How to streamline ink & toner purchasing using: Spiceworks, Firefox & CDW

I presented this @ Spiceworld Vegas 2009 and totally bombed. You win some you lose some...

Either way I had a blast.
Can't you tell by that smile?

Re: Twitter Blog: Does Twitter Hate Advertising?

I just finished reading "Twitter Blog: Does Twitter Hate Advertising?" and I am so with Biz Stone  on his stance against traditional web banner ads. I remember Balthaser founder Neil Balthaser said in a ABC News interview that "Banner Ads" where dead and this was circa 1998. Whether you side with him [Neil] or not he was right. But it just wasn't Flash that replaced the 468x60 static Animated GIF. It actually was Google Sponsored Links (AdWords) that turned a simple search engine into a multi-billion dollar company and eventually the #1 web property in the world.

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Anyway I hear what Biz is saying. I have mocked up my own Twitter Business Advertising Model months ago. I will now go on record saying that Sponsored links are just about on it's way to the other side. With Adblock Plus being the most popular Firefox Addon since as far as I remember (day 1?) we can tell a small majority of FireFox users (49,697,406) don't like Text, Flash or image ads. They want everything for free but don't even want to see ads to the point where they install a plugin to achieve that. That is fine with me, it simply means that model is failing to reach a small number of users (49,697,406...) which will eventually turn into a large number of users and sooner than later, become an obsolete way of trying to keep services such as Gmail free by selling ads/clicks.
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"There's also room for new innovation in advertising, marketing, and public relations and Twitter is already part of that." - Biz Stone

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And you will see that the only advertising Twitter has done so far is advertise companies that are using the Twitter API to create compelling web, mobile and desktop applications. How does that benefit them? Well a whole lot believe it or not. Even though they are not making a dime doing it, what they are doing with that is investing in themselves. 

They are getting users hooked to these Twitter-based services that they can run a business on, raise money for a charity, see what the world's most powerful CEO's & Executives are talking about just to name a few.
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So the million dollar question: how will Twitter make money? Simple, the same way Amazon turned the concept of Cloud Computing into a profitable division of the Jeff Bezos' Empire: Build a solid platform and rent it out to the masses.

What RIM needs to do to make the 'Storm 2' Kick Ass

The first Storm failed. I can post 100+ links backing my opinion up. Don't believe me? Check this (Straight from VerizonWireless.com):

Now I must say I was really pumped about the Storm, just as every BlackBerry Fan Boy was.  A week later after I purchased it I exchanged it for a Curve.  If you want can read my review to see why I made that decision.

Here is what RIM needs to do to make a come back (no particular order):

1. Wi-Fi B/G/N
2. Bluetooth 3.0 
3. Webkit Browser + Gears for Offline Support (So important, big reason I returned my Storm)
   
4. Trackpad 
5. Mobile Fingerprint Sensor for Authentication 
6. Built in 16GB Flash Memory
7. Mini & Micro USB ports for charging (Even though the EUC is pushing micro for the standard. A lot of U.S. phones are pushing Mini USB)

I will update this post if I think of anymore. I am not giving up on you yet RIM, but you need to catch-up quick before you loose your precious market share.