Starting Up Your Business and Need Consulting

Let me suggest a few resources if you are in the midst of starting your own e-commerce, or "regular :-)" business. I don't know, but I just happen to call the non-e-commerce business as regular. Anyway, here are some tips.
To secure your internet property, don't invent the wheel again.
Team and a Dream(SM) helps very early stage technology companies get to the next level.
Thinking about locating your office in Delaware with some perks.
Visit Delaware Business Blog.

Monster Interview Quiz Might Help

During an interview, it is very important to be yourself and be convincing and honest. Monster.com recently offers a free interview quiz that might give you some ideas about where you stand.

Map it, Lost it, Map it, Found it - Google Once Again! Text the G

A recent post from Official Google Blog:
" 1-800-GOOG-411: now with maps
6/29/2007 06:56:00 PM
Posted by Arnaud Sahuguet, Product Manager, and Mike LeBeau, Software Engineer

In case you hadn't heard, a few months back we launched 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) in the U.S. It's a free telephone service that lets you search for businesses by voice and get connected to those businesses for free.

Today, your GOOG-411 experience just got better: during your call to GOOG-411, just say "map it", and you'll get a text message with the details of your search plus a link to a map of your results right on your mobile phone.

Try it out, and add us to your phone book while you're at it. Let us know what you think either by emailing us or by joining our discussion group."

Where is my iPhone, I phone my iPhone, nobody picked up.

Finally, iPhone is out. TGI Friday used to mean Thank God Is Friday
Now, it is Thank God iPhone Friday.
As of 29 June, we commemorate the release of this new cell phone. Still, it is another ordinary Friday for cafealaturca. iPhone is not my phone. Though, I'd like to have a blackberry, or blueberry, that being said, I have strawberry now.

Ishouldhaveregisteredthatdomain.com and so on and on...Internet Property Development Consulting, andIforgotmydomain.com

Remember the catchy phrases, or hip hop lyrics you mumble..Or the metaphors you tell to your friend with inspiration. Anything can be a domain name, as long as you know who is your audience. If you just want to dedicate a website for your girlfriend, use her name and include IloveNAME.com
It looks like it is fair enough till now. Pretty much, domains are relatively cheap.
Well, here comes the domain eaters (that's how I call them, or domain valet parking)
Businessweek released an article about this domain fear for iPhone.com.
"The iPhone.com name has been around since at least 1995" which is long before Jan.9,2007 when Steve Jobs announced the release of iPhone.
What happens now?
Well, current official site for iPhone is http://www.apple.com/iphone as against to www.iphone.com
It is unfortunate that many people will merely type www.iphone.com to search for iphones, and those entrepreneurs that registered the domains with iphone word will cash their .99 cent to 6 dollar investment on domain registration.
Businessweek quotes that "In a blog entry, Westerdal said more than 4,000 new iPhone domain names have already been registered, with another 4,000 expected by year's end."

eBay Mania where Paris Hilton Trash Means Cash

Thanks to Google Desktop, I heard about Paris Hilton's trash making a lot of cash on eBay. As I searched the website, I found out about one store, called Hollywood Star Trash
Probably, you will not able to check out the auction in the future, because it will end in two days.
The name of the auction is:
STAR TRASH PARIS HILTON AUCTION: GOURMET DOG FOOD CAN
And, at the top of that, the latest bid is now, US $1,500,100.00
Yes, it is true.
I will be watching the item as a guest (a new feature in eBay, it was not possible to watch an item as a guest), and once the auction is closed, I will add new comments here.

Another new feature in eBay, is the bid history. The sellers and buyers in a particular member transaction history, it says:
"Bid information for both live and ended listings is shown in the bid history and summary sections. To keep eBay a safe place for buyers and sellers, member-specific information is not displayed in the bid history."

At the end, Paris Hilton will never manage a Hilton Hotel.

What a nightmare it would be to see your 2007 forecast earnings less than expected, Capital One Bank does!

