious =)
When you exploit something that is ESSENTIALLY free. i.e. the price you charge is artificially inflated and you are profiteering an obscene amount of money and STILL taking the moral high ground AND getting away with it.
Its 'good' money.
And yah there are others like you out there... and well it will be fun to watch ;)
Good Luck.
Apple has good reach. But Walmart (and most of the itune consumers are from US - a fact helped by Apple themselves no less) has a far more permeating presence in the US and if it decides to put in its weight in cost advantage and reach. This is not MS vs Apple. That was a minor fight compared to this. More like a China's manufacturing prowess versus a boutique shop. Alright that was a little exaggerated, but are'nt all the claims so far ;)
Recently I had to change my company's cartridges. The ink toner was off and the ink was smearing off the pages. It was quite a mess.
That would have happen to quite a few of us I presume. Finding the cartridges for a particular brand can be a little daunting and if you are not able to get to an IT shop, this website might help.
You can narrow your search by the price range (for instance what is your or your company's budget for printing, this could be of paramount importance for a company that is watching its dimes!). The narrowing by "price range" function allows you to choose certain categories (e.e below 10USD, or between 10 - 30 etc), those are preset,; alternatively you could set your own price range!
You could also search by brand (though this would mean you are not looking for a different brand, though it would be a good idea to see how much that toner or cartridge is costing you in the long run...).
In searching for the cheapest toner/cartridge + printer combination, this site at Shopping.com, allows you to search for compatible product types to let you choose the best combination possible!
There are also refill kits available so you do not have to buy the whole cartridge or toner.
But.... if you are feeling lazy?
Right near the top, there is a search function to see what other shoppers are buying to help you see which toners and cartridges are the most popular. There are pros and cons of doing it this way of course, and that is that you are assuming the masses know what they are doing. Still if something is really bad, it should plummet in popularity... so there safety in numbers =P
Anyhows give the site a whirl, it is a nice resource for toners and cartridges.
Checked out the mediacorp's latest effort today to exploit IT.
Apparently Mocca.com is an effort to be an online classifieds ads.
This strategy has a few flaws.
1) Yahoo already has a classified ads 2) There is still the paper version
I think the paper version will persist for quite a while as the more reliable and usable one. Remember though we blog and email, much of business still runs along without us, "us" here referring to the online crowd.
So you are likely to get something akin to Yahoo classifieds. Except Yahoo classifieds has been around forever, and is doing only pretty average.
Checking the site I find that it is a simple categoriser with video function. But video is rather trouble some so one wonders what kind of advertisers Mocca is likely to get.
Still I believe there is some glimmer of hope here.
mediacorp has been finding ways to exploit IT. I suspect they have an enterprising individual pushing plans (Yoz! If you are reading this, get in touch, I may have some sound ideas for you ;))
So far it seems, they have tried to advertise the "OG" way.
What happens in OG (yes the fashion apparel shopping centre), is that periodically the management or DJ or whatever you call their AV personnel, will announce some discount for some brand or item, but it must be on the spot. This system kinda rewards people for being in the shopping centre I guess (I really do not know what is the point.. I mean.. how long do you stay in a shoppping centre and even if you do what are the chances that the deal is something I am interested in???? Still I am sure the women and housewifes have something to say... so whatever...)
Except in Mediacorps effort, they show some Advert, and immediately you must log into the website to printout some discount coupon to get a discount for some product. I can see the idea. And that is that it encourages people to go to the website. But the hassle of
1) Starting Up the computer 2) Noting URL 3) Browsing to said URL 4) Finding Discount 5) printing 6) Oh yeah we haven't actually gotten to the stall yet
For God's sake, people are giving out FREE discounts coupons ALL the time. Outside Burger King outlets, in the newspapers etc. Why would anyone go to that trouble to print out some crummy discount coupons????
Not that I think it was a bad idea, it was just flawed.
What was the flaw?
Like any ecommerce undertaking, and as the gal in starwars Princess Leia would say: You assume too much.
Assumption 1) people are IT savvy.
