Microsoft® BizSpark™ Network Partner

We are now part of Microsoft’s BizSpark Program. This is exciting, as this global program fosters the success of innovative startups committed to Microsoft’s platform technologies. Earlier this month, Veda was selected to join the Microsoft BizSpark Program as a Network Partner. Launched in November 2008, the BizSpark Program is a global business program designed to support and guide entrepreneurs and startups by connecting them to Network Partners. Network Partners are essentially businesses that are active members of the global software ecosystem and can offer mentorship, guidance and resources to BizSpark Startups.

Those businesses that qualify as BizSpark Startups gain access to Microsoft development tools, platform technologies and production licenses, including Windows Server and SQL Server. BizSpark, thus, creates an ongoing, mutually beneficial ecosystem between Microsoft, Startups and Network Partners.
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Spam vs Twitter

Last Saturday, @HeARTwork (an artist whom I follow on twitter) posted, “My wish for today for twitter? STOP selling your stuff for the moment and just enjoy your relationships with peeps eh? ” She is not the only one who wants spammers to stop corrupting Twitter.

What’s up on Twitter?

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Tweety… On the Go

Information technology has been the underlying cause of business transformation for the past couple of decades. In the last couple of years, it has changed the way organizations communicate with their target audience. The cheap availability and wide reach of the Internet has got companies to reconsider their online presence and to use it for relationship building. From emails to social networking sites and the use of multimedia, the Internet has become a strategic tool for brand building. The latest networking tool being used by companies is Twitter.

What is Twitter?
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Bean there…Done that…

At Starbucks, it is all about ‘you.’ Chanting the simple mantra of “people before products,” the company has been able to communicate that it cares about consumer experience. It gave them a platform to speak their minds. Once this was in place, all that had to be done was spotting what people really wanted. And, if an idea made sense, ‘Your Starbucks’ adopted it.

When it comes to e-marketing success stories, Starbucks has to be on the list. The company did not stick to existing sites for this… it created My Starbucks Idea. This platform asks the simple question “What’s your Starbucks idea?” and invites people to express what more the company could do for them. This became a channel for such a free flow of customer feedback that the company was able to get its market to do its marketing. Starbucks lovers began visiting this online community and posting their ideas. They could also see ideas posted by others, comment on them and vote for/against them. This wonderful forum, that was thrown open to people in March 2008, had generated over 70,000 ideas till its first anniversary.
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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet,”
- Juliet says distressed because Romeo’s name (symbolizing the family he belongs to) does not allow them to be lovers.

This is not about Theatre although it is rather Theatrical
With all due respect to Shakespeare, I just have to disagree. There is, in fact, a lot in a name. Why else would I go to a restaurant and ask for Coke instead of just any cola? Why would I automatically walk into a Levis showroom, knowing that I would get a pair of jeans that was sure to fit beautifully? When my aunt gifts me a Tommy Girl, why do I know I will love the fragrance before I even open the bottle? When my husband surprises me with Swarovski earrings, how am I so sure that they would sparkle for years? Apparently, there is a lot in a name.
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In one of my earlier blogs, I had discussed how important it is to avoid feature overload. A lot of discipline and focused decision making is required when deciding on what to include and what to leave out from the first version of your website.

I often come across situations where business owners or stakeholders get emotionally attached to a particular feature for one reason or the other. However, it is critical to make these decisions as objectively as possible.

The typical CEO and CTO discord: Let’s take an example of a startup that wants to build a site focused on the stock market. They want to be a “one-stop shop for analyst opinions.” While the CTO (or the product manager) is dreaming of a comprehensive portfolio management module being built, the CEO insists on covering as many stocks as possible.

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In any business, it’s critical to focus and direct all available energy and resources into meeting predetermined goals. Recently, while I was reading the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, a quote caught my attention:

“If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”

Organization focus should be visible in every aspect of your business. This is true even for your website, be it a corporate website or a transactional or social one. Many websites, even several corporate ones, look cluttered and do not clearly bring out the product/service that is being offered. This dilutes the messaging to your potential customers or employees.

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