Not a big fan of BBC World, from time to time I take a look at the articles. Interesting aspect of blogs like cafealaturca is the chance to catch up with an article, although you might have missed it on its release day. Well, this is a fresh one. But, it might go stale if you read this post in the future. Your best bet is to subscribe to my RSS Feeds, which are NOT yet available:-) But, the time will come for that as well. Coming soon. Also, podcast and video blog is another theme I want to add to this little cafe we enjoy all together reading, from time to time. I shall suggest some music albums to listen while sipping your Turkish Coffee and reading this blog. Here comes the first one: Harry Gregson Williams - Kingdom of Heaven OST (Original SoundTrack)

Back to the article (you may realize, cafe goes off topic very easily), "Capital One has said it expects to eliminate 2,000 jobs - about 7% of its workforce - as it battles rising competition from rival card companies."Another day fades away to open up space for another new day. If you are new to Cafe A La Turca, welcome, please enjoy your Turkish Coffee.I don't know which coffee is this one, but looks similar to Turkish Coffee:-)
I shall provide you more insight about the similarities and differences between all those coffee types in the surrounding area of Turkey. Shall we call in short the pre-Ottoman Empire countries?

Whole Food Stores, Trader Joe's, vs. Food with Industrial Chemicals

After reading the news article in BusinessWeek, it is not difficult to make a better choice (still due to affordability) to prefer Natural Grocery Stores like Whole Food or Trader Joe's (my favorite, very good price, would highly recommend their 1lt. German Mineral Water).
"China has closed 180 food factories after inspectors found industrial chemicals being used in products from candy to seafood, state media said Wednesday."
Further, "Meanwhile, another regulating agency, China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce, said it closed 152,000 unlicensed food manufacturers and retailers last year for making fake and low-quality products."

The big question is How Much Are We Informed through the labels on the food products. Like that 50 cent Great Value Tuna, or Soda Pops at Save a Lot??? Are we safe?

Still, we make our own decisions. For lower price, we can eat more variety. Or, we can choose to eat high quality with low quantity :-)

I use Google, but is Google using/utilizing me?

I liked Google, not just because everybody says Google It, rather than Yahoo It, or MSN It.
The term, Google It, became very associated with the English phrase, search something online.
It is all fine, but what does Google do when we Google It.
Whenever a student has a question, he/she raises the hand and ask the question.
We are all students of this G-Universe, and we are clicking on Google and click one more time for Google Search button.

Well, Google Daddy never forgets our visit, especially if we use personal computers. There has been a long debate going on about how fair Google is utilizing personal data. Recently, they published an article on their Official Google Blog. They say,

"We have a legitimate interest in retaining search server logs for a number of reasons:

• to improve our search algorithms for the benefit of users
• to defend our systems from malicious access and exploitation attempts
• to maintain the integrity of our systems by fighting click fraud and web spam
• to protect our users from threats like spam and phishing
• to respond to valid legal orders from law enforcement as they investigate and prosecute serious crimes like child exploitation; and
• to comply with data retention legal obligations."

And I say, fine, Google It :-)

Monday Special Article on Turkish Coffee - Just Discovered

Web is a web, a great arena. And, sometimes the most interesting news articles find you, rather than you finding them. As I was about to close down the store (which is this blog, well it is kinda like a store, I own it, through Great Google eBlogger service:-) I saw the article on the left hand side of my blog. Google's News service delivers most recent articles about Turkish Coffee, if you click the relevant subject at the top of the news bar. As usual, I quote my favorite paragraph, and leave the rest for your choice.
"Well, you could always swish those coffee grounds and let a fortuneteller size up your love life and future triumphs (if any). That's the path many visitors chose at the Turkish Art and Folk Festival in Gates."

A New Content-Aggregation Site Emerges - In English, Dig the Digg it

PC World article publishes that "Spotplex Inc. on Monday announced a new content-aggregation site that it said will provide Digg.com-like rankings of Internet content -- with a twist. Instead of requiring users to rank content, Spotplex will automatically rank it based on the number of people reading it."