No, just no. People can get IT savvy, no doubt. But you gotta give them a reason. 4D, pension, games, hobbies, music, porn whatever ;P
But generally, no, people are not as IT savvy as the commercial people like to think they are. If they were, everyone would be using Linux and would poopoo to all the eye candy out there.
Assumption 2) people are interested.
the trick is to get people interested, so the carrot should be relevant.
Is Mocca making the same assumptions again? unlike the earlier effort, this time Mediacorp is following a tried and tested model, that of classified ads.
however there are (yet!) more problems.
The model is not terribly exciting and is a dead horse that has been beatened forever. Also it requires critical mass.
So can Mocca get people interested?
Well in this case, I think Mediacorp has a shot. Albeit a relatively long one. Part of it is due to Mediacorp's strength in reach.
Mocca has hit MRT stations and probably the bus TVmobile (I am not sure about this, haven't taken a bus in a long time). And just recently Mocca has hit the TV.
So people in Singapore will definitely know the name Mocca. Also Mocca's ad are rather naughty. With pretty women that made my mom comment and well most guys (me included =P) will just ogle at the lucky guy with the car to sell
The video is below:
Whatever it is, love it or hate it, it got your attention!
So thats the strength.
So after all this talk will mocca.com work?
I think it has a shot. It has gotten critical mass, which is what the ads did for it. but where do they go from here? Advertising dollars? Who knows?
But key here, would be marketing as well as the actual business strategy. The technology is old and boring, but repackaged with value add, it might just work. But what is your "value add" Mocca.com? For your sake, I hope it is not just the power of video. If it is then my dear, you are dead in the water I'm afraid.
Oh Mocca.com has pretty good marketing. Sure sex sells, but the latest mocca ad features a pretty gal searching for a cute puppy. Probably to assure my mom, that nono it was just a naughty moment and there is no hanky panky ;)
Btw it is currently free to signup and advertise your products or services.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL, NOW IS THE TIME BECAUSE ALL EYEBALLS ARE ON IT NOW. WITH FREE ADVERTISING FROM MEDIACORP.
So you should take advantage of the current situation and make the best of it.
"Patents owned by Open Invention Network are available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System. This enables companies to continue to make significant corporate and capital expenditure investments in Linux – helping to fuel economic growth. By developing a web of Linux developers, distributors, sellers, resellers and end-users that license its patent portfolio, Open Invention Network is creating a supportive and shielded ecosystem to ensure the growth and adoption of Linux."
This kinda makes up for the sillyness that Google has been doing.
And here hopin' more companies will join. With all the patent gunslingin' by the big boys, this is your best shot as an upstart to protect yourself!
An article on eWeek, where Mark Shuttleworth speaks about MS actions lately.
I agree mostly and Microsoft has made quite a few questionable moves.
I think MS has finally given up trying to badmouth open source, and is actually engaging. But once in a while we see that MS is not as benign as it seems.
I do wish MS would concentrate on its products as opposed to doing strange things with its financial muscle.
The point is this. MS is driven by cash. Pure and simple. Open Source is driven by philosphy and general altruism.
There is no way MS will win this fight. Not in a prolonged battle.
God knows open source came out at a time when there were dominant vendors and proprietory products were reigning.
Open Source has come a long way, and will continue to go further so long as there is open code.
Want to kill open source? kill C. kill ideas. (though the patent system comes close, but any regimented system is bound to failure).
As a company, MS should really concentrate on why it even created Vista and the Office Suite 2007.
Because after all this time, it has come to the point where people are asking.
Why do I need to buy this new fangled product?
Ask yourself.
Does Vista give you more problems or less?
Does the new Word 2007 give you more problems or less?
The thing is this.
The new product must add SOMETHING, rather than add NOTHING.
So even if the new products do not give you problems, you should ask: "Did it add anything???"
Chances are that it did'nt.
Not for most users.
I do not see the Office 2007 or Vista doing well.
And with all the DRM sillyness, I hope Vista is dead in the water.
XP was an improvement.
Vista is an affront. To everyone really.
Over here, they no longer sell PCs with XP. No big deal right? Just get Vista.
It is a big deal, now I have to get more RAM JUST TO RUN VISTA.
That is just bad design, bad marketing and really forcing consumers to buy things they do not need.
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