I also came across an article in BusinessWeek, giving a sound idea to those entrepreneurs out there trying to shoot out their dreams.
"Just because there is no one selling a particular product or service doesn't mean it's automatically a good idea to try. Conversely, a competitively crowded industry shows that demand exists, as well as a viable market. The key to business success isn't finding an empty field, but defining your company narrowly—no matter how crowded a marketplace you're entering."

And last, Cameron Diaz had a very funny action in Peru, (ignorance is the worst marketing). On Yahoo, it says,
"Cameron Diaz apologized Sunday for carrying a bag with a political slogan that evoked painful memories in Peru.

The voice of Princess Fiona in the animated "Shrek" films visited the Incan city of Machu Picchu in Peru's Andes on Friday carrying an olive green bag emblazoned with a red star and the words "Serve the People" printed in Chinese, perhaps Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong's most famous political slogan."

I wonder, if no tour guide warned her about the bag. Interesting,...

It is Saturday Night, and here is a good source of Dance Music Videos

Mortgage, Foreclosure, Buying Home, and so, on and on....

Are you ready to buy your own house? The foreclosure listings might offer you the best bargain.

"What are Foreclosed Homes and Listings?

When a homeowner can no longer afford to make monthly payments, the bank or financial institution that financed the loan will repossess, or reclaim the property. Once the lender has possession of the property, the goal is to recoup their money. Usually, the lender is not looking to make a huge profit; they simply want to resell the property. Thus, it is possible to purchase a foreclosed home at a huge discount. These properties are ideal for real estate investors, bargain shoppers, or even first time home buyers.

Foreclose listings include detail information about foreclosed properties for sale. For those looking to buy a foreclosed home, lists should serve as a primary resource. There are many kinds of foreclose listings. Certain listings are outdated and offer little help. On the other hand, if you choose a reputable listing company, you can expect an up-to-date housing list on a monthly basis. "

Yahoo Inc. Chairman Terry Semel, or so called Yahoo CEO, resigns

Rumor says that he was incapable of competing with Google's technology. The source says that "he will hand over the reins to co-founder Jerry Yang in the Internet icon's latest attempt to regain investor confidence."

Learning Turkish and Still Speaking English

A few words that you can pronounce very easily in Turkish, while still speaking English.

The word: ayran
When you say, "I run." - It means, "yogurt drink" in Turkish.

Want to purchase "ayran"
or
Need to learn how to make a yogurt drink.

---

The word: tepsi
Say "tap C" - meaning "tray" in English.

Facebook 2.0 - Generation Application

It is nearly impossible to keep up with the number of Facebook applications nowadays. Every other day, one of my friends add an application on their profile, and then I got to learn what that application is all about. That curiosity is the all reason we are all on Facebook. Well, some of us have an account just for marketing purposes, like bouncing visits to your personal websites, blogs, etc.
Like, "Jaffer uses Facebook to stay in touch with business contacts and he liked how private and professional it was."



There are people out there who think that "Facebook frenzy began when it branched out to everyone."
I ask if Facebook is trying to be the Burger King, while MySpace is the McDonald's of social networking sites!?!?

A Dedication to GIANFRANCO FERRE

Ferre,

Alibaba.com will sell shares in Hong Kong rather than New York

New York, New York was the name of the song by Frank Sinatra.
Nowadays, it is Hong Kong, Hong Kong, when Alibaba.com decided to have their public offering in Hong Kong, rather than New York. The reasons behind this decision was not disclosed in the Forbes article, but they will soon to be revealed.

Eject, Reject, Object, Subject, What is all about this -ject?

According to the book "Modern English Structures: Form, Function and Position" by Bernard O'Dwyer, similar words like eject, inject, reject, object, etc., all have the stem -ject which means to throw. The prefixes add more meaning to the stem, and new words emerge. Taking a quick look at the page (provided by Google Books) where O'Dwyer is referring to those words with the -ject ending might convince you to purchase the book. Please go to Amazon through my website, rather than the link Google provides, so I earn a little commission from your purchase, rather than Google does :-) Thanks.

Doing Business Between the United States and Turkey

Consulting websites provide in-depth information about the tidbits of doing business between the United States and Turkey. SVG International Business Associates is just one these sources.



More info will be updated here.

Philadelphia Dance Scene

After spending way too much time finding some nightclubs to listen to house music, here is my list. My research begin on Google, and end up at a local records store where I heard about an online discussion forum, Maneo. There are a couple of nice clubs in this area. In the forum, they post almost every dance event. Social Club and Fluid are my top two places.
Fluid is located:

Also, some members were talking about the term hipster, and one recommended this online handbook to learn more about this culture. That's about it now, time to drink some Turkish Coffee. If you don't know how to drink/prepare/or even find this delicious coffee, post a comment, I will immediately provide assistance:-) And, watch this well-done video clip about Turkish Coffee. More exciting videos coming soon.

eBay vs. Amazon for store sellers

I strongly recommend Google Desktop (you should really download this nice application, although it is not the best, I would like to see RSS feeds on this application, but well, maybe in the future), if you use a personal computer at home, or at work. It is a great way to receive instant news on your screen. Like this:

Back to the topic, I stumble upon an article in PC World (thanks to G-Desktop)
By the way, we have all that iLife;
iMac, iPod, iPhone, iBlaBla...
There is also a way of G-Life;
Gmail, GTalk, G-Bookmark, etc.
Leave the i alone, go for the G :-)
Back to the topic;
eBay sellers say that eBay focus more on auction format sales, so sellers complains that eBay is "hiding store owners and their merchandise, making it harder for buyers to find them."
eBay says, they are focusing on a new technology called Finding 2.0 (sounds like Web 2.0)
After hearing about a new word, what do we do?
Google it!
Check this article out from ZDNet, they are pretty reliable.
eBay says, "With Finding 2.0, eBay wants to improve the relevance of search results without sacrificing what Durzy calls "serendipity," which eBay considers a key ingredient of the eBay experience: stumbling upon a product that happily surprises you."
One thing interesting about eBay, some sellers can easily "maintain a minimal presence on eBay to drive traffic to her own store."
Are you listening to online radio? If you like electronic music, I would suggest Proton Radio and Dinamo Fm.
Take care now,
cafealaturca
P.S: Please try to visit my affiliates (banner ads) to support my blog.

Seeking numbers and letters for coffee in the US

Are you writing a business plan?
Let's start with a mini one. Like, Mini Cooper :-) By the way, you can drive one of these cars in Philadelphia for no more than $9/hour. Visit Philly Car Share today and sign up. I am referring you. So, we both get $10 credit (it was $25 a while ago).
Startup Journal of WSJ offers a Free Mini Plan for entrepreneurs like you. Seize your ideas, and smooch them into the plan. (Did the word smooch make sense in this sentence?! I wanted to mean kiss your ideas goodbye to the plan.)

While walking, why not take your eBlogger with you. So, those people who walk the same path, can have some idea. This is what I am doing here, let you see what resources I come up during my way to accomplish a descent mini plan for my cafealaturca.

Searching "number of coffee companies in the US" in Google.
Finding a well-built marketing blog named Marketing Profs: Daily Mix
Interesting adventure begins when you click on the names commented to this article.
Everybody has a website, or a blog, offering services free or not. The point is chain reaction happens in this case, as well. It is very easy to browse around and around. Keep clicking. Will be back with more B-Plan.

Chain Reaction goes like Job Search, Hersheys, SM, and Google Bookmarks

Another evening for another job search online. Not a big favor of email marketing, nor e-newsletters. But, I receive one from campusphilly, telling me about Diversity Job Fair in Philly. Learned about all these employers attending the fair:
Ameriprise
Bank of America (PA)
FBI (Philadelphia)
Hertz
Home Funds Direct
Independence Blue Cross
Merck & Company
Metlife
Metlife
Safeway/Genuardis Inc.
The Hershey Company
Wells Fargo Financial (NJ)
Became eager to get more information about Hersheys. Then, I read their slogan with a SM acronym??
THE SWEETEST PLACE ON EARTH. SM


I liked it, it is like my slogan: "Pleasure to Serve, Coffee to Deserve"
As you see, I do not have SM, but only quotation marks around my slogan:-)
So, what does SM stands for? I searched online at Google.
Found this page, which gives a list of derivations of SM.
Interestingly, I finally found out about Google Bookmarks. It is the letter G.

I had emailed Google to provide this kind of bookmarking service. Maybe they heard my voice. But, after all those Digg-like social bookmark sites, Google had to do that. As a big fan of Google's Gmail and eBlogger, this bookmark service was desperately needed. Thanks Google. (It is funny that nowadays Google has a case going on against them about user data security, but here, it is not the place to discuss it, let's take a sip from our Turkish Coffee aka cafealaturca, now.)

Long Awaited Thoughts for Turkish Coffee Part - I

Once again, our motto is "I told you!", so before it is too late, let's egg-roll some opinions about Turkish Coffee.

First of all, cafe a la Turca means Turkish Coffee, yes indeed:)

The coffee does not need to be brewed with special pot, so called cezve. Nowadays, it is recommeneded to use electric kettle, because it spreads the heat all over the contents in perfect proportion, whereas "cezve" is limited to obtain this proportion. Although it is a more traditional way, kettle is definitely the easiest-yet-fully tasty way of making Turkish Coffee. By the way, prefer Turkish coffee that is roasted in the US, if you reside in this region, so you can have the Fresh Roasted body, aroma, whatsoever. As you know, Brazilian Arabica coffee beans are roasted for Turkish Coffee. It comes from Brazil. Geographically, the US is closer to the farm fields, than any other country in the east of the Atlantic Ocean. I highly recommend Gulden Coffee for their excellent way of roasting this coffee in the US.

So, what is this coffee machine I am talking about. Here it is:

Guy Kawasaki and his Truemors.com

Finally, I decided to bring a little bit more enthusiasm to this blog. While surfing online, reading article, why not quote some of them, those sound remarkable to me. I just want to be the one saying that "I told you!" :Lol
Let's roll..
Regarding an article about Guy Kawasaki (author of The Art of the Start) who is "in great demand as a speaker on the art and science of entrepreneurship."
"Those who can, do; those who can't, motivate."
Many rumors begin at TechCrunch for online start-ups.
Yahoo had offered him a CEO position, and he declined because "the offices were too far from his home."
You may not have a chance to read all through the articles, but here in my blog, I am pointing out those quotes you should not miss. If you like cafealaturca, please leave a comment. I will leave you a comment, as well:) It is all about link-baiting.
Back to Mr. Kawasaki;
His latest idea is Truemors.com
I liked the online ad, it is different than usual, and I think it is self-created, like it is not a Google AdSense, or from a third-party advertising company. It is a very intelligent way to ask viewers some thought-provoking questions and then lead them to the advertisers websites. TWO THUMBS UP!!!

The WSJ article continues,
"For someone associated with one of the great tech products of all time, who regularly tells his audiences that the only companies worth starting are those that can change the world, Mr. Kawasaki's start-up seems, not to put too fine a point on it, a little cheesy."

"new economics of the Internet"..??? I had heard of economies of scale:-)
For those tech-entrepreneurs like me, well, kinda;
"Apparently, Web businesses now aren't much harder to make than YouTube videos. Mr. Kawasaki says he has been working on Truemors for just three months. Because it uses free software, with programming done by a for-hire outfit in called Electric Pulp located in the high tech mecca of South Dakota, the costs are minimal. Mr. Kawasaki says to date, he has spent $12,000 on Truemors."
And, most interestingly, the article concludes:
"For $12K, Mr. Kawasaki gets a ticket to the lottery. If it succeeds, he can spend all day playing ice hockey, a favorite pastime. If it's a bust, he'll recoup his investment with a lecture or three; plus, he'll have new grist for the speaking mill -- "What I learned when my start-up wouldn't start up."
What a humble life...(Reading a single article on startup journal at wall street journal has never been this long:-)
By the way, if you want to startup you tech ideas, I strongly recommend Team and a Dream. It is worth checking them out. As they say, "If its not a win-win-win (client, client's clients and Team and a Dream), it shouldn't be